Excerpts from an interview with Andros Kyprianou, General Secretary of AKEL
15-16th May 2016, “HARAVGI” newspaper
We are just one week away from the parliamentary elections on 22nd Abstention seems to concern all political forces greatly. What is the message you convey to voters?
AK: Abstention is due to both objective and subjective reasons. Some circles have deliberately worked for several decades to promote the denigration and depreciation of political life, but also of political figures. The result of these actions is that depreciation has been cultivated among a large section of the Cypriot people. However, we must admit that political parties and figures have themselves committed mistakes.
They behave in a manner which provokes dissatisfaction and reactions among large sections of society, resulting in depreciation growing. What we are trying to say, especially to young people, is that abstention is not going to stop the selling off of public wealth and assets. Abstention is not in any way going to stop the foreclosures of primary family homes and small business premises.
Abstention will not raise wages, nor will it give the right of access to health and medical care to all Cypriots or create a socially sensitive state. Abstention is not going to increase the quality of education and training provided. On the contrary, the only thing abstention will achieve is the continuation of anti-social policies being implemented today by the Troika and Anastasiades government. At the same time, the authoritarianism and arrogance with which the government and ruling forces operate will increase. Our view therefore is that the people should not only take part in elections, but make the correct choice. And we believe that the correct choice is to vote for AKEL – Left – New Forces.
In all the polls AKEL appears to have the highest percentage rate in rallying its party voters. Is this a factor contributing towards maintaining or increasing its percentage vote?
AK: Let me begin by saying that we are not satisfied by the rallying of our party voters shown in the polls. We will continue our efforts until the last minute, through our personal contact with traditional AKEL voters, so that the rallying of our party support will increase.
At the same time, of course, we are also appealing to voters of other political parties, pointing out the characteristics and political positions of our Party in an attempt to convince them that it is necessary in this election to vote for our own election list. I am absolutely convinced that we will have a good election result and we can see this reflected in the opinion polls and mainly in the face-to-face contacts we engage with the people, as well as from the very good work carried out by our local election committees.
The latest developments surrounding Turkey’s accession process, but also inside the country, with the removal of Davutoglu, generate concern as regards the course of the talks. How does AKEL assess these developments?
AK: We are concerned about the ongoing developments in Turkey. The unlimited power of Erdogan, which has been confirmed once again, can represent a serious problem in the efforts to solve the Cyprus problem, depending on how he himself will handle the various issues. We are also concerned about the developments within the Turkish Cypriot community, as a result of the assumption of the “government” by two parties which have always had very conservative and intolerant – with regards the solution of the Cyprus problem – positions.
Our concern, however, should not lead us to take decisions that will cause problems to the negotiating procedure. We must not under any circumstances break off negotiations because there are dangers, but neither should we react in a way that will lead in the opposite direction. Namely, to declare that because Turkey is behaving in this way, we will also behave accordingly, regardless of any consequences.
Turkey behaves like this because it does not have as its priority the achievement of a just, functional and viable solution of the Cyprus problem. On the other hand, for AKEL the solution is a pressing and urgent need. Clearly we must remain consistent to the line that we have set out. We should daily be affirming our desire for a solution, sticking to principles with regards its framework, but also be flexible in terms of the procedure. We should also be careful not to be led to the phenomenon of not undertaking any initiatives at all on the pretext of fear.
AKEL has also expressed concerns with regards the issue of the liberalization of visas for Turkish citizens …
AK: Our concern is how the EU will act towards Turkey. We are pleased because the European Parliament has shown a consistent stand. Let me remind you that we had sent a letter to the President of the Left group of the European Parliament calling on the Group to adopt a strong stand. Our view is that Turkey should not receive different treatment than any other country. They must treat Turkey like all other countries. If Turkey does not meet the preconditions and criteria set, it cannot get anything.
What do you say to all those circles and forces who accuse AKEL of being in collusion with the governing Democratic Rally DISY party with regards the Cyprus problem?
AK: Due to the lack of argument in the run up to the elections, the other political parties have tried to promote the phantom vision of AKEL’s supposed cooperation with DISY. It’s ridiculous, of course. Because on all the other matters AKEL’s stand in the House of Representatives is quite clear. As the position of the other parties is very clear, notably of the Democratic Party DIKO which accuses AKEL on these issues. AKEL during the Christofias administration had supported a specific policy on the Cyprus problem. AKEL has always supported this policy, but with particular emphasis during the Christofias administration because then Demetris Christofias was handling the Cyprus problem.
AKEL was attacked for this policy like no other force, furiously by all the other political parties, led by Mr. Anastasiades and DISY. We did not retreat or deviate at all from our positions. We resisted, insisting on our positions. We have withstood the destructive attacks. We managed to survive. Today it is confirmed that these positions are the only ones that can lead to progress on the Cyprus problem. Mr. Anastasiades followed the advice of the other political parties for a whole year. Not only wasn’t any progress recorded, but the efforts to solve the Cyprus problem were set back: the Turkish vessel “Barbaros” roamed unhindered in the southern shores of the Republic of Cyprus and we had received the worst Report submitted by the UN Secretary General.
The President of the Republic was subsequently forced, realizing that the path he had been pursuing was hopeless, to readapt his tactics and shifted to the tactics which AKEL had always proposed. The President of the Republic and DISY moved from their positions and met our own positions. What should we have said? That because they have “come close” to our positions the other forces will misunderstand us, so we should therefore abandon these positions and be in line with all the others? I think that such an approach would have no relation whatsoever with the 90 year history of AKEL.
We are a patriotic party. We put above all else the interests of Cyprus. We are a serious and responsible party and we cannot behave like others behave. We therefore insist on the same long-standing positions we have always supported and anybody who embraces these positions and comes to the group of parties that support the same approach, not of course with identical positions, is welcome. If the Democratic Party were to join us, we would welcome it.
The government boasts that unemployment has fallen. However, however there are thousands of unemployed people. We see more and more young people leaving Cyprus to go abroad in search of work there. How do you assess the government’s policies on this very serious question?
Before the elections the government made a host of pledges and promises. None of them have been fulfilled. Of course, to combat unemployment it is important to boost growth. Not only is the government not promoting growth but instead it is cutting development budgets and not implement them. In recent years just 60% of the development budget has been implemented, in comparison to previous years when these budgets were being fulfilled at a rate that exceeded 80%. It is therefore not possible with these policies and the shrinking of wages, which reduce consumption, to create jobs.
The government is celebrating, claiming that unemployment has fallen from 16% in 2015 to 12.1%. It states that we are the country with the biggest reduction in unemployment. However it forgets two developments, which are extremely crucial.
First, this represents a seasonal reduction in the sense that the tourist industry has begun to fully operate. Second and most importantly is the fact that the number of jobs have decreased. If we compare the number of jobs in 2012 to 2016, it seems that these have declined by 28,000.
This illustrates that not only has unemployment not been reduced, but that jobs have declined, which confirms that many people have emigrated. Regretfully, some officials give the President erroneous figures and expose him when he comes out and says that only a few thousand people have emigrated from Cyprus. This has nothing whatsoever to do with reality. It is therefore unfortunate that the government is painting a rosy picture of the whole situation so as to convey political messages instead of seeing the real problems and trying to address them properly.
Another reason why the government celebrated was the exit from the Memorandum. Nevertheless, Cypriot society is, and will be, as everything indicates for quite a few years more under the vicious measures and philosophy being pursued by the Troika and the government. The poor have become poorer and the rich richer. Is there a way out?
AK: The Memoranda last for 3 years. We entered a Memorandum in 2013 and exited in 2016, on the precondition that we would be “obedient and good students” that we will obey all the commands and dictates of the Troika, and this is precisely what the government have done. Let me remind you that the President of the Republic, the Minister of Finance and the DISY party President have stated repeatedly that the Memorandum could have been their own ideological manifesto. They indeed said that even if the Troika had not come to Cyprus, all the measures that have been implemented, would be implemented by them. They is what they were saying, in an attempt to satisfy their European friends. We exited the Memorandum in March 2016. The severe austerity measures, which however have been imposed on the shoulders of ordinary citizens, are continuing.
What is important is something else. Is there in fact only one way to deal with the problems of the economy? The example of Iceland shows us some other path… This country has managed in two years to overcome difficulties, putting more burdens on the shoulders of the rich and less on the shoulders of the poor. The Troika and the government in all cases followed a completely different “recipe” which has brought the people of Cyprus to its knees.
The austerity policies imposed have brought tragic results for Cypriot society…
AK: Indeed, the situation in Cypriot society is tragic. 234,000 people live below the poverty line. Cyprus is the country with the highest percentage increase in the gap between the few rich and the rest of the people. 10% of the population of Cyprus saw its revenues grow over the last three years and the remaining 90% saw theirs reduced dramatically. For twelve consecutive quarters, which this government has been in power, wages have continually declined. In fact they have returned back to the level of purchasing power that existed in 1996.
We are the country with the highest percentage growth of long-term unemployed. We are talking about 40,412 persons in 2015. Labour relations are constantly being deregulated, on the pretext of the Memorandum. Attempts are underway to sell-off of public wealth and assets. The welfare state is being dismantled. The government and ruling forces are taking from the poor to give to the poorest, leaving the rich intact. At the same time the foreclosures of primary family homes and small business premises are being promoted. These are the actions of the Anastasiades-DISY government. Yes, there was indeed another path to take.
Do you think that this situation can be reversed?
The tragic situation in which Cyprus has reached can only be reversed if you change the philosophy which guides the policies implemented. There is some room, although it is limited in the Eurozone, to exert a national policy on some issues. The government should make use of this room. It does not, however, want exploit this room, as everything demonstrates. It doesn’t agree politically which is why it doesn’t do so.
If AKEL does not receive the expected percentage results, if it loses from its electoral strength, do you will believe your own position will be challenged?
AKEL went through a very difficult period. A fierce and very conscious effort was made to smear the party in the hearts and minds of the people. In actual fact, an attempt was undertaken to convey the message that we are all the same. In this difficult period we were fully aware of setting out AKEL’s objectives at each phase. For example, in the presidential elections the goal was to pass to the second round and proceed with demands to assert the Presidency of the Republic.
Therefore, if those circles who were so anxious not to see the election of Anastasiades and adhered to a principled position, that is to say to vote for the candidate supported by AKEL in the second round, the outcome of the presidential elections in 2013 could have been different. In the European elections that followed we knew that the pressure that would be exerted on AKEL would be even fiercer. Given that decisions had been taken by the Anastasiades government, there was a deliberate and vehement attempt to blame the handling of the Demetris Christofias government and AKEL for the consequences and so we knew it would be an extremely difficult election campaign. We set the goal of achieving 27%, which as you know we attained.
This goal was set very consciously because we analyzed correctly and objectively the given situation that existed. We said that if we achieved 27%, the possibility would subsequently be given to us to struggle for a higher percentage vote in the parliamentary elections. And these percentages, if and provided they are higher, will enable us to make a dynamic and complete restoration of forces in the run up to the presidential elections.
I believe, therefore, that we have fulfilled these goals. From there onwards the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party, and all the other leading cadres, are always at the disposal of the party bodies for the exercise of any criticism. No one is above criticism, nor do we consider that we are immune to any criticism.
In this election has AKEL set a specific goal?
Our goal is for AKEL to achieve a higher percentage than the result in the European elections. The higher it is the better. We want to reaffirm AKEL as a leading force of the country; as a force which can effectively contribute to the efforts to solve the Cyprus problem and at the same time to resist the anti-social policies being imposed by the Anastasiades-DISY government. Of course, we must combat the populism developed by numerous smaller political formations.
