Excerpts from the speech of the General Secretary of AKEL A.Kyprianou at a pre-election rally in Limassol

 

17^th May 2021, Heroes Square, Limassol

“…We often hear statements by the government ruling forces and the ruling DISY party about kick starting the economy and its development.

And we truly wonder if we are all living in the same place.

We all live in the same place, but not living the same reality.

AKEL, connected to the people, lives the problems and needs of the small and medium-sized enterprises, the self-employed and the majority of society.

The anti-social policies of the Anastasiades Government put many people in a very difficult position. The pandemic and its consequences have exacerbated the problems they face.

The Anastasiades-DISY Government should have intervened to protect all of these people. Unfortunately, it did so in a fragmented way. There are people who have received no support whatsoever, or meager support.

But everyone’s expenses and obligations are ongoing. And they must be covered and regrettably they are not covered by the statements made by DISY President Averof Neophytou.

As AKEL, immediately after the outbreak of the pandemic, we submitted specific legislative proposals in Parliament and became the main pole among the political forces for the implementation of measures, both short and medium term, to curb the impact of the pandemic.

More specifically, we proposed:

• Protection from evictions by suspending the implementation of the provisions of the “Law on Tenancy” so that a reasonable period of time is given until the lifting of restrictive measures to enable the affected tenants to regain their financial ability to meet their contractual obligations. We insist that the President of the Republic withdraw the referral he has submitted to the Supreme Court so that the suspension is implemented.
• Protection of businesses from foreclosure processes in a targeted way, to defend precisely small and medium-sized enterprises.
• Provision of guarantees to those most in need – mainly Small and Medium enterprises and not to acquaintances and friends, which is why we proposed a redistribution of the initial amounts included in the government bill for each category with an emphasis on small and medium enterprises.

However, our basic position is that the State must give priority to the direct financing of SME’s and state guarantees should be a complementary tool.

• The further suspension of bank installments should be permitted in a targeted way, so that the affected companies can be kept alive and not in the way recently announced by the government in cooperation with the banks.
• The subsidy of rent for all affected small and medium-sized enterprises, so that with a cost-sharing scheme between the tenant, the state and landlord, to provide help to businesses and tenants that have proven to be affected by the effects of the pandemic.
• Regulation to determine a new period within which debtors of overdue contributions should have the right to apply for a settlement of their debts with monthly installments for a predetermined period of time.

In addition to the above that concern measures for an immediate response to the consequences of the pandemic, as AKEL we insist that specific measures must be taken to support small and medium-sized enterprises such as:

• Creation of a Fund and elaboration of a strategic plan for the financing and reactivation of Small and Medium Enterprises and the self-employed.
• Special arrangements for the debts of the pandemic, since its effects have not yet been revealed in their entirety. That is precisely why we say that as a state we must act immediately and precautionarily in this direction to have a plan in place.
• Establishment of a single SME body to enhance access to European funding.
• Termination of the corporate fee for Small and Medium Enterprises.
• Restoration of the right of access to justice when there are unfair and unlawful clauses and irregular charges by banks that concern legal and natural persons.

 

We insist and shall continue to insist after the elections on the adoption of policies in favor of small and medium-sized enterprises and self-employed people.

The crucial thing is what everyone does after the election. We can look every Cypriot in the eye and call on him/her to judge us. AKEL is the Party that insists, with consistency, with steadfastness and seriousness on its positions. It is the force that insists on its positions both before and after the elections and struggles both inside and outside Parliament for the many.

We have won many battles together. For education, health, the welfare state, the workers and the many. We will be present on 31^st May too: the strong voice for the many, the powerful voice for Cyprus.”