Excerpts on the 2014 European elections from a speech of Andros Kyprianou, General Secretary of the C.C. of AKEL

 

6th May 2014, Cultural Centre “Panos Solomonides”, Limassol

“…Our era is unfortunately vicious. As the great theoreticians had noted when pointing out that every crisis of the system removes the mask, crushes whatever is outdated and reveals the profound motives and forces in motion. This is what we are observing taking place today in Cyprus, Europe and all over the world. The pompous and grandiose slogans about “social economy” have been left to one side. They have given way to all out attacks on the common people; attacks which shame humanity, civilisation, all that humanity, the Europe of the great social revolutions and ruptures have gained over the centuries.

Today more than 43 million people live in the European Union who cannot afford to pay for more than one plate of food from day to day. More than 26 million people are unemployed. 27% of children live in poverty. At the same time, the profits of the big companies have fallen only slightly. However, in the Eurozone profits have in fact recorded a small increase. So, where is the so-called “solidarity” of the great European family? Where do the millions of Europeans, who don’t have enough to eat, clothe themselves and are searching in rubbish bins to survive, see this “solidarity”? Where is this “solidarity” for the millions of people in Europe who don’t have a roof over their heads? Who are dying slowly without medicines, doctors and hospitals? Where is this “solidarity” for all those who cannot afford to dream about getting an education or about leisure?

Why have we reached this point? For sure, this is not because “the people themselves are to blame or its god’s punishment”. It is the specific policies that were imposed on the peoples of Europe that have led us to this situation. It is the policies of the “great European family” – which the governing Rally DISY party is promoting and boasting that it is a member of – that are to blame; the policies of the ruling circles of the EU who also forgot all the talk about supposed “partners” and “solidarity” in the pre-election fiestas organized by Mr. Anastasiades and the DISY party in order to impose their policies.

It is the policies of these very circles that have imposed the Lisbon Treaty in order to concentrate almost all the powers on economic decisions in Brussels, as well as the coupling of the European Union with NATO. These are the very same circles that are today formulating the framework for the Banking Union that will drive the “weaker” banks into bankruptcy and lead to an enormous centralization of banking capital in the major banks of the powerful EU states. These are the same circles who don’t care about the armies of unemployed and poor in Europe and who are waging expensive military interventions in Africa and Asia. This is the reason why when DISY asks for the people’s vote in order to strengthen its own position and that of Merkel’s Political Group in the European Parliament, at the same time it must explain why it is calling for people to do so. Is it to make the attacks on the peoples even more intense against the people’s interests?

How exactly will the two faces of the DISY party that coexist on its candidate list use the vote they are seeking from the Cypriot people, when at the same time on a number of issues the policy their Political Group is implementing anything but serves the peoples? For example, what is the position of the European People’s Party on environmental issues in the European Parliament also with regards the use of nuclear energy in Europe that is of great concern to the ecological movement? What position does DISY adopt when EU Directives curbing individual freedoms, civil liberties and the protection of personal data are discussed in the European Parliament in the name of “combatting terrorism” and safeguarding “security”? Why did the European People’s Party and DISY refuse to grant political asylum to Snowden, the man who is being persecuted because he exposed the American intelligence services’ monitoring of the conversations of all European citizens, political leaders and people?

The Confederal Group of the European United Left/Nordic Green Left in the European Parliament, which AKEL is affiliated to, maintained on all these issues, and continues to uphold consistent positions and a stance based on principles. We are indeed doubly proud because the Group of the Left in the European Parliament has proved to be the most consistent ally of Cyprus, our people’s most loyal friend in the European Parliament. It is the force which supports Cyprus when issues arise such as the question of direct trade with the occupied areas, Turkey’s obligations towards Cyprus, the colonisation of the occupied areas and many others. This is why we are asserting the vote of the Cypriot people on 25th May.

We are asserting the vote of the Cypriot people however also for another reason, so that AKEL can, the day after, as a powerful force, defend even more effectively the cause of the vindication of our people and reunification of our country and people; so that AKEL will have the necessary influence needed to protect the working people, SME’s, young people, pensioners and the socially vulnerable strata of the population from all the attacks waged on them; so that our people the day after can hope that there will be resistance for its dignity and future.

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