“Incrimination and exoneration on a mission” by Yiannakis Colocasides,-member of the C.C. of AKEL

 

06/22/2014 “HARAVGI” newspaper

 

In the era of the crisis, and particularly after the imposition of the Anastasiades-Eurogroup Memorandum, the governing Democratic Rally DISY party, spearheaded by its President Averof Neophytou, is doing all it can to convince us that we are the ones to blame for all the troubles we are going through.

We the people of Cyprus are to blame, according to DISY. We have lived for decades beyond our means. We are to blame because we have a relatively high standard of living. The trade union movement and the Left are also guilty because with their struggles they were able to achieve gains and rights for workers. We are to blame because we had achieved labour relations that did not allow a free-for-all of capital and super-exploitation. We are the ones to blame because we had achieved a bearable welfare state. We are guilty because the state and society could through the Semi-governmental and public utility organizations promote a socio-economic policy in favour of growth. We are also guilty because we had a powerful cooperative movement. And when they stress all this, simultaneously they are seeking not to lay the blame on the capitalist system as the root cause of the crisis. Local and international capital is absolved, as are bankers, as well as our “friends” like Merkel. What is behind the cultivation of a sense of guilt among the people and the exoneration of capital? To put it simply, under the burden of our “guilt” the goal is for the people to yield and be submissive, to give in and obediently accept all that the Government and the Troika are imposing by putting a gun to our head.

The game of absolving and incriminating is not new for Cyprus. We have seen this game p0layed out at other times with another content. We witnessed this scenario when the governing Democratic Rally DISY party incorporated and gave political cover to the remains of the EOKA B organization (Note: the illegal fascist terror Greek Cypriot organisation which executed the coup d’état together with the military junta of Greece on 15th July 1974) and when the late Clerides (Note: the founder of the DISY party, leader of the Right and former President) tried to impose his “realistic” policy on the Cyprus problem. Back then, an attempt was made to forgive the Right wing of Grivas (Note: notorious extreme right and anti-communist leader of EOKA B) and incriminate Makarios, AKEL and all those who supported him, for all the pain and tragedy we suffered in 1974. An attempt was made to pardon NATO and the Anglo-Americans. The attempt to exonerate and incriminate achieved little in the conditions that existed at that particular period of time. However, these forces did not give up. At various times and on several occasions they resorted to the same propaganda. Today it seems that there is need for a more “scientific” and “substantiated” return to the same game of incrimination and absolving.

Makarios Droushiotis in his latest book, after making his own self-criticism about the first books he wrote and which reflected the “prevailing view” of the times, is attempting to reject/reverse everything that was generally accepted until today. And this is indeed done in the name of “realism” and self-awareness so as look to the future! Consequently, in his book “The invasion and the big powers” what is in fact documented is not the foreign conspiracy (pardoning/exoneration), but instead the resounding failure of Cyprus’ leadership to manage its independence.” (Incrimination). “The theory of a NATO-led conspiracy is the result of Soviet propaganda.” (Pardoning/exoneration). “The Soviet Union took advantage of the coup d’état and subsequently consented to the Turkish invasion.” (Incrimination). “The involvement of the U.S. or Britain in the planning, organization and execution of the coup d’état, with the aim of facilitating the Turkish invasion, has not been documented.” (Pardoning/exoneration). “If a state has benefited from the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, without actually risking anything, this was the Soviet Union.” (Incrimination). “On the one hand, the U.S. and the West in general were seeking a speedy settlement that would heal the wounds within the ranks of NATO. For precisely opposite reasons, the Soviet Union sought to perpetuate the Cyprus problem.” (Pardoning/exonerating the former and incriminating the other). Why is all of this being written and said today? Why must we feel guilty as a people of what preceded and what followed 1974? Why should the Americans, British and NATO be acquitted, pardoned and exonerated?

Why must the Soviet Union be incriminated? Certainly, not for the sake of historical truth, neither for us to become wiser in the future; nor of course for any ideological reasons, since the bad demon, the Soviet Union, does not exist today. So? Is American imperialism – sorry for the “ideological obsession” and “out-dated” terminology – perhaps preparing something where the only event for us to accept it is to feel guilty about the past? In the epilogue of the book we read the following: “The U.S., and with them the entire western world, have defined the framework within which they could contribute towards an agreed solution of the Cyprus problem: a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with a weak central government and the return of territories.” I emphasize the reference to a weak central government which is President Anastasiades’ declared position. The point of view cultivated in M. Droushiotis’ book is the official policy of the government he is working for. Anastasiades and his government are pinning all their hopes for a solution on the Americans, in general on the West. They are aligned with them. They also want Cyprus to become a member of NATO.

They make sure that Russia is left out of any developments on the Cyprus problem; a Russia which they consider is only good for sending us tourists. For this policy to become accepted by the people we must, also through the history of Cyprus (or rather through its distortion), learn to sympathize NATO and view Russia with distrust, if not hostility – regardless of whether today’s Russia ideologically has nothing to do with the former Soviet Union. The new book of M. Droushiotis serves precisely this mission – that is to say for the people, through the history of the Cyprus problem, to identify with NATO and view Russia with distrust. If he achieves this, he will assist greatly towards promoting the government’s and ruling forces’ policies, and not just that. A critical review of the Cyprus problem is necessary. Self-criticism with regards our own mistakes and shortcomings is a vital prerequisite for moving forward. An objective analysis of the given international situation and policies of various forces is very useful so that we can orientate ourselves properly on the international arena. Realism is imperative. Besides that, great attention and responsibility are of course also demanded.

This is because too much realism is leading to where empty “patriotism” is also leading us to, namely to a compromise with the occupation itself. Let us pose one question: How can Soviet propaganda impose itself and prevail in a country like Cyprus, even decades after the dissolution of the Soviet Union? Those who worked on the File of Cyprus in the House of Representatives must feel very uncomfortable because they became victims of Soviet propaganda….