Opening Speech of Stephanos Stephanou, member of the Secretariat and Political Bureau of the C.C. of AKEL, at the Programmatic Conference of AKEL

 

Comrades,

 

Dear guests,

 

I welcome you to the Programmatic Congress of AKEL.

 

That AKEL is holding a Programming Congress is not accidental. The extremely difficult period our country is going through has made this congress imperative; a critical period both for the present and the future of our country and people.

This period of the economic crisis is putting a heavy burden on working people’s backs, destroying the dreams of the young people and the unemployed, impoverishing small and middle businesses, and plunging pensioners into social marginalisation. The economic crisis is the result of the systemic crisis of capitalism and the plundering of our country by the actions of a handful of bankers. Society is paying the cost of the neoliberal Memorandum, but also of the anti-peoples policies implemented by the Anastasiades government. The economic crisis is exacerbating the unacceptable situation of the occupation and division on the ground that Turkey has imposed by force of arms.

The conditions are depressing and pessimistic. The situation seems insurmountable and at an impasse. And yet, there are alternatives and paths to change the situation and for Cyprus to take again the path of progress and prosperity. To do so, however, vision and will is required, as well as planning and struggle. Social awareness and political will are demanded in order to serve all the people and not the selfish interests of the privileged few.

AKEL, as it does so each time our country is going through difficult times and problems, is at the forefront and in the vanguard of the struggle to halt the neoliberal onslaught.

It is at the forefront of the struggle to end the Turkish occupation and reunite our country and people; to defend society and its rights.

AKEL represents the cornerstone of the construction of this perspective. We are guided by our human-centred ideology. We have as our principle, the accumulated experience of our history over almost 90 years, full of national, political, class and social struggles. The honoured veterans of our Party express and convey this experience, are proudly with us in our Congress. Comrade veterans, with respect and emotion we welcome you to the Congress.

Along with our honoured veterans, armed with the vigour, vitality and radicalism of their age are the youth of EDON, who are also here with us en masse and full of militancy at our Congress. We welcome our militant youth, the hope of our Party and Cyprus.

Veterans and youth, older and younger comrades, the Party leadership, the members and friends of AKEL, all of us, all of AKEL, are continuing the glorious history, rich struggles, valuable contribution of our Party to our working people, society and country.

The working people, society as a whole, know that we are the Left of struggle and assertion; the Left of realism and responsibility; the Left that intervenes with proposals and does not hide behind negativity and self-pity.

Society knows that we are the Left who is not afraid to clash with anything that demeans people and its culture. At the same time, it has the courage to cooperate and march together with other forces, because it believes in itself and is sure of its character and identity. Many times AKEL has demonstrated that it has the ability to dialectically combine the theory that guides it with practice and action. This is how AKEL gained respect and was engrained in the hearts and minds of the workers and people and this is what it will continue to be; a dialectic, militant, assertive, serious and responsible force.

We seek to make our policy and struggles even more assertive and effective. We owe it to our people who are going through difficult times. Society expects and is looking to us because it knows that we are its bastion of support, its hope and perspective. And we will not disappoint the people. We will again raise the sun over our country like we did so many times in our history.

AKEL is here united and renewed and above all powerful!

A powerful AKEL is the guarantee for our people, for our Cyprus!