Pending issues demand the continuation of the dialogue for the establishment of a Deputy Ministry of Culture
Statement by Andros Kafkalias, AKEL MP after the meeting of the Parliamentary Education and Culture Committee
AKEL C.C. Press Office, 14th April 2021, Nicosia
“I’ll repeat that AKEL considers the political decision to establish a Deputy Ministry of Culture as a positive development.
Today’s session of the Parliamentary Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs was more declarative in nature and was in essence limited to vague references by the Minister of Education. At the same time, the views of those involved were not heard, as they were not invited to attend the session.
Our final position on the draft bill will of course depend on the formulation of its content, as we had stressed from the beginning. We have identified gaps, as well as provisions that we consider problematic.
Indicatively, I point out the transfer of the Department of Antiquities from the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works to the Ministry of Culture, a development which creates political, constitutional and technical issues. We also pointed out the fact that there is no provision in the bill for the transfer of the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra Foundation to the Deputy Ministry of Culture. At the same time, we note the absence of a plan for the Ministry’s organizational structure.
It is clear that for the above, as well as for other pending issues, a meaningful dialogue is imperative. As AKEL, taking into account that the discussion of the draft bill in Parliament is postponed to June, we will use this period to hear the views of all involved organisations/agencies.
Finally, we underline that for things to change substantially, expenditure on culture needs to be increased. Otherwise, with or without a Deputy Ministry, culture and art workers/artists will continue to suffer.”
