Speech of Stefanos Stefanou, member of the Political Bureau of the C.C. of AKEL, to the POGO Nicosia meeting on International Women´s Day
AKEL C.C. Press Office, 8th March 2016, Nicosia
On behalf of the leadership of AKEL, I convey to all of you, the militants, members and friends of the Progressive Women’s Movement of POGO our appreciation and love.
The concern, interest and interventions of AKEL and the Left for Women are continuous, unremitting and substantive. This is neither random, nor confined to some anniversary and even more so, it is not limited to any formality, empty declarations and superficial approach.
Everyone pays tribute to International Women’s Day. Even the President of the Republic does so, who before the presidential election boldly and unequivocally stated that “women think as well”. Yes, this is what he actually said – that “women think as well”!
Of course the President subsequently claimed that he made a joke. Cyprus and our people, and certainly women, are paying a heavy price for these jokes of the President.
The President of the Republic incorporated a short joke into a verb: “I pledge…” Before the presidential elections the President and DISY had solutions to all problems and were making not promises, but pledges. In truth, who doesn’t remember the President rashly declaring: “I don’t make promises – I pledge!”
Mr. Anastasiades – besides his “generous” credit that that “women think” – didn’t say and did not pledge anything of course on women. From this point of view women should all feel lucky.
“I promised you nothing, I expect nothing. You are happy.” That’s how Greek writer Nikos Kazantzakis would probably have commented if he lived today, paraphrasing the famous phrase: “I hope for nothing, I fear nothing, I am free”.
Mr. Anastasiades and DISY didn’t promise anything to women, because they have never seriously perceived women as a living social and creative force. Obviously, in the subconscious of the Cypriot Right wing the well-known conservative dogma still prevails: “Fatherland – Religion – Family”.
The Right in Cyprus allocates responsibilities to women only for the family based on this three pillar foundation. The “Fatherland” is always a serious affair and only men can deal with it. And “Religion” operates as the Pool of Siloam in which the Right washes its sins and immorality.
For the Right progress and fulfillment is a personal affair, not a collective and class issue. And in a class-based world of individualism, women – as well as working people – have fewer opportunities and are in disadvantaged positions.
They are in a socio-economic suppressive condition. And women are doubly oppressed, since apart from class oppression they also suffer social oppression, superstitions and prejudices, negative stereotypes and roles that are always given.
It is for all these issues – and for many others -that the women´s issue is part of the broader social and class issue for the liberation of society from the shackles of inequality and exploitation.
Women next to men for a better society, or, as the inspirator of International Women’s Day Clara Zetkin once said, “Together men and women for the liberation of society, and women.” And ever since Zetkin succeeded in establishing Women’s Day she was repeatedly stating that this Day is not a day of celebration, but a day of struggle
It is a day of struggle for equity and equality between men and women, but also for equity and equality between all people, for complementarity and mutual respect between men and women, but also among all people; for equal opportunities between men and women, but also for both sexes.
This is a difficult, a very difficult task in a world that is not only full of inequality and discriminations, but a world that reproduces, intensifies and self-generates problems. The wealth produced in the world today is unprecedented, but so are poverty, hunger and misery. The gains and rights won by the women’s movement are many, but so many millions of women around the world are still oppressed, abused and are suffering.
So let’s make today’s Day a day of struggle. Let’s make this day, a day of daily struggle because without daily struggle things that are bad for women and workers, pensioners, young people, the vulnerable groups of the population will become even worse.
They will become a nightmare as a result of the neoliberal onslaught being promoted by the ruling circles in Europe and the Anastasiades-DISY government through the imposition of austerity policies.
Dear friends,
The government may not have promised anything to women, but that does not mean that they don’t take decisions that negatively affect the position of women. In this regard if only the government and ruling forces forget women. Unfortunately however their anti-social policies and decisions affect women directly.
Statistical figures and numbers substantiate that the economic crisis primarily affects women from the popular strata.
- Their wages and salaries are being reduced more and their working hours are getting longer. Pay inequality is being enhanced
- The dismantling of the welfare state first and foremost affects women, since they are forced to assume roles previously performed by the state, such as child and elderly care.
- Under the pretext that there are no resources, mechanisms and institutions that concern women, such as the Commissioner for Equality, the National Mechanism on the Rights of Women and others, are being downgraded and de-staffed.
In contrast to the anti-social, and permit me to say anti-women’s role of the government, AKEL worked, proposed and asserted for women, next to and with the progressive women’s movement of POGO.
As AKEL-Left-New Forces, on many occasions and together with the cooperation of other parties in the House of Representatives we raised and promoted several issues directly or indirectly affecting women. We, inter alia, raised for example:
- The reassessment of wages in occupations traditionally considered as for women,
- The improvement of women’s participation in political life and decision-making centres.
- The right of women drug addicts to specialized rehabilitation programs/structures,
- Progress and challenges to research on issues of gender equality in Cyprus
- Incorporating the dimension of gender in growth and the utilization of human resources in Cypriot companies.
- The role of IT in terms of changing stereotypes and forming a collective social consciousness for the benefit of women too.
- Briefing about addressing all those patients who are unable to pay at public hospitals,
- We raised the issue concerning the means of survival for families who are not eligible to receive public assistances or who are without status or are informal migrants. We raised issues related to how Social Welfare Services treat them.
- We raised the need for the adoption of a prevention and response code with regards sexual harassment in the public and private sector.
- We promoted the problems created by the implementation of the so-called Minimum Guaranteed Income and the problems of single parent families and the protection of motherhood.
Dear friends,
With all that has been said it is more than evident that not everyone is the same; that not everyone is indifferent to the problems and concerns of ordinary people, that not everyone is indifferent to the problems of women. As far as AKEL is concerned, its history speaks for itself, its struggles and assertions for society, working people and women count.
In confronting the onslaught of big capital, we must resist and not yield!
We should strengthen our resistance and struggle!
It is imperative that we move into action, rally our forces and get out on to the streets.
And above all, we must overcome fear.
We must defeat the defeatism and fatalism.
We must defeat the silence.
Each and every one of us into action and with his/her vote on 22nd May parliamentary elections can make a difference.
Together, we can make the difference and we have to work hard for it.
Together, we can nurture the hope, making International Women’s Day, a daily struggle.
