Statement by the General Secretary of AKEL A.Kyprianou after the meeting with the Auditor General
AKEL C.C. Press Office, 6th July 2020, Nicosia
First of all, I want to make it clear that the issue that seems to be on the people’s minds over the last two days has two aspects. One is called Odysseas Michaelides and how he carries out his role as Auditor General of the Republic and what AKEL’s stand is towards Odysseus Michaelides. The other aspect is the issue of independent institutions operating in the Republic of Cyprus. These are two separate issues, I want to make it clear from the very beginning.
As far as Odysseas Michailides is concerned, we have said repeatedly and I will repeat it again now, he is an honest and capable official of an independent institution who is trying to fulfill his role with the greatest possible competence and as such AKEL supports and will continue to support him to carry out his role correctly. We need an Audit Office that highlights what is wrong so we can correct wrong doings and become better.
The second aspect concerns independent institutions. AKEL’s view is that independent institutions must be scrutinised and at the same time they should operate collectively, to ensure that collective wisdom prevails over anyone’s individual wisdom. AKEL believes that as capable and intelligent as one maybe, one needs to hear opinions from others in order to formulate an overall view. In this sense, AKEL has for a number of years been discussing ways to make independent institutions as effective as possible.
When will we bring this issue up again? Because as you know, we have raised the issue in the House of Representatives for a number of years and the effort we had made was not successful. When will we bring it back? Let’s see. We did not say that its an issue that we will bring back soon.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my strong displeasure with what was written and heard yesterday and today by various people. First and foremost, I am referring to those who say that AKEL is scheming to oust O. Michailides. There is no such case. I regret to say they are attributing such ulterior motives to AKEL. Mr. Michailides himself can confirm – if he wants to of course – what cooperation we have had all these past few years. Furthermore, I would like to express my strong dissatisfaction because some people thought that because of the statements I had made they could turn to us to play the game of undermining Odysseus Michaelides.
AKEL is not going to participate in any one or the other game, I want to make that absolutely clear. AKEL has very clear positions both on the issue of Odysseas Michailides and on issues relating to independent institutions, as well as on its positions and reflections on independent institutions. AKEL will discuss and develop them and it will decide how to handle the various issues.
I want to thank Mr. Michaelides because we had a very productive discussion today. I think the whole issue has taken on dimensions it shouldn’t have taken.
