The President and the Presidency must provide answers
Statement by AKEL C.C. Giorgos Koukoumas
The scandal bears the Government Spokesperson’s signature
20 September 2023, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia
The stubborn silence of Mr. Christodoulides and the President’s Office surrounding the overtime scandal of the Deputy Government Spokesperson is an additional provocation on top of the scandal itself. A scandal that literally bears the signature of the President’s closest associate, the Government Spokesperson who signed the requests for overtime for unthinkable things like the Deputy Government Spokeswoman’s attendance at church services, memorials, cocktails, funerals and charity events.
The President and the Presidency must give answers to the following questions:
- Does or does not the Government Spokesperson take responsibility for signing off on the scandalous overtime requests?
- Did the President know or not know about these practices carried out by his closest associates?
- Who is ultimately responsible for this case that shames the state?
If the government and the ruling parties do not understand the humiliation of every concept of good administration caused by this scandal, they should feel the provocation to society. At a time when the government is paying overtime to its officials for attending social events, society is confronted with expensiveness, a high cost of living and interest rates, for which the government isn’t moved to provide any solutions.
