“We got thirsty at noon, but the water was sweet… ” – Article by Anthoulla Menelaou, member of the Central Committee of AKEL

 

Monday 7 November 2022, “Haravgi” newspaper

I refuse to accept that what is primarily at stake in society and for young people today is the question of which of the two DISY candidates occupy the presidential seat.

I refuse to accept that the level of political life in the country is reduced to one DISY presidential candidate proving to another who is telling the most lies, who is the most corrupt, who is the chosen one of Anastasiades, who has destroyed the credibility of the Cypriot stat,  both within and outside Cyprus.

I refuse to accept that our choice in the forthcoming presidential elections is between two DISY candidates competing with each other to see who is the most capable of continuing the “success story” policy of the Anastasiades-DISY decade.

We are talking about a decade which anything but the average logically minded citizen of this country feels proud of. That is to say, the imposition of the haircut on bank deposits, the closure of Cyprus Airways, the dismantling of the Cyprus Cooperative Bank, corruption, the ‘golden’ passports and wiretapping/surveillance scandal, the impoverishment of a large section of the Cypriot people, the opening of the enclosed city of Famagusta, the freezing of the negotiations on the Cyprus problem and so many other supposed “success stories”.

At the same time, I refuse to accept that the democratic people of this country will support candidates whose vision, 48 years after the destruction of Cyprus in 1974, is confined to the creation of a museum for the country’s murderer, Grivas.

This country needs to change course before it is too late.

We do not want the vision and morale of young people to be destroyed by the problems of everyday life, economic and social. We need to bring back the ethos and dignity to our daily lives, to put education at the forefront of our priorities, to eliminate xenophobia, racism and fanatical rhetoric.

We need to provide incentives to young people to create in their own country, to make room for the modern, to innovation, to sustainable development, to addressing the energy issue, to developing Cyprus’ shipping sector and to policies protecting the natural environment. We need to promote the arts, letters and culture, sport and healthy ways of engaging people.

We are here to struggle!

We stand with Andreas Mavroyiannis, the only candidate for the Presidency of the Republic of Cyprus who is in line with the many, with the people of labour, with young people, women and children. A candidate who behaves and acts with his own unique ethos, beyond and outside the well-known circles of corruption and interwoven interests/entanglement.

We are present in the struggle to send the message that Cyprus can!

Cyprus can fulfill our dreams, it can be incorruptible, it can be meritocratic in its behaviour towards its youth, it can be hospitable and socially sensitive.

Cyprus can and must be reunited by bringing peace and reconciliation.

Cyprus can and must become again the mother of all its children.