Confrontation through announcements was created once again between the Government and AKEL, regarding corruption and the pandemic.
Specifically, the Parliamentary Representative of the party, George Loukaidis in a written statement on the pandemic said that “the course presented in the epidemiological data, after the imposition of the lockdown, is a positive and promising development. At the same time, however, it reaffirms the previous strange, contradictory and misguided decisions that led to the outbreak of the second wave and the consequent loss of control by the government. “
At the same time, he noted that “as a result, we would not have reached the tragic point we found ourselves in due to the inadequacy and incompetence of the rulers if, among other things:
The universal lockdown was decided at the right time, if effective protection measures were taken in the nursing homes, if the necessary measures were taken to prepare the public hospitals and the health system in general for the expected second wave “.
At the same time, he called on the government “to respect the sacrifices of the people at the expense of human rights and their well-being and to proceed immediately:
– In the evaluation and implementation of the proposals submitted by AKEL, which focus on the most effective shielding of the public health sector,
– In the national strategy for dealing with the pandemic with the inclusion of private hospitals, included or not in the GESS, in a way that addresses the current fullness in ICUs and MAFs,
– In free mass screening with rapid-tests of the population and in particular the repeated screening of employees in companies, in order to isolate the virus more effectively and to be able to restart the economy immediately,
– To take all actions to ensure as soon as possible additional vaccines from other markets outside the EU, given the failed planning of the EU, when they receive the relevant authorization from the European Medicines Agency “.
Government Spokesman Kyriakos Kousios, responding to Mr. Loukaidis on the issue, said that “AKEL, ignoring the most important of all, namely that Cyprus with unshakable statistics is among the countries with the best performance in managing the pandemic, is trying to distort the picture.” .
“We understand the need for AKEL to find points of criticism against the Government, in the middle of the pre-election period, but we are surprised by the fact that AKEL, which proposes various solutions with its announcement today, voted against the only weapon available to the Government or anyone to implement these solutions: the state budget “he stressed.
Concluding, he noted that “the sense of responsibility at these hours towards society and the country must prevail and words and deeds must go hand in hand. “Unfortunately, for AKEL, his words and actions do not go hand in hand.”
Corruption
On the subject of the dispute, in his second written answer, Mr. Loukaidis stated:
“What is revealed before the Commission of Inquiry reaffirms how fragile the gold passport industry was set up by the Democratic Alarm government. Everything proves that the abuse and opacity imposed by the government, fostered circuits of entanglement and corruption and made the program a food and drink for a few.
The government's refusal to heed warnings issued for years by the opposition, the EU, international organizations and foreign media was not an accidental omission. It was a conscious cover-up of the scandal in which the Anastasiadis government was the protagonist. They took care to maintain the stability of the program through the relevant regulations that they formulated and voted last July, in order to continue eating and drinking.
Of course, there are also very serious personal responsibilities. The conflict of interest of Nikos Anastasiadis and a number of his ministers does not need investigations and research committees. It is self-evident and glaring. First, the Anastasiadis government, when it came to power in 2013, dismantled the criteria and procedures of the program. Subsequently, the law firm Nikos Anastasiadis and offices affiliated with members of the government applied for naturalization. And then, the same people as the cabinet, approved the applications.
We wonder: In what other favored country in the world would there be no practical responsibility for this shame?
Responding again, the Government Spokesman said:
AKEL is trying to prejudge the conclusion of the independent investigative committee, which is composed of four personalities of recognized prestige, judging and condemning before the conclusion is issued.
He uses non-existent allegations and mud against the Government and the President of the Republic.
AKEL deliberately ignores what the people, with image and sound, saw and heard, as it ignores the court decisions that certify its involvement in corruption.
AKEL never respected either decisions of courts or committees of inquiry, when these decisions touched on corruption and concerned the days of government and the works of their party.
AKEL deliberately ignores the testimony of the former Minister of Finance of his government, Mr. Charilaos Stavrakis, who stated that during AKEL days, it was a permanent practice to override the criteria for granting citizenship to investors, with hints or pressure.
This is the truth that was heard in the research committee.
We call on them to abandon the methods of other times and wait for the conclusion of a research committee.
