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Friday, March 29, 2024

Konstantinos Christofidis in “P”: I want to tear down the wall of shame

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Κωνσταντνο&sigma ; ΧριστοφΙδης στον «Π» : Θελω να γ κρεμλσω το τελχος της ντροπorς

  • “Nikos Christodoulidis is what the great writer Robert Musil called 'the man without qualities'”.
  • < li>“Averof Neophytou is the main exponent of the clientelistic partisanship on the island”

“Our homeland will be reunited and the Turkish occupation will end only if all Cypriots, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, join forces for a common and hopeful vision for their common homeland”, says the former rector of the University of Cyprus and an independent candidate in his interview for the presidency of the Republic Constantinos Christofidis, considering that the geopolitical developments will soon open some windows of opportunity. In fact, he characterizes Averof Neophytou as the main exponent of the clientelistic partisanship in Cyprus and Nikos Christodoulidis as a “man without qualities”, while he says that Andreas Mavroyiannis messed things up in the Cypriot.

What else does your nomination include?

The obvious – my candidacy and my political speech are outside the party establishment. I am not a politician, I did not deal with anyone, I do not look for personal benefits. I have no political patrons, I have no outstanding political bills of exchange. My ideology is my contribution to the homeland. I am a citizen who is passionate about the commons. I am the only candidate who is a refugee. I have the privilege and the obligation to speak for the uprooted people of our country. I don't mince words to get votes. I don't live from politics so I have to do everything to stay in it. My program is a set of radical cuts that will release the creative forces of our country and lead it to development. I will use scientific documentation, common sense and the best human resources we have in Cyprus, but also in the diaspora. I will leave the curse of partisanship behind me. I will root out the client state. I have already given writing samples: what I did at the University of Cyprus as rector, I want to do for the whole country.

I am the only candidate who did not climb any party ladder. Playing it “independent” after the parties have closed your doors is playing dumb. Saying you are an “independent” but being a member of the ruling party and being supported by an opposition party shows that you underestimate the intelligence of the rest. Announcing your “independent” candidacy after being selected by the second largest party shows your audacity. In all these cases, the candidate does not take risks, so it does not inspire. The real “magic” in politics is straightforwardness, boldness and risk-taking. Everything else is political marketing. The language of radical truth that I want to speak is not embraced by any party, even if they parrot it. I am inspired by the speech of John F. Kennedy, Vaclav Havel, Barack Obama, and Emmanuel Macron, not the watered-down, publicist speech of establishment politicians.

Liberal democracy

What repels you about the current political system?

Many. The parties were involved in scandals, they bankrupted semi-state organizations and our country as a whole, they corrupted the public service with their sycophants, they plunged the country into the mire of corruption and international disrepute. All these are their creations. They are self-undermining. The parties must change: operate with transparency, meritocracy, respect for the independence of institutions and cease to act as mediators serving interests. Until then, their electoral decline will intensify and some, of course, will march towards their final disappearance. And I explain myself. I do not mean that we will run out of parties. Liberal democracy has the ability to renew the political staff. See the explosive change of the political scene in France. The two traditional parties of power, Gaullists and Socialists, from the cumulative 80% fell to 8%! Democracy, however, was renewed with new party formations. This is the logic of evolution: everything that does not correspond to the requirements of the times is set aside, the new emerges.

“This is Cyprus!”

< strong>What will be the first step you will take if you are elected?

First of all, along with the wall of occupation, I want to tear down the wall of shame that our political system has been building for decades. It is the wall that divides people into “ours” and “others”. To those who have access to power and to those who do not. To those who are endlessly appointed and recycled to boards of parastatals and public service positions, and to those who will wait forever even though they are more qualified and suitable. To those who spin state, church and Turkish Cypriot properties, and to those who look from afar at their own properties in the North. To those who wink at corrupt businessmen while drinking wine with them, taking kickbacks and shamelessly exclaiming “This is Cyprus!” and to those who conscientiously work, pay taxes and want to live in a rule of law. To those who see tenure in public office as an opportunity to get rich and to those who see it as an opportunity to give. Along with the wall of possession, we must finally break down the wall of shame. It's time to scan them! This will be my first priority.

Science

You put a lot of emphasis on scientific thinking and knowledge. But is science the panacea that will solve society's problems?

When we refer to the scientific documentation, what we mean is that the decisions on all the issues that concern us, whether we are talking about transportation, or about health issues, or about accuracy, about urban planning zones, or even about our national issues, should be taken without any expediency and ulterior motives, but methodically, objectively, transparently, and based on the best practices that have been tested and succeeded in similar contexts. Our actions and strategies must be evaluated for their results, corrected, adjusted to the database and objective indicators, and not mindlessly spending public money on half-measures and sensationalism. It is time to stop adopting half-measures, legislation and strategies of the foot on important issues that bother the citizens, either to keep their seats, or on the basis of serving interests and pressure groups, which have little to do with the daily quality of the life of all of us.

Cypriot

How do you perceive the Cyprus problem? Is it a problem of invasion and occupation as some say, or does it include nationalist outbursts and inter-communal conflicts?

It is all of these and more. A highly complex issue that requires active diplomacy, far-reaching vision and robust strategy. In our program we have filed a lengthy analysis on the Cyprus issue, which I invite you to read. I consider it important to get rid of all those who made the Cypriot a career, aiming for personal, political benefits. We need realism and credibility, elements that worn-out political leaderships do not emit. Our homeland will be reunited and the Turkish occupation will end only if all Cypriots, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, join forces for a common and hopeful vision for their common homeland. I estimate that geopolitical developments will soon open some windows of opportunity for us. This is a very important reason why the country should be led by people who have the ability to correctly decode international developments, not those who have been denied by developments for years.

Education

What are your positions on education? Are the cultivation of national identity and critical thinking consistent?

Of course. “The nation must consider as national what is true”, wrote Dionysios Solomos. Without national identity nations do not survive and without critical thinking they do not progress. Of course both can be misused – the national identity to be reduced to introversion and nationalistic frenzy, while critical thought to degenerate into unarmed sophistry. Remember the words of Pericles in the Epitaph: “we cultivate our spirit without losing our courage.” The flourishing state possesses both collective self-confidence and cultivates individual freedom.

We know from various international surveys that education in Cyprus lags behind. The irony is that while we have excellent teaching staff, we do not utilize them properly. That's what pisses me off the most. The biggest challenge is to activate human resources and use the potential of our technology and infrastructure to upgrade education. In short, we need institutions of meritocracy, a culture of excellence, and a mindset of initiative. That's where we fall short. The way education is run is set in the past. Vitality and initiative are lacking. Our education program is the most modern ever written. We are talking, among other things, about standards – experimental schools, one in each city and one in Troodos. I believe in changing the way school units are managed so that they are not an extension of the party-dominated public service, but hives of creation and development. I have supported all of this for years.

Immigration

There is a lot of debate about immigration and the policies we implement as a state. Do you agree with the measures taken by the government?

It is a fact that immigration is a complex issue, which tends to develop into a huge problem that gradually leads to social instability. We also need an efficient and fair state. Note the “and/or” because there is a contradiction in this composition. I'm explaining myself. In immigration management, efficiency may conflict with fairness. Extreme voices oversimplify this conflict – and demagogue. Those who want a narrowly efficient state forget the provisions of the rule of law. Those, on the contrary, who unilaterally support justice in the management of immigration, underestimate the importance of border protection in modern states and in shaping the sense of belonging experienced by the citizens of the Republic of Cyprus. How do we bridge this gap? Procedures for fast-tracking of asylum applications at primary and secondary level are needed. Those who are entitled to it should know it as soon as possible, the rest should be repatriated immediately. The state must radiate both strength by repatriating non-beneficiaries, and justice by expeditiously processing asylum claims. It is also imperative to immediately modernize the guarding of the green line by electronic means, avoiding the anachronistic methods of barbed wire that turn the defiance line into a border, even leaving the dead zone on the other side. The involvement and assistance of the EU in the matter is extremely important.

Energy

The debate on the utilization of its natural gas has returned to the public debate. Cypriot EEZ. What is your vision and plan?

Citizens need to know that even with the arrival of natural gas, the cost of electricity is not going to decrease. All experts are well aware that today the cheapest source of electricity comes from photovoltaics. And while they know it well, some are still looking for natural gas “20,000 leagues under the sea”. If, and when, and maybe, and likely. The political system has been using and degrading this issue to its advantage for two decades. Our country has the great advantage of many months of sunshine. The sun as an energy source has the advantage of decentralization – potentially used by everyone. Therefore, it is not possible for the production of solar electricity to be shared only among powerful entrepreneurs, as is done today. Our goal is to create a modern green social company for our country and its people, with the possibility of participation of all Cypriot citizens, on the model of the large social companies of the Nordic countries. Let's be the Denmark of the South! A proud people for its place and a proud country for its people.

Economy

Are there ways to manage the inflationary pressures on the Cypriot economy?

In terms of dealing with the effects of the increases that mainly concern certain categories of food and construction materials, the appropriate policy is, first of all, to formulate the appropriate salary adjustments through a framework agreement between the social partners. Our position is that, given the prevailing conditions and inflationary pressures, it becomes necessary to increase wages to take account of increased inflation, through the reinstatement of ATA. With regard to the increased construction costs, an important and upgraded role is called to be played by the state through a program of building social housing for low-income strata and young couples. Special incentives should be adopted for the construction of houses in the countryside. The government's constant announcements to support house building must finally come to fruition.

Increases in the prices of energy products can be countered by (a) targeted measures for the benefit of low-income strata, e.g. h. covering the increased cost of electricity and subsidizing the oil market for heating purposes, (b) upgrading incentives for the use of renewable sources and (c) upgrading energy saving plans.

NATO

Does Cyprus belong to the West? Should it seek NATO membership?

Cyprus is part of the West. The Russian invasion of Ukraine reminds us of the primordial truth of Thucydides: The weak are in danger from the strong. We also experienced it with the Turkish invasion. Cyprus needs allies and the most natural allies are our European partners. We share the same values ​​of freedom, equality and the rule of law. However, I believe that we should go one step further: to participate in defense cooperation within the framework of the Macron initiative and, yes, with the Cyprus solution, to seek NATO membership in exchange for the abolition of the guarantee treaty.

Averof, Christodoulidis, Mavroyiannis

How do you evaluate your opponents? With 20 words for each…

One is the successor of the President in his party, the other his political psycho child and the third his closest collaborator in the Cyprus issue. The triadic nature of the political establishment! Mr. Averof Neofytou is the main exponent of clientelistic partisanship on the island. What's new after a decade-long administration of scandals? With old materials nothing new can be created. Mr. Nikos Christodoulidis is what the great writer Robert Musil called, “the man without qualities”. What, exactly, does it stand for? Nobody knows. We know, however, that Mr. Christodoulidis was the political psycho child of Nikos Anastasiadis, the President who repeatedly humiliated the country. Mr. Andreas Mavroyiannis was a member of our negotiating team, whose results are anything but enviable. We are in the worst part of Cyprus. Famagusta is in danger. The two main operators of the Cypriot – Christodoulidis and Mavroyiannis – they are asking for the people's vote to do what? They had the opportunity and they took it easy.

Source: politis.com.cy

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