Onasagoras
Earlier today, a herd of goats and sheep apparently stormed the highway to Kokkinotrimithia, causing a total traffic meltdown. Two explanations come to mind: 1) they ditched their pen to join the general strike, or 2) they heard about the elections and are voting early.
The Mayor of Paphos, and promising presidential hopeful for ’28, dropped a bombshell yesterday, which many (especially his political opponents) were quick to label empty populism. On one hand, he hinted strongly at wrongdoing by a former Minister (we all know who), but on the other, he says he won’t be filing a statement with the police. Phedon Phedonos, everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty, and rumors without evidence are hardly the most ethical play. Besides, surprises have a way of popping up where we least expect them.
From his post: “Who is the former Minister who, in August 2020, bought a large safe for personal use? Around the same time, major contracts were signed and critical decisions were made in which that former Minister played a leading role.” Hmm… Phedon Phedonos comes across here as a mix of Sherlock Holmes and Inspector Gadget. But is there really treasure in the safe, or just fool’s gold? Time will tell.
Honestly, when I heard “large safe for personal use,” I immediately pictured Scrooge McDuck diving into his mountain of gold coins. I even got a pang of nostalgia for my childhood, reading Mickey Mouse comics voraciously. That said, to be fair, serious accusations like this require solid proof, or they can’t really be taken seriously. Otherwise, you risk sliding from Sherlock Holmes into Inspector Clouseau, or worse, sabotaging an ongoing investigation. Calm now.
“The key to restoring trust in Justice is ending impunity,” says Christiana Erotokritou, presumably speaking for DIKO, or at least one of its factions. Predictably, the Attorney General opposed the proposed reforms, warning they could be unconstitutional. I don’t know about that, but given the… missteps of the Legal Service in recent years, reform is long overdue. Caesar’s wife, to appear and be virtuous, must not appear (or be) above scrutiny.
Today’s general strike brought absolute chaos. At 11 a.m., parents had to dash to schools to pick up their children since there were no buses. Who’s more to blame for the mess? The unions’ usual maximalism, or the Minister’s clumsy back-and-forth? Will the Government find a fair and effective solution? Time will tell, either in applause or in boos. Staggered COLA increases sound fairer for those less well-off. Yet, as always in Cyprus, the fight usually ends up over the blanket, benefiting those already snug under it. Let’s see if Cyprus is really ready to change.
