Opinion
by Panayiotis Kaparis
Same old story… They hung Annita Dimitriou out to dry. After Nikos Christodoulides’ bedroom scandal came Annita Dimitriou’s café. From Odysseas Michaelides to Andreas Papaconstantinou. All supposedly about oversight, all supposedly about the letter of the law, yet always lost in pettiness and small vested interests. Conclusions drawn without sufficient evidence, public shaming on TV and social media. And all of this without proof of any theft from the public coffers, without any evaluation of the gains or losses for the taxpayers.
A few years ago, when the “experts” wanted to morally “kill” someone, they’d pick a tabloid, slap on a flashy headline, and as the newspaper hung in kiosks, it would prey on the basest instincts of voters. Meanwhile, whispers were spread, and then all hell broke loose. Today, social media, with help from artificial intelligence, strikes and cleans house in no time. The funny thing is, nowadays people might laugh, gossip, or secretly envy, but deep down they’re suspicious, seeking the truth, and looking for “clean” people.
Every week in Parliament’s Audit Committee, scandals worth hundreds of millions of euros are revealed, straight from the Auditor General’s reports. The most shocking and “indigestible” being the recent scandal over works that never even started in the neonatal intensive care unit of Makarios Hospital. What can one say about highways, marinas, ports, and other major projects that either never finish or, when they do, cost multiples and are riddled with unbelievable delays that are never properly accounted for?
The whole affair with the Auditor General’s report on Parliament raises many questions about how the Audit Office and some media outlets presented the issue. The facts were tantalizing, but in reality, they were exactly the opposite of the truth. The restaurant and café were renovated after Parliament returned from the Conference Center, where it had moved due to COVID-19. Thanks to the relentless determination of two “strong” women, the Speaker Annita Dimitriou and General Director Tasoula Ieronimidou, the impossible was made possible. All laws were meticulously followed, laws they know far better than the Audit Office officials, and the dining areas, which had been a mess, were completely renovated. Before, hardly anyone dared order even a coffee. The works were neither halted nor left incomplete.
Today, the vast majority of MPs, staff, officials, and foreign visitors can enjoy the space. Huge savings have also been made, since everyone can eat at Parliament and there’s no need to rush to outside restaurants. Even foreign delegations no longer need to run around to other venues for hospitality. The famed air conditioning was beyond necessary, since the atrium in summer was like a real oven. And when you renovate aging buildings, costs are never perfectly precise.
The portrayal of the London trip was equally detached from reality. For the first time in the history of the Republic, Parliament’s Speaker, Annita Dimitriou, was invited to the House of Commons. Hotel rooms were booked months in advance at very good rates. It should be noted that security measures are extremely strict. Parliament’s Speaker is guarded 24/7, travel is always with police escort, and the schedule is adhered to minute by minute. The same happens in Cyprus during corresponding visits. It’s madness to leave the Speaker alone in one hotel and have her escorts stay in another, supposedly cheaper one. Even taxi rides in a difficult city are neither wise nor economical. Besides, hotels on such trips are only for sleeping; the whole day is spent in meetings.
Publicity has always been the Auditor General’s weapon. Yet, when inexperience turns this into a “mountain made out of a molehill,” then there’s a problem. The obsession with “procedure” has frozen the public service, so no one dares make decisions for fear of public shaming. This has led to a multiplication of directors, auditors, and so-called supervisors, hoping something will move. But “when there are too many roosters, dawn comes late.” The most absurd part is that the public sector has been left without workers to to do the heavy lifting. It’s hardly a coincidence that Cyprus may be one of the few places in the world with an inverted, atypical pyramid structure in its public sector.
*This article was translated from its Greek original.
