Opinion
By Thanasis Photiou
He turned it this way and that, spoke of a “Riviera” and the displacement of residents, let Israel’s zealots dream of annexation. And yet, somehow, Donald Trump did it (did he?). He rebranded it, and the 20-point plan he unveiled for “eternal peace” in Gaza has won broad support, with a strong chance of actually ending the tragedy.
This now forces me to stop referring ironically to a statement once made by the late Archbishop in his 2018 summer interview with Phileleftheros: “If Trump wants to solve it (the Cyprus problem), he’ll solve it. That’s why I told the President: brief him properly. At least if he decides to solve it, let him have a good picture, so that he solves it right and it works.”
Whether he was ever properly briefed back then, I cannot say. A solution, in any case, we never saw. But now that he’s on a roll, who knows? I only hope someone in the government is reading this and moves quickly, even now. “Brief him properly, give him a good picture, so he solves it right and it works.” After all, Trump has his peculiar fixations. Didn’t he call Erdoğan “a smart guy and he’s very tough” the other time?
Historical symbolism
It was expected that Nikitas Kaklamanis, Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament, would refuse any meeting with ELAM and take the same stance as Konstantinos Tasoulas, the President of the Hellenic Republic, who during his visit here last May also declined to meet the ELAM representatives.
In Greece, the political leadership took a firm line from the start. They did not flirt with the representatives of Golden Dawn as ours did. Nor did priests, politicians and journalists systematically launder them, presenting them as fervent nationalists who simply “speak their minds” on various issues. Never mind that they parade around wearing SS skulls on their shirts and give Nazi salutes.
Another telling example is Stavros Dimas, who set the bar high back in 2014. When he was a candidate for the presidency of the Hellenic Republic and asked to comment on election scenarios circulating in the press, he made it clear: “Out of respect for democratic institutions, I will not accept election as President of the Hellenic Republic with votes from Golden Dawn.” Exactly. Full stop.
Only here do we “break ceilings,” perform “upsets,” and “transcend boundaries,” boasting that, thanks to their votes, we have elected a woman as Speaker of Parliament. Truly, a “historic symbol.”
The Lernaean Hydra
President Christodoulides has spoken, even to Cypriots in America, about the great effort his government is making to stamp out corruption. Both there and elsewhere. And rightly so, since corruption should be a central concern and a top priority. Yet the more we “stamp it out,” the more it grows.
I recall what Costas Clerides said back in 2017, speaking at a conference organized by the Ministry of Justice and the University of Cyprus on corruption: “The extent of entanglement in Cyprus is inconceivable,” he said. “Despite the blows, it unfortunately continues to reign.” And that “they are few, but through money and interest, everything becomes possible.” He even added that he and the Auditor General had delivered “serious and numerous blows” to it.
So, in short, from the Attorney General’s own lips we heard that the corrupt in our country are few, and yet, despite being few, corruption is inconceivable in scale and continues to rule. Despite the “serious and numerous blows.” What is it, the Lernaean Hydra?
To think that Nicos Anastasiades, in his 2015 New Year’s message, declared, “We are entering the era of combating corruption.”
What on earth...are we still entering it? Did we enter and leave? Are we going in and out? Or did we never even find the door in the first place?
