EDITORIAL: What DID the Minister say?

What was it that the Minister of Finance said over the weekend that caused a major stir among the main contenders for the presidency?

Did he say that there “should be no more poor people” in Cyprus or that “there are no more poor people”? Were his words misinterpreted, misrepresented or just misquoted to suit each candidate’s campaign?

Whatever the case, one thing’s for sure – there are over 75,000 people who live below the poverty line. That doesn’t mean, however, that we will soon see families living in campers and homeless seeking shelter in cardboard boxes. Quite the contrary, Cypriots are better off today than they were five, ten and twenty years ago. Social services have improved, hospitals have been built, albeit some with great delay, and the island’s road network is growing at a steady pace, despite the unequal growth of the number of cars using these roads.

However, with the present administration living the final days of its five-year term, it is still resorting to the old trick of blaming anything that goes wrong on the previous government. It has been dragging its feet on a number of crucial issues, such as desalination plants (that would benefit tourism and agriculture), the dreaded LNG plant (to help control carbon emissions and cut reliance on hydrocarbons), a rescue plan for the state pension fund and the National Health Service.

The communist party, now in the opposition, is probably right to note that the so-called social benefits introduced during the past year or so are only short-term and cannot be sustained in the long run. This is why public spending must be kept in check and the best way to go about that is not to cut back on other development budgets, but to reduce the government payroll and to improve efficiencies, as an increase in tax collection has recently shown. Spending on education, culture and sports is a must, but not at the tax-payer’s expense.

Other sources of revenue can also be improved, while some government departments need to be shut down, restructured and re-opened as an efficient and modern service, as is the case of Company House where the registration of companies and other corporate activities are taking longer than in any third-world country, costing the state millions in lost revenue and reputation.

A general reform is imperative to improve the welfare of the lowest income people in Cyprus and everybody can contribute. In the meantime, through, Finance Minister Sarris should be left alone to do his job, that should ultimately benefit the national interest and not the pockets of a few.