Christofias administration marks first year in office
One would expect that the developments of the past year should help the present administration learn from mistakes (of its own or others) and plan out its future actions. Some of the necessary changes are in line with the election manifesto which elected President Christofias into office, while many more are reforms that need to be implemented in order to improve the quality of life for all citizens and help save the economy from disaster.
We have seen some improvement in a number of sectors, but we have yet to see radical reforms and major leaps of faith. Perhaps the completion of the first year in office in mid-February will be good timing for the current presidency to be judged on its achievements.
To help with the checks and balances, we present some of the outstanding issues that need to be resolved or, at least, where major progress should be recorded. No matter what we or others say, the most important is whether this administration is prepared to listen and work with all interested parties concerned about any issue.
BANKING & FINANCE: Clear-cut roles are necessary to see who regulates what, with the Central Bank and the Ministry of Finance dividing these responsibilities among themselves, while the Cyprus Stock Exchange needs to find the niche that will place it among ‘serious’ bourses and markets in this part of the world. New bodies, such as the Cyprus Investment Promotion Agency, should embark on aggressive marketing campaigns to ensure that foreign funds and investments continue pouring in.
CONSTRUCTION: There are EUR 1 bln worth of outstanding contracts that remain on the drawing board that need speeding up in order to ensure that the building sector does not collapse and workers remain employed. A ‘super commissioner’ tasked with coordinating among ministries and public services would do the trick.
CULTURE: It’s no use building monolithic centres for the arts if the state has not invested in the future generations. Schools have an abundance of music and art teachers of various levels of competence, but the biggest gap lies in the right instruments reaching the youngsters who will learn music, theatre and arts.
DEFENCE: Military service will probably be reduced to 19 months during the current call-up term, with some reduction in the state budget and greater benefits to the young conscripts. The army needs to be radically transformed from a defensive force to a lean and modern professional army, equipped with the latest technology to protect the country from Turkey’s military might, either across the Green Line or at sea and put an end to illegal immigrants and others seeping through barbed wire fences.
EDUCATION: The biggest asset any country has is its educated and skilled workforce and Cyprus should be proud of a lot in this area. However, now is the time to ‘be different’ and discover new areas where Cypriot pupils and students could excel, while investing in multicultural education will also help overcome many other social ills, such as ignorance and racism. Non-traditional schools, colleges and universities should also be encouraged and existing ones allowed to flourish and become international players.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT: The over-reliance on oil imports should be drastically reduced and replaced by solar or other natural resources. The incentives to replace old-tech equipment never really got off the ground, due primarily to rigid civil service mentality and government ministers not taking alternative advice. With all-year sunshine, it is a shame this free source of energy has never been properly tapped, either for public services (street lamps, government buildings) or to attract R&D to Cyprus as a potential new source of foreign direct investments.
HEALTH: The control of the recent outbreak of Legionnaire’s disease and the irregularities in the distribution of specialised medication for vulnerable groups could only come through greater state supervision of private and state hospitals, while the independent administration of public hospitals and the introduction of the National Health Scheme has been delayed too long.
HOUSING: Young couples still cannot afford to buy a first home and little is being done to help low-income families secure a roof over their heads. If long-stay tourism is what injects additional cash into the economy, the title-deeds mess should be dealt with and the competent minister should clamp down on the crooked developers that are giving Cyprus a bad name.
LABOUR: Though this administration has a pro-labour approach to all its decisions, it must also realise that maintaining an old-age approach will do us more harm than good. Trade unions continue to keep a tight grip on what goes on in the workplace, but when it comes to issues of productivity, Cyprus should not fall into the trap of becoming a welfare state simply to support those who are a burden to the taxpayer. All low-income workers need to be protected, but the inequalities between civil servants and private sector workers will continue to hamper efforts to revive the Social Insurance Fund.
SHIPPING: One of the biggest money earners is also one of the most forgotten services. The Department of Merchant Shipping must be upgraded to have near-ministerial executive powers in order to represent Cyprus at all decision-making fora and ensure that the nation’s interests are well looked after.
TOURISM: Though the building of brand new airports will result in long-term benefits for the island, the reduction of airport fees and taxes is imperative, as rival destinations become more attractive on a cost basis alone. The incentives to the hoteliers to tear down or repair their properties needs a great push, while the delay in outstanding marina contracts is criminal, to say the least. Even opposing the creation of a casino is to the detriment of the tourist industry and perhaps it is time some old ideologies were put aside. Changing the Cyprus Tourism Organisation’s status to an independent authority manned by people from the industry and not just technocrats is also long overdue, while listening to those who know helps a lot.
TRANSPORT: The absence of cheap and efficient public transport is something that no previous administration has been able to tackle. However, the parallel planning of proper road networks would speed up the public transport network and reduce emissions from idle engines in traffic jams. Some bicycle paths are appearing, but often poorly designed, while pedestrians need to feel safe to walk on the pavements and not get run over due to bad planning.
And finally,
POLITICS AND FOREIGN POLICY: This is an area that has been neglected in the past and drags on year by year with minor changes in the national policy that seems to be determined reactively and not proactively. Perhaps it is time to invest more in improving warmer political and economic relations with most if not all our neighbours and wherever Cyprus could play a vital role, regardless of its size. By learning how to play the political game, Cyprus could have a say and perhaps even give a fresh direction in what happens with and to Turkey. There are many cases of modern-day Davids standing up to Goliaths and Cyprus should be courageous enough to seek to take part in many issues and not be content with being invited to participate out of courtesy. Greater respectability will earn us greater credibility.
