Christofias in defiant mood
By Stefanos Evripidou
President gives embattled education minister his full support
THE CONSTANT barrage of criticism against education reform is “incomprehensible”, President Demetris Christofias stressed yesterday during a review of his first year in office.
The president threw his weight behind beleaguered Education Minister Andreas Demetriou, declaring that the government was fully behind his efforts at education reform and had no intentions of removing him from office.
“We will implement the programme (on education reform). I’ve said it many times, education reform is an absolute necessity for Cyprus and its people, and for our children, the future generations,” said Christofias.
In an otherwise subdued press conference on the government’s achievements to date, Christofias appeared more agitated when the issue of education reform came up.
The president condemned the daily number of “untold attacks” against Education Minister Andreas Demetriou, describing them as “incomprehensible”.
“The attack against education reform, with the pretext of the history books, is incomprehensible, as is the scandal about the schools in Rizokarpasso. And I condemn the attacks against the minister and the scheming,” he said.
Christofias noted that the history books have to change if Cyprus wants to be a modern state
“Regardless of who and how many react, changes to the history books are needed if we want to be a modern state and if we want to have a somewhat objective view of our modern history,” he added.
He noted that if Cyprus did not create conditions of co-existence with the Turkish Cypriots, then the next step was to decide on partition.
“We are destined to live with Turkish Cypriots for centuries unless we decide to live alone,” he said.
Christofias rejected notions that the government planned to whitewash history and the EOKA’s colonial struggle against the British.
“Who said we would tarnish the struggle of EOKA. Who said we would change it?” he asked.
The president noted that his presence at the Grigoris Afxentiou memorial and meetings with EOKA leaders indicated the government was not about to ignore and tarnish the historical struggles.
“And if mistakes were made, let’s admit them. We were all pursuing enosis (union with Greece). Where is this union? We got a truncated independence, we didn’t let it work, and we are responsible, as the others are too, of course.
“And some continued to fight for union… If all this, the sacrifices with blood, invasions and occupations are misfortunes of history, then let’s call them that, and what unlucky people we are. But it’s not like that,” he said,
“We will honour the struggles and the heroes who gave their lives… but at the same time mistakes were made, omissions were made, people died unnecessarily. Will we have the power to give these people justice? These are the questions the political leadership has to answer collectively and responsibly, and history itself.”
On the question of joining NATO’s Partnership for Peace (PfP), the president charged opposition deputies in the Euro-parliament with trying to undermine his position on so-called ideological grounds.
He censured the MEPs who “worked hard to scrape together this small majority in the European Parliament” by writing letters saying he was a communist who objected to PfP on ideological grounds.
Christofias said he was only following the same policy on PfP as his last two predecessors.
“Where is this going? And they talk about my ideological distortions. I think some people need to look in the mirror,” he said.
Answering questions from the press, the president noted the shortage of women in power was a weakness of the government though he rejected the notion that it was a gerontocracy. In fact, it worked on the basis of meritocracy to the point where AKEL party members were complaining that they could not reap the benefits of having a left-wing government, added Christofias.
He also acknowledged the “big problems” in the civil service, saying “You can’t take a broom to the civil service”.
Asked whether he considered the government unlucky to have drought, economic crisis, police scandals, and the Russian arms ship saga all in its first year, he said: “Of course I don’t consider us lucky… But it depends how you handle it.”
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It seems like, in a very near future; either GR and Gene Rossides will have to make substantial alterations on their funny peculiar propaganda websites or close them completely.