Have we, too, fallen in line with international trends and are we looking for a wealthy person to whom we can entrust our political and moral bankruptcy?
John Christodoulou is popping up everywhere I look. A philanthropist, shooting three-pointers upside down and promising thousands on social media. Now he’s a presidential candidate, all over websites and news reports. What’s going on, guys? Is the public getting fed up with serious news, so we’ve all decided to have a laugh? Or have we, too, fallen in line with international trends and are looking for a rich person to entrust with our political and moral bankruptcy?
Since when does buying cheap real estate in England and selling it at a high price make you qualified for the Presidency of the Republic—especially of a country facing existential challenges? And before I hear that everyone has the right to run for office, that the others are worse, and so on, let’s acknowledge that businesspeople in politics are all the rage. The most striking example is Elon Musk, who knows how to build cars, but it’s doubtful whether he knows how to get the U.S. budget in order.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Why has AKEL consistently been behind schedule?
Charalambidou on “25 Minutes”: “Odysseas must run for president”
And don’t tell me that Giorgos Vassiliou was also a successful businessman who did a good job as president. President Vassiliou was first and foremost a political figure and a visionary who also happened to be a businessman—not someone who wanted to buy Omonia Nicosia and, when he failed to do so, began to entertain the idea of becoming President of the country. Let’s not lump everything together.
And no, it’s no coincidence that John Christodoulou’s name regularly appears in the news. He’s obviously seeking that attention—he might even be enjoying it. We write about his “success story” and imply that, since he managed to get rich, he’s also capable of governing us.
I don’t know who he surrounds himself with, but here too I suspect that among the crowd there are, aside from the usual sycophants—who believe that just by being in the same room with him, they’re suddenly worth a few hundred million together— as well as the curious, who want to see up close what a rich person is like, but also a great many schemers. Those who recognize that his insistence on staying in the spotlight and keeping his name in the news—this, if you will, his calculated effort to be recognized as a success—something I don’t dispute he is—is their opportunity to take his money.
So let me disappoint the schemers, because John may enjoy the publicity, but he doesn’t strike me as a pushover. Running for president is expensive, and right now John has a better chance of making a reverse three-pointer than of winning the election. Not to mention that I’m not convinced he really wants to get involved. Between Cyprus and Monaco, where he lives, I’m sure he has better things to do than spend his time talking with Tufan Erhürman about the Cyprus issue, convening National Councils, and rushing from one obligation to the next. He hasn’t gone completely crazy.
The problem is all of us. And, obviously, I include myself in that. Why are we putting ourselves through this and getting involved?
