A political leadership incapable of handling everything that lies ahead. And far too small not only to prevent it, but also to grasp the new, painful reality of the Cyprus issue
A single social media post by DISY Vice President Yiannis Karousos was enough to drive home just how absurd the political establishment has become. And at the same time, it highlighted the provocative mockery. He revealed that, as far as he was concerned, FC Barcelona was finished, following the club’s plan to organize a soccer camp in the Occupied Territories. And he sent a message to the team, saying, “For us, it’s not soccer—it’s our homeland.”
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
This post, which had been translated into Spanish—perhaps so that those involved would not grasp its gravity— did not come from just any outraged Cypriot citizen with no other means of protest. It came from a member of the leadership of the largest political party. One would therefore expect the vice president of DISY, rather than making it a priority during Guterres’s visit to debate whether his ID card should list his parents’ names or not, to be concerned about how progress can be made on the Cyprus issue. To explain to the public how the recognition of the pseudo-state will be prevented through a resolution of the Cyprus issue.
Karousos’s dramatic outburst, however, combined with his boycott of Barcelona, appears to have rattled ELAM officials. And, fearing that he might overshadow them, they made sure to clarify that they were the first to react and that it was their actions that led to the cancellation. This applies to both the festival at Kyrenia Castle and the training camp. “Our reaction,” boasted Sotiris Ioannou, “mobilized the state, the relevant institutions, and organizations. The issue gained prominence, there was a mobilization, and ultimately both events were canceled.” And if it hadn’t been for the presence of their like-minded colleague from the AFD in the Occupied Territories—who, wearing a jersey of the pseudo-state, urged people to visit the area and put an end to this “unjust isolation,” they might have convinced some that their efforts were bearing fruit.
A policy whose sole aim is to score political points at home—through social media posts, slogans, and internal competition. Over who sent the first letter, who protested most vehemently, and whose intervention—based on convenient leaks—led to the cancellation. Conveniently ignoring the fact that the status quo is unsustainable. That the passage of time with the Cyprus problem unresolved has created such dangerous faits accomplis that the gradual legitimization of partition is a reality. Tufan Erhürman, through his letters to the international community, denounces efforts to marginalize the Turkish Cypriots. He even cites as evidence our side’s attempt to prevent foreign embassies from being briefed on developments by the Turkish Cypriot leader.
So today we are witnessing a long-standing hypocrisy and extreme politicking. Which is limited to emotional posts about a struggle of endurance and patience. Patriotism has evolved into a perpetual denial—of a policy that grows anxious whenever there are new developments. A policy that perpetually protests against the symptoms while ignoring the root causes. Today we are mere spectators. Of a political leadership incapable of managing all that lies ahead. And one that is far too small. Not only in preventing, but also in comprehending the new, painful reality regarding the Cyprus issue.
