NEDISY and EDON have drawn their “knives” against each other against the backdrop of developments at the Cyprus Youth Organization and public allegations made by a former member of the Municipal Council.
In a statement, NEDISY took a jab at AKEL and EDON, expressing “strong surprise” at their deafening silence and posing the question “Why, unlike in any other case, are AKEL and its youth wing now choosing to remain silent?”
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
The QuoVadis Youth Organization;
“In any other situation, AKEL and its youth wing would have already demanded explanations, investigations, accountability, and resignations. At ONEK, however, following extremely serious allegations regarding funding, conflicts of interest, failure to implement decisions by the majority of the Board of Directors, and disputes over declared academic qualifications, it has chosen to remain silent,” it notes, among other things.
A few hours later, EDON issued its response, accusing NEDISY of hypocrisy and charging it with repaying “pre-election favors.”
“As EDON, we will not engage in the squabble that certain individuals are trying to stir up in order to repay favors and curry favor.”
Meanwhile, as he adds, among other things, “If NEDISY is looking for hypocrisy, let them look in the mirror. They’ll see it there.”
It should be noted that ONEK’s Board of Directors remains “incomplete,” as six months after the resignation of three of its members, they have not yet been replaced, with the Organization’s President, Konstantina Achilleos, and NEDISY exchanging barbs in recent days. At the same time, in a public statement, Sotos Vasileiou, a former member of the Organization’s Board of Directors, spoke of inaccuracies and misinformation on the part of Ms. Achilleos.
While explaining the reasons that led to his resignation, he accused the ONEK Chair of attempting to turn the Organization into a personal platform for self-promotion, interfering in matters outside her purview, and conflicts with members.
Among other things, he also spoke of instances in which the agency’s proposals were altered, resulting in a specific party’s youth wing receiving larger grants.
EDON’s response, verbatim
“Hypocrisy has its limits. EDON does not need lessons in transparency from anyone, and certainly not from those who remember accountability only when it serves their political interests.
We know very well that NEDISY and its President must repay pre-election ‘favors,’ for the speeches the Deputy Executive Director gave at a pre-election event, while she was on sick leave and without the required authorization, and while complaints from other board members, staff, and anonymous sources were pouring in.
It is hypocritical to single out only specific complaints. The Organization’s President has been making complaints for months, as have the Organization’s employees and other organizations. A flood of complaints for months now—and NEDISY? Not a peep!
That is why AKEL requested that the allegations be discussed in the House Education Committee as early as last March. That is why we are awaiting the findings of the Audit Office, which is conducting an audit, and the Commissioner for Administration, who is also conducting an audit.
Could it be that they are trying to silence these issues and create a false impression?
It is also selective to recognize as complaints those that come from a single individual, who was appointed to the Organization’s Council based solely on his pre-election speech in Limassol regarding Mr. Christodoulides. At the time, he was portrayed as a “hero” because he chose to break ranks with the NEDISY student faction and officially support Mr. Christodoulides.
Also, it would be wise for them to first familiarize themselves with how ONEK operates, if they have not already done so after so many years in the Organization’s leadership—especially since they held a majority on the Board of Directors.
ONEK does not provide grants to organizations. ONEK funds initiatives carried out by young people, for young people and society. INITIATIVES, not lump-sum payments.
That is why this specific program is called “Youth Initiatives.” Applications are evaluated by experienced and distinguished staff members of the Organization, following a specific procedure that includes a process for verifying the results. All local youth organizations apply through this process.
EDON is the largest and oldest youth organization in the country. It has over 7,000 members, operates 115 active local chapters, and organizes more than 800 events—at the local, district, and pan-Cypriot levels—every year.
If NEDISY isn’t taking action, it shouldn’t wonder why EDON is. It should ask itself why it isn’t.
Furthermore, no one has designated or chosen NEDISY to be the forum for resolving problems. Problems are resolved at the Board of Directors’ table, which has a comprehensive process for reaching a resolution.
Furthermore, we appoint our representative because the law itself requires us to do so, just as it does for other organizations. If there is a conflict of interest—which, in our view, does not exist—then it exists for all youth organizations.
The problem, therefore, is not a conflict of interest. Their problem is the participation of EDON and the Left in the Council. It is, after all, unprecedented that, out of 225 positions on the boards of semi-governmental organizations, ONEK is the only one with a Left-wing representative, and suddenly that’s where they’re discovering issues and problems.
Their problem is that they aren’t just careerists and political opportunists; it’s simply that at a young age, on the organization’s board, but youth organizations that truly understand and represent the problems and contemporary needs of the younger generation.
As EDON, we have never taken sides or chosen camps. We choose only what is just and beneficial for the young generation of our country. If the young generation and what is right for them constitute a camp, then yes, we choose that camp.
As EDON, we will not return to the petty squabbling that some are trying to stir up in order to repay favors and curry favor.
We call on the President of the Republic to immediately appoint at least two of the three, since NEDISY is holding the Organization hostage to its electoral expediencies and is not appointing a representative.
If NEDISY is looking for hypocrisy, let it look in the mirror. It will see it there.
Finally, as EDON, we hold 1 seat out of 7. Just one seat! The others are either appointments by the President of the Republic or representatives of organizations. No majority for absolute control. It’s first-grade math.”
The following is the statement from NEDISY
“We are deeply struck by AKEL’s deafening silence.
In any other situation, AKEL and its youth wing would have already demanded explanations, investigations, accountability, and resignations. At ONEK, however, following extremely serious allegations regarding funding, conflicts of interest, failure to implement decisions by the majority of the Board of Directors, and questioning of declared academic qualifications, it has chosen to remain silent.
For the past three days, extremely serious allegations regarding the functioning of ONEK’s Board of Directors and its President have been in the public eye.
In contrast to the rest of society, however, these specific reports do not seem to have particularly shocked AKEL.
This is paradoxical, to say the least. EDON has been well aware for months that there were very serious problems at ONEK. Last February, EDON itself issued a statement referring to an “institutional deviation” and demanded immediate action from the government. Today, however, now that the allegations have become specific and touch on issues of funding and conflicts of interest, its sensitivity to accountability seems to have run out.
AKEL knows very well how to demand resignations, independent investigations, and accountability when serious allegations arise. It is puzzling why there is so much silence now.
And because this silence is now deafening, the question is simple: why, unlike in any other case, are AKEL and its youth wing now choosing to remain silent?
The very least one would expect is for them to demonstrate today the same commitment to transparency and accountability that they so readily display in every other situation.
Because a commitment to transparency cannot be turned on and off at the party’s convenience.
Voluntary silence in the face of such serious allegations is a political choice.”
