“Our dreams have an identity, the government’s have numbers”
6 October 2022, Press Release Andreas Mavroyiannis
The independent candidate for the Presidency of the Republic, Andreas Mavroyiannis, outlined his vision for the Cyprus of tomorrow, for the Cyprus that turns a page, during yesterday’s televised debate.
During the debate, Andreas Mavroyiannis put forward society’s demand for change. It is time to think with a greater sense of duty towards our country and people, he said.
As for the two other candidates who participated in the debate [Averof Neofytou and Nikos Christodoulides], they clearly appeared as representatives of the ruling DISY party, vigorously defending the policies pursued by the outgoing government, as genuine successors of Nicos Anastasiades.
Andreas Mavroyiannis, pointed out that while appearing as protectors of the people, with imaginative ideas to address the rising cost of living, they have done little to date. Cyprus ranks fourth from the bottom across EU member states in terms of taking measures against inflation. He stressed that we are in a desperate situation and as a society we have to react.
Responding to the lectures delivered about a supposed sound handling of the economy, A. Mavroyiannis asked “what have we done in this country to fortify our state and economy to be able to respond to difficult times? What have we done to address impoverishment, what have we done for our people? What counts is the end result.”
A. Mavroyiannis said, it is inadmissible for statistical indicators to prosper at the same time as people are suffering, stressing that, people’s dreams have an identity while the government’s dreams are mere numbers. The quality of life indicators reveal the continuous deterioration of people’s living conditions. At the same time, the unprecedented rise in corruption during the DISY government’s term of office is killing all hope and prospects for our youth, whom the two successors of the government supposedly care about and are struggling for.
Among the measures proposed by Andreas Mavroyiannis for the relief of households and businesses, are the reduction of taxes on electricity and fuel, the provision of scaled subsidies for the direct installation of photovoltaic panels, the taxation of super profits, but also a series of measures to strengthen people’s purchasing power, concerning the Cost of Living Allowance, the minimum wage and the abolition of the 12% penalty on pensions.
On housing policy, A.Mavroyiannis pointed to the creation of a single body charged with the elaboration and effective implementation of social housing schemes, but specific measures to increase the supply of affordable housing units covering young workers, students and young couples.
Continuing on the issue of natural gas, he said that he found it astonishing that 11 years after the discovery of the Aphrodite field, Cyprus remains the only EU member state that does not use natural gas. The government ruling force’s inaction is currently having an impact on the electricity prices that citizens are forced to pay.
“If we do not act immediately, then our natural gas will remain at the bottom of the sea,” he said.
At the same time, on the Cyprus problem, Andreas Mavroyiannis stressed that in order to reverse its course, we need to win back our lost credibility both among the International Community and our own people. Those who supported the government’s regressions in the handling of the national problem and brought it to this quagmire cannot solve it, nor do they have the good repute to do so.
“We will call upon all our strengths and all our forces. From the EU side, international organisations, from our wider region, our assets like natural gas,” he stated.
Regarding the scandal of the fake social media accounts that were apparently created and operated at the behest of Nikos Christodoulides, by corrupting journalists and political figures, independent candidate Andreas Mavroyiannis said that this is not the style and ethos with which we work, but instead we have learned to walk in the open. He concluded by calling on Mr. Christodoulides to refute [the claims] or apologise to the Cypriot people.
