AKEL honours the memory of the first President of the Republic of Cyprus, Archbishop Makarios, who passed away 44 years ago today.
Makarios remains to this day an emblematic figure in the contemporary history of Cyprus. He was at the forefront of the anti-colonial struggle of Cyprus and had the courage and insight to disassociate himself from the extreme right-wing murderous campaign of terror that was launched against the Left. He became the voice and face of independent Cyprus all over the world. He rejected Cyprus’ attachment to NATO and linked our country to the struggling peoples and national liberation movements through our participation in the Non-Aligned Movement. He united almost an entire people, from the left to the democratic right, on the line of a united and independent Cyprus. He himself became a symbol of democratic resistance to the Greek junta and EOKA B fascism. With his political stature, after the 1974 tragedy, he undertook the responsibility of the historic decision to accept the solution of a bizonal, bicommunal federation to the Cyprus problem.
AKEL does not ignore that Makarios also committed mistakes and made misjudgments along the way. Besides, his underestimation of the possibility of a coup d’état was characteristic. However, the attempt to equate Makarios with Grivas and to blame our country’s non-aligned policy for the NATO crime against Cyprus is an unhistorical insult to our people. After all, it is undeniable that Makarios was almost universally embraced by the people and can never be equated with pawns of foreign centres.
The memory and honor of Makarios demands the defence of democracy and the truth about our country’s modern history, the rejection of historical revisionism and ultra-right falsification. It demands the defence of the policy of an honorable compromise between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, against the manipulation and monopolization of patriotic sentiments and unfeasible maximalism that lead to our country’s final division. It demands the continuation of the struggle so that the crime committed in 1974 will not prevail with the finalization of our homeland’s division. For the vindication of our people. For independence, freedom and democracy.
