Our View: Akel needs to understand what is really behind progressive change

Akel secretary-general Stefanos Stefanou addressed the party’s central committee on Saturday about the plans for the 2028 presidential election. He announced the start of contacts with political and social forces with the aim of forming a broad progressive front, which would seek “progressive change.” Akel would not contest the election with a party candidate, with positions that are aimed exclusively at the party faithful, but would be looking for alliances for the creation of a broader progressive front. The candidate would be chosen after the political framework of an alliance would be decided and would have to stand “for the progressive cooperation we are attempting to build.” Seven axes would make up the political framework and these included the Cyprus problem, the strengthening of the welfare state and workers’ rights, resisting the far-right, a new growth model that would support sustainable development, protection of strategic infrastructure such as health and education, restoration of the rule of law and change of foreign policy that would distance Cyprus from the US and Israel. These are the traditional values of the Left, Stefanou said explaining that at stake in the presidential election was whether the policies that would be implemented by the next government would serve the interests of the majority or a small, privileged class. This is the rhetoric but in practice Akel has always defended the interest of the privileged class of public employees who enjoy privileges that are unknown to the majority of the country – the workers in the private sector. The privileges enjoyed by this class – annual pay rises regardless of performance, much higher state pensions with smaller monthly contributions, retirement bonuses, Cost of Living Allowance, big annual sick leave entitlement, iron-clad job security, holiday villas in the mountains etc – are the reason we have the impoverished pensioners that Akel wants to help. The communist party of Cyprus has always defended the labour aristocracy – it sided with teaching unions not wanting teachers’ work to be assessed; it is blocking the hiring of foreign nurses despite staff shortages in hospitals; it supports CoLA being paid to the highest earners – while banging on about inequality. Akel is not interested in this institutional inequality. Hearing Stefanou, it seems Akel will fight the election with the same platitudes and messages it has been using for decades. It will again wage its war against the evil capitalists, conveniently ignoring the fact that it is thanks to them – not thanks to the privileged public employees the party always defends – that standards of living have been steadily improving in Cyprus for years. The “progressive change” the party is promising needs prosperous businesses and a growing economy to fund it. Despite 100 years of history, which are being celebrated this year, Akel still refuses to accept that it is a thriving market economy that will ensure higher living standards for workers not employed by the state.