Our View: Even our politicians ‘language of truth’ is vague

In an article published last Sunday in Kathimerini, the deputy leader of Disy and former finance minister Harris Georgiades argued that a federal settlement was no longer attainable. What was clear was that a federation today had nothing to do with federation the late Glafcos Clerides had proposed in 1974 and could have been achieved in previous decades, he wrote, and explained his reasons.

“Most refugees have gone, occupied territories have been developed, population data has been altered, Morphou and Famagusta are declared Turkish territory and the way political equality is interpreted by the Turkish side is become all the more extreme,” he said. Turkey’s confrontational policy meant that a “non-settlement would no longer be static, but develop into a situation that is dangerous and unpredictable.”

How should the Greek Cypriot side deal with this dangerous and unpredictable situation? “It is the time for a new realism,” he said before adding that: “We must decide what we must safeguard, but also what we can realistically claim. We must take difficult decisions and once again speak the language of truth. Only in this way will we secure the interests and survival of Cypriot Hellenism.”

When he was finance minister, Georgiades had earned a reputation for straight-talking. He shunned platitudes backed his arguments with concrete evidence and stuck to his point to such a degree that he was accused of being dull. Now, it seems, he has defected to the other side, dealing exclusively with meaningless concepts. What is the “new realism”, what is the “language of truth” that would allegedly save Cypriot Hellenism?

He did not elaborate, nor did he deem it necessary to explain what type of settlement the “new realism” should give rise to. Considering Morphou and Famagusta were “declared Turkish territory” what would be left to safeguard and that “we can realistically claim”? Georgiades’ new realism does not have the courage to tell people openly what type of settlement should replace the federation that has become unattainable.

Perhaps he would be informing people privately about his preference, like President Anastasiades has been doing in the last few years, but to deny he had said such a thing when challenged about it publicly. Former minister and deputy Socratis Hasikos posted a tweet on Thursday asking Georgiades what it was he was seeking and advising him that it may be a good idea to pen an explanatory article. “One of the reasons we have arrived here, 47 years without a settlement, is the lack of clear thought,” Hasikos pointed out.

It is not just that. It is also that our leaders have never spoken honestly to people about their Cyprus problem plans, not even when speaking Georgiades’ “language of truth.”