We are definitely not all in this together

THE WAY THINGS ARE

Colette NiReamonn Ioannidou

If another sanctimonious voice tells me that ‘we’ were/are all in this together, I’ll release a gamut of swear words and invent some to boot. Various strata of people from their lovely, high maintenance homes and bulging bank accounts assured the hoi polloi we were all locked down together; we were not. Some journalists pointed out that the effects of Covid-19 have cemented differences between those who float freely within the crisis and others who drown because of it.

In Cyprus, the levels that came through the crisis financially unscathed require no explanation. We use old sayings like, ‘Gone to the wall’ or ‘Gone up the wall’ and this is what has happened to segments of society in many countries. Businesses have gone to the wall, and the stress of losing a business, of being isolated, or watching limited savings disappear with nothing to replenish them over a protracted period of time has caused some to mentally break down… or to go up the walls as the panic of entrenched hopelessness begins to suffocate.

In war, people often support each other financially or by opening their homes to refugees, giving sorrowing, bereft families time to regain balance and breath. Professional responders in many areas are ‘in it together’, people who are physically there when you need them, not seeking photo ops but saving lives.

My youth was lived in a state in thrall to the Catholic Church. Many crimes against women have been acknowledged as Ireland matures to take responsibility for mother and baby homes run by nuns where women and children suffered miserably in a silence that was aided by communities because of the repression of religious beliefs, where Christian mercy and understanding should have held sway.

Now, courageous men and women are speaking out, things are changing. Cyprus, like Ireland, weaves close ties between church and state. Recently, Archbishop Chrysostomos built a monument to his own memory, and the listing of construction materials (only the best) gathered from other countries was announced with pride. I can’t help but think that if Christ were around, he’d be happier if the money had been given to needy people. My family is Greek Orthodox and it’s nice to have a place to worship if one is religious, but prayer can be said in private.

The Church does help people but it also has, like some of our state’s civil servants, its self-indulgences. I had a letter from Cyta informing me I had to send them proof that I was on a low income or the discount they were giving me for my ‘fixed telephony’ (I have a landline for my Wi-Fi) would go from €8.28 a month, VAT included, to the full €16.56. It advised me Cyta would be happy to give me more info on 132. My bill for the previous period came to €32.53. I turned over the page to see that consolidated monthly charges were €29.04. I seldom use the land line and buy cards for my smartphone. Local calls were 1.34; international calls were 0.94 and a couple of others ran into cents. So, most of what I pay goes on charges.

I called and asked the lady on 132 what did Cyta people who have good salaries, consider a ‘low income’. There was no answer to that, I merely had to submit my pension amount and it would be processed. Yes, but of the two, not huge Cyprus pensions I have, I replied, one goes on my rent; is that a consideration? No, just the total amount. But suppose another person with a similar pension who doesn’t pay rent because they have their own home, keeps the discount I could lose, is that fair? That was of no concern to their accounting system.

As the chat continued I was told politely I could consider another server. Spoken like a business that apparently doesn’t fear loss of market share and can afford to advise a customer of many decades standing to ‘go elsewhere’. In people incapable of empathy, job or financial security builds a sense of detachment from how those on tight budgets cringe with every rise in the cost of living, because it doesn’t affect them; they are all right. When it comes to raking in the cash crop, it’s us and them as it always has been and probably always will be. We are definitely not all in this together.