Our View: Antiquities Dept should not dictate fate of deputy ministry

The voting of the bills for the creation of a deputy ministry for culture were put off again last Thursday. These bills have been in the pipeline since 2020, discussed at the House education committee on several occasions but voting was postponed for another week.

Two deputies from different parties had demanded two weeks’ postponement arguing this would allow time for creating consensus, given that difficulties remained, but eventually accepted one.

Consensus, in this case, is not an option. This is an ‘either/or’ choice. The main objection to the bill has been from the Antiquities Department which from the start opposed the government plan to place it under the authority of the deputy ministry. The department, for reasons related to the constitution, has been under the authority of the Ministry of Communications, Transport and Works and its employees want it to stay there. What consensus could be reached under the circumstances? Move antiquities to the agriculture ministry so it does not belong to a deputy ministry?

It is astonishing that the employees of the Antiquities Department have managed to block the establishment of the deputy ministry because they have decided their department must belong to the ministry of their choice. They have also found parties to back them, hence the unjustified delay. Staff and management’s main objection was that the department would be downgraded under a deputy minister who was not represented at the council of ministers (only full ministers are part of council and have a vote). It was also said that the new regime would deprive it of funds and support while also restricting the promotion opportunities of staff.

Not surprisingly, the department’s management also came up with a Cyprus problem-related reason for opposing the change. Under the Constitution, antiquities and their administration were the responsibility of the state, but if the department were under the jurisdiction of a deputy ministry, it could lose the authority it has over the antiquities in all of Cyprus. In the event of a settlement, the Turkish Cypriots could use this as an argument against the federal government having responsibility for antiquities in all Cyprus. Antiquities would be the responsibility of each constituent state. The possibility that the two sides might actually agree to place antiquities under the authority of the central government has been ruled out by the great patriots of the Antiquities Department.

Perhaps the House will approve the bills for the deputy ministry of culture on Thursday and all this nonsense will be put behind us. We may even forget that government reform was delayed for almost two years because the employees of the Antiquities Department opposed it. This is what happens when weak politicians allow public employees to dictate how government departments should be organised and what powers they should have.