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Tales from the Coffeeshop: Institutional atrophy of Cyprus reflected in Rik ban

coffeeshop the second television debate featuring the three presidential candidates of the parties was nowhere near as entertaining as the first

‘CANCEL culture at Rik?’ proclaimed the headline of a comment piece by University of Cyprus professor Haridimos Tsoukas – published in last Sunday’s Phil – who wrote about an interview he had given to the state broadcaster not being shown.

He had been invited by the journalist, Elita Michaelides, who presents the show ‘Documento’, to talk about Makarios (the real one and not the one running in the presidential elections), the interview was filmed and then Tsoukas was informed by Rik that the show was “postponed because of elections”.

“What link did the imminent presidential election have with the show,” he asked rhetorically and answered, “none.” He had made no reference to current political developments that could have been interpreted as intervention in the elections, and the show is broadcast outside prime-time, so it would not have taken the slot of a current affairs programme.

Like a broadcaster in a totalitarian regime, Rik felt no need to give an honest explanation, its bosses perfectly happy to lie to their guest about their decision. It appears that even 45 years after Makarios’ death, the state broadcaster does not allow even mildly critical comments about the great leader to be aired.

Is the ban on broadcasting any negative comment about Makarios in Rik’s charter or was this the decision of some Makarios-worshipping simpleton promoted to a position of power at the corporation in recognition of his contempt for free speech? Apart from news we now also have cancel culture, “with the authority and seriousness of Rik”.

 

SOME may be wondering what the professor had said to cause Rik to cancel the show. He repeated some of his views in last Sunday’s article and Phil, which had also treated Makarios as a deity in the past, had no qualms about publishing them. He wrote:

“Makarios embodied a paternalistic model of leadership…. his almost absolute hegemony on the post-colonial Cyprus Republic, combining the symbolic power of the religious leader with the political power of the president, on the one hand, pushed him to arrogant behaviour (especially towards the Turkish Cypriot community), and on the other slowed down the institutional maturing of the Republic.”

Tsoukas did not miss the irony of matter. The cancellation of the show “reinforces my argument about the institutional atrophy of the Cyprus Republic. Only in illiberal, institutionally anaemic countries like Turkey and Russia, are leaders exalted and critical comment ostracised from public media.”

It has always been like this in Kyproulla. The guys in the top jobs at Rik are there not because of their abilities (some have none), but because they have been promoted by politicians who demand to be served in exchange. My theory does not work in the case of Makarios, who stopped appointing Rik journos more than 45 years ago, but you know what I mean.

 

MEANWHILE, Rik’s correspondent in Turkey, Anna Andreou, received a letter from her boss Yiannakis Nicolaou informing her what she can and what she cannot report. Nicolaou, who was educated in a Warsaw Pact country in the good old days of communism, was recently appointed Rik’s director of news, for the reason mentioned above.

In his letter to Andreou he mentioned Turkey’s “intensely heightening hybrid war against Greece and Cyprus” through a range of provocative statements by President Erdogan and other officials. Rik had also been carried away “reproducing all this hybrid war, which creates a climate of tension that affects extremely negatively Cypriot society and also undermines the efforts being made by our official side for a solution to the Cyprus problem and/or to promote the just cause of of Cyprus abroad.”

How reporting the provocative statements of Turkish officials undermines our side’s efforts for a settlement only Nicolaou can tell us. Nicolaou has often been at the forefront of Rik’s efforts to undermine efforts for a settlement in the past with his reports, so why is he bothered now?

And how is the promotion of our just cause abroad undermined by something reported by Rik TV or radio that nobody abroad ever listens to or watches? Anyway, Andreou was told she can only report what Erdogan, the prime minister and foreign minister of Turkey say to limit the effects of the hybrid war on our side’s settlement efforts.

 

SPEAKING of Rik, I would like to protest in the strongest possible terms about the scrapping of the two-hour classical music radio show on Sunday morning, which was best two hours of music produced by the corporation. I tuned in to Trito last Sunday morning in the car and it was playing the same bland popular songs it plays 24/7.

Trito’s classical music show had been going for years. The presenter’s voice could have been better, but her passion and enthusiasm for music were infectious and her knowledge truly impressive. She played classical pieces that were accessible to most people, offering an excellent introduction to the great composers.

I am informed that the show was moved to another Rik station by decision of the new director of radio, whose promotion was based on the same criteria as Nicolaou’s elevation. But why move a show that had been successfully running on Trito for years, with the risk of losing its big following? I can’t believe it was request by a politician that the director had to satisfy.

 

THE SECOND television debate featuring the three presidential candidates of the parties was nowhere near as entertaining as the first, and I did not like the idea of asking the members of the public outside supermarkets to give the questions they wanted answered by the candidates.

They all said the same things – Cyprob, economy, cost of living, migration. I am sure the more outrageous comments were not included.

The candidates reminded me of schoolboys. Christodoulides came across as the show-off who learnt everything off by heart in order to impress the teacher, even though he did not understand everything he was saying. Mavroyiannis, the shy kid, a bit of a teacher’s pet, who was a very good student, understood the lesson and never caused trouble. And Averof, the cocky kid, more advanced in his learning and taking great pride in pointing out the mistakes of the other schoolboys to the teacher.

The presenter, Andreas Kimitris, was a bit too indulgent, allowing the boys to engage in long monologues and never cutting them short even when they were off subject. His only mistake was allowing Christodoulides to get away with not answering one of his questions. Most people may have missed it because it was right at the end of the show, gone midnight.

 

KIMITRIS asked, the Mr Nice Guy of the election: “You are at the centre of allegations by an ex-associate that you gave orders for the creation of fake accounts through which to attack your rivals and journalists. Texts were made public, were they real and did you give such orders?”

After employing his self-pitying tactics, explaining that he had many capable associates, but “unfortunately they cannot appear in public because of issues of intimidation and issues of blackmail,” he did his best not to answer in the following way:

“The issue is that some think they are scoring political points with this but do not realise the consequences for Cypriot society. I will not follow this path. I will not comment on any private conversations of any citizen of this country. I understand why it is being done. We want to take debate to other issues when we don’t want to discuss the funding of other parties, the surveillance, the unconstitutional proposals…..”

After this non-answer, Kimitris asked again whether he gave orders and Christodoulides turned didactic. “What I had to say I have said. I will not downgrade political debate because some believe they are scoring electorally…..” And he repeated, self-righteously, “I will not engage in a discussion that downgrades political discourse.”

 

CHRISTODOULIDES ensures political discourse is always kept at a high level by setting up of fake accounts that bad mouth his political rivals and accuse journos he does not like of being on the take. He just gets his minions to do his dirty work for him, so he can operate on the higher moral plain.

And despite refusing to downgrade the political debate, he was happy to close his comments by resorting to the oldest trick of every political scoundrel of Kyproulla – threatening to make revelations. “I can say a lot of things,” he said pointing his finger at the screen and repeating, “I can say a lot of things, but I will not.”

I am sure one of his fake accounts will be happy to do this for him, while he strives to prevent the downgrading of political debate.

 

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