DELUSIONS of world importance have always been strong at the centre of the universe, also known as Kyproulla, and they inevitably surfaced as soon as foreigners leaving Israel began using the sunshine isle as a transit destination, from where to take a flight home.
Phil, the unwavering voice of the delusions, devoted most of last Sunday’s edition to them, its front-page headline announcing ‘Subversion of developments with a role for Cyprus’, and the sub-heading explaining that there were ‘New givens with Nicosia at the epicentre.’ It was all wild speculation about our influential new role.
It was in its lead article that Phil explained its delusions more clearly. “When a crisis breaks out in our region, then the strategic and geopolitical hyper-value of Cyprus is highlighted yet again. A hyper-value dowry, which unfortunately, caused over the years the many conquests of the country….”
We had developed the infrastructure to host all people leaving Israel “because we are a country that is a pylon of stability,” the article boasted, adding that “we do not desire for there to be crises so that our role in the region could be highlighted,” before delusionally concluding:
“After all, this role of vital significance, the strategic and geopolitical advantage of our country, can and must be exploited at any given time.”
THIS ROLE of vital significance was confirmed by the invitation the president of the pylon of stability, with hyper-value, received to attend Saturday’s Cairo Summit for Peace. It was attended by 12 heads of state and government officials to discuss the situation in Gaza.
This was written before the summit took place so we cannot say whether Prez Nik II was received by a guard of honour when he arrived. Speaking to hacks on the sidelines of a conference in Nicosia on Friday he showed he was on the same wavelength as Phil.
“The mere fact that Cyprus has been selected among the countries to be invited to such an important summit demonstrated the recognition of our role,” he said. He had communicated this role at the recent European Council meeting, he said.
On Saturday, the Prez’s personal cheerleader Bimbishis wrote in Phil. “The presence of President Christodoulides at the Cairo summit has particular significance for Cyprus as it highlights the role it can play, taking into account that the war is taking place in our neighbourhood.”
Kyproulla might even get an Oscar nomination for its role.
THINGS could not have gone worse at Nicosia district court, 10 days ago, for Phil’s sanctimonious, bash-patriotic Sunday preacher Michalis Ignatiou, who had brought a libel case against Paphos mayor Phedonas Phedonos and flew all the way from the Big Apple to attend the hearings and give his testimony.
In the end, Ig received none of the thousands of euro he was seeking in damages from the mayor for defaming him, because he decided to withdraw the suit, even though he flew over specifically for the case and gave testimony against him on October 4.
The libel action was filed after Phed’s post on Facebook in October 2017 saying that Ig had professional links to the Bombolas family, whose company was involved in the overpricing scandal at the Paphos waste treatment plant, and acted as its representative in Cyprus. Phed was the chief witness in that waste treatment case which led to convictions of several people.
Ig also happened to be a US correspondent of the Bombolas media group. Old customers will remember Ig as the man who boasted, after the 2004 referendum, that he would publish a book with all the names of Greek Cypriots that received bribes to support the Annan plan. Next year the book will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its non-publication.
PHED’S offending post was a direct response to an article by Ig a day earlier, in Phil, carrying out a character assassination of the mayor. A fortnight earlier, as president of the Paphos waste treatment plant, Phed announced that the contract with the company of the Bombolas group was terminated and that he would seek the exclusion of companies of the group from public contracts.
The mayor felt this announcement caused Ig’s article and posted the reference to the hack’s links with Bombolas. Ig felt the post damaged his reputation and sued the mayor in 2018, seeking tens of thousands of euros in damages. Phed responded by filing a suit against Ig for his article.
During his cross examination on October 13, Phed said he had based his post on information he had received from former finance minister Constantinos Petrides and journalist Makarios Drousiotis – he had been working at the presidential palace – both of whom had been lobbied by Ig on behalf of Bombolas; both were willing to appear as witnesses and testify, Phed informed the court.
This appeared to be the turning point. During a break in proceedings, and before Phed had finished giving his testimony, Ig’s lawyer told Phed’s lawyer that his client would withdraw the suit, on condition that the mayor withdrew his suit and paid €3,000 travel costs to Ig. In the end both suits were withdrawn, and Ig did not get a cent towards his travel costs; nor the chance to prove that claims he was Bombolas’ man in Kyproulla were false.
ANOTHER hero of the referendum, Giorgos Lillikas briefly returned to public life a couple of weeks ago after 10 years away. He disappeared soon after the 2013 presidential elections, in which he stood as an independent candidate and narrowly missed making the run-off.
The country’s most accomplished political opportunist, with a talent for being economical with the truth, Lillikas was out and about to promote his book The Transition from Democracy to Partycracy and Interconnectivity. The Political and Social Obligation.
He told Tass news agency that the third section of his book was theoretical and he dealt with ‘social obligation’ as part of his effort to create a ‘social culture’ and create ‘social solidarity’.
Very noble sentiments but they hit red on the bullshit detector when the source is the self-serving Paphite, who only ever showed social solidarity to Lillikas, expertly toadying to several presidents and party leaders for his personal advancement.
And as leader of a party, which is no more, he displayed a ‘social obligation’ to Mother Russia, the interests of which in Kyproulla he openly championed.
SPEAKING of books, chairman of the CyBC board Thoktor Giorgos Kentas showed that censorship is still alive and kicking at the state broadcaster.
Kentas, in a blatantly fascistic move, pulled the plug on a 12-part television series based on the book by Stavros Christodoulou Tris Skales Istoria (Three Staircases of History), which deals with the modern history of Cyprus and covers the coup, the invasion and how people dealt with it.
I have not read the book, but I could not believe the reason cited by the CyBC board for scrapping the filming of the series: “The subject of the book is delicate and Cypriot society is not mature enough to face it.” Kentas belongs to the bash-patriotic school and could not possibly allow the filming of a series that reportedly offers a version of history he does not approve of.
According to the writer, Kentas axed the show because “he is worried the issue of the rape of a woman in 1974 would upset Cypriot society and people are not ready.” It is great to have a man who shares North Korea’s broadcasting values in charge of the state broadcaster of democratic state.
DURING Nik I’s presidency, communications company Gnora secured most of the contracts of state organisations. This, of course, had nothing to do with the fact that its managing director Andreas Hadjikyriakos was the communications advisor of Nik and Disy chief Averof.
It seems that under the Nik II regime, Gnora may have been sidelined and has been at pains to attract the prez’s attention by writing critical articles about government’s communications policy and handling of PR setbacks.
First its director of communication wrote an article titled ‘How not to manage a crisis’ about the Doxa Komodromou fiasco and a few days later Hadjikyriakos himself wrote his own unsubtle sales pitch, under the headline ‘3 resignations and 1 shame.’
He concluded it thus: “The president will not win any more sympathy because he stays unshaved, runs in marathons, is photographed backstage at the UN General Assembly or does not leave a festival he does not attend. This is also necessary, but it is now the garnish, not the main meal.”
I hear that Gnora specialises in preparing delicious main meals.
THE MERDE appears to have hit the fan at the Green Party. Last weekend its deputy Alexandra Attalides announced she was leaving the party because she disagreed with its positions on several important issues and a few days later, party leader Charalambos Theopemptou said he was stepping down.
What is the betting that scheming former party boss Giorgos Perdikis is planning a comeback to save the party and turn it into his personal vehicle once again, because retirement, even on a big fat state pension, is rather boring?
In his absence, the tree-huggers recorded their best showing in the parliamentary elections, winning three seats as the party ceased being a one-man show. Such success makes the return of the one-man show a dire necessity.
I WAS planning on going to watch Martin Scorsese’s newly released movie Killers of the Flower Moon which is on at the Cineplex and deals with the cold-blooded murder of 20 Osage Indians in America in the 1920s. Then I thought I might not be mature enough to watch it.
I will be emailing Thoktor Kentas to ask him whether, as a member of Cypriot society, I am mature enough to watch this movie, because I do not want to go and get upset.
