The consultative council that was supposed to eliminate nepotism and make the process for appointments to the boards of semi-governmental organisations (SGOs) fairer and more open, while restricting the influence of the parties, failed on all counts. There were appointments that were made as rewards to people that supported the election of President Nikos Christodoulides and many appointees came from the parties that are part of the government alliance.
As with his selection of ministers, Christodoulides was unable to deliver on the promises he had made in his election campaign, something which has become the theme of his presidency. He created unrealistic expectations that placed unnecessary restrictions on his decision-making, which he was unable to operate within. He may have now realised that what might sound good to the electorate is not necessarily helpful to the person who has to make decisions on how to best run the country.
The consultative council is a case in point. He argued that he would end the monopolising of appointments by the parties by allowing citizens to submit expressions of interest. These applications would be vetted by the council and then a short list forwarded to the council of ministers, which would have the final say. It was an absurd concept, considering SGOs are not independent entities but an extension of the executive and their board’s implement government policy. The EAC, for example, cannot have supporters of privatisation on its board, regardless of how well qualified these people are, when the government wants to keep the authority under public ownership.
Rationality dictates that a government appoints people that agree with its policies on energy and telecommunications to the boards of the SGOs dealing with these matters. This is what all governments had done even though they would appoint an odd member from an opposition party to create the impression of pluralism. Under the circumstances, Akel may be correct to say that no person from the Left that applied to the council was appointed, but at the same time, the government had every right not to appoint anyone from the main opposition party as they could undermine its policies.
In most democratic countries, government appoints its people to government-controlled organisations. Nobody would have criticised Christodoulides if he made appointments without this absurd consultative council, as all presidents appoint people they can trust – they might not be the most capable – to support the government’s policies and plans. If Christodoulides’ idea about the consultative council was taken to its logical extreme, then he should also have opened ministerial posts to the public as well.
In the end, the consultative council proved little more than a political gimmick that promoted the idea that Christodoulides would bring change. The reality, however, is that it changed nothing.
