A few days after the Limassol fire, President Christodoulides addressed the public from the presidential residence in Troodos, with the solemn-looking community leaders of the affected villages standing around him. Although it was a stage-managed event, aimed at showing the government’s support for the affected communities, the president expressed his sorrow for the loss of life and for the slow response of the state service.

“At a critical moment like this, we did not respond as we should have. On behalf of the State, I apologise,” he said in the televised address. As the government refused to take responsibility for the failings of the firefighting operations the president passed the responsibility on to the State which he also represented and on behalf of which he apologized to the people. It was the bare minimum he could have done considering none of his ministers had offered to resign.

While the worst seemed to be over for the government, the absence of the coordinator of the firefighting operations from the island during last month’s fires became a big issue. The role had been given to the permanent secretary of the agriculture ministry, Andreas Gregoriou, by council of ministers’ decision in 2023. It had been pointed out during the fires that Gregoriou had been sent to Australia to represent the republic at the events marking the anniversaries of the coup and Turkish invasion that were organised by Greek and Cypriot diaspora communities.

The republic was represented at these events every year. It was pointed out, however, that the coordinator of firefighting operations should not have been in Australia during the hottest month of the year, when the risk of fires is at the highest level. The matter was brought up at the House committee meetings earlier in the week, when Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou claimed that Gregoriou had expressed an interest in going to Australia and after finding two officials to take over his fire coordinating duties, he went. Gregoriou also claimed that he decided to go to Australia of his own volition, as head of the ‘presidency administration’.

The implication was that there was no need to clear the trip with anyone. Even though Gregoriou would represent the president at the events in Australia, the president knew nothing about it! The official narrative was that Christodoulides was not consulted or given any say about who would represent him, the decision having been taken by Gregoriou, who fancied an all-expenses paid trip Down Under. When there are official trips abroad on offer and no minister is interested in representing the government or the president, the first permanent secretary to express an interest, gets on the plane.

This ridiculous narrative that nobody believes has been advanced by the presidential palace, because Christodoulides, is terrified of taking responsibility for the resoundingly stupid decision to send the coordinator of firefighting operations to the other side of the world at the height of the fire season. The lies told to the legislature about Gregoriou’s trip, were mocked by media and parties which knew who was behind them.

In the end, the president’s inept attempt at avoiding responsibility has caused him greater embarrassment than he would have suffered if he had the courage to come clean about what happened.