The terms of three commissioners will end in the next five weeks, it was reported, and President Christodoulides will have to decide whether these will be renewed or new people appointed. According to the same report, the commissioner for the protection of children’s rights, Despo Michaelidou, was not seeking renewal of her term but the other two (for law and for protection of personal data) wanted to stay on for another term.

Why would anyone want to give up such a well-paid undemanding position, in which the incumbent is accountable to nobody and has the freedom to do as he or she pleases. In effect, each commissioner writes their own job role which is scrutinised by nobody. A commissioner lacking self-motivation could get away with doing next to nothing for their entire term, and nobody would notice or seek any explanation; it has been done.

We are usually made aware of a commissioner’s existence when they make a public statement about a matter. Admittedly some, like the commissioner for the protection of personal data, is constantly meddling in public affairs and issuing diktats, but she is the exception rather than the rule. Most commissioners seek the easy life rather than publicity and the former is probably the most important perk of the commission business.

Former president Nicos Anastasiades set up many commissioner posts, the most ludicrous being the commissioner for volunteerism, which was given to the Disy placeman Yiannakis Yiannaki, who was subsequently removed because he had a forged university degree. The volunteerism commissariat has now been upgraded to the ‘commissioner of the citizen,’ whose office aims at “undertaking coordinated action for the participation of citizens in the decision-making procedures, the promotion of active citizenry and participatory democracy”.  Is anyone aware of this coordinated action?

The fact is that more and more commissioners’ offices are being set up by presidents mainly to satisfy supporters looking for well-paid public roles. Anastasiades invented the deputy ministers but could not satisfy demand so he came up with the idea of commissioners, whose jobs could be done by civil servants. For example, what is the need for an environment commissioner when there is well-staffed Department of Environment at the ministry of agriculture? The commissioner may take a position on an issue related to the environment but has no power to do anything about it; she can talk.

Admittedly, the personal data commissioner can censure companies and impose hefty fines, but this is an office with some powers in contrast to others. The office of the commissioner for gender equality was set up by the current president and was given to one of his closest associates who has introduced programmes at government offices, known as ‘actions’. Whether public sector offices have become gender equality spaces is another matter, even though this commissioner is more active than most.

The truth is that no political party has complained about the abundance of commissioner offices, because these are very useful posts for parties keen on an untaxing public job; and they cannot all become deputy mayors.