Egg-faced Cyprus Tourism Organisation must clear up act

E DII TO RII A L

The continuing saga of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation soap opera is causing irreparable damage to the island’s image as a tourist destination and its ability to host premium holidaymakers, as well as negotiate with serious tour operators. And it must end now.

We don’t care who said what to whom and what the petty legal contracts say when hiring public servants. But for once, we expect senior officers and (past and present) board members to take responsibility for their actions, for which they are duty-bound to the general public. After all, if there are cases of misappropriation of public funds (a popular activity at all government and semi-state bodies) then those at fault should be fired and replaced by the most suitable person for that job.

Where is the name-and-shame policy that those in power blatantly declared a few years back? Is it because that those in the wrong run to their political and ideological leaders to expunge any reference to their name in return for political (and family) favours?

We find ourselves in the same mess as with the whole adventure surrounding the appointments of the most recent Central Bank Governors, at a time when Cyprus desperately needed to project an image of financial stability and economic harmony.

Our incompetent politicians do not realise that the present drama at the CTO and elsewhere is the result of decades of pandering to union threats and demands, after which labour agreements were adjusted year by year, making it impossible to sack public servants. Furthermore, consecutive administrations cannot be taken seriously if those investigating the violations are the same people who decide on promotions in the public sector.

It is the control of the trade unions that brought us to our present-day chaos and politicians have yet to learn from their mistakes, as they continue to give in to bullying tactics, be they with the public doctors and nurses, or teachers, with their rewards never linked to productivity. Despite the ongoing crisis, some people even have the audacity to demand permanent jobs and pay rises, together with the perks they have enjoyed over decades.

Is there anyone out there with the courage to take immediate decisions?