The former President of the Republic of Cyprus passed away yesterday (I write this on Saturday). It was immediately declared that Tuesday (the day of the former President’s funeral) will be a public holiday. Why is that I wonder? Out of respect one would probably reply out of the top of their head. Which wouldn’t sound very unreasonable, except: President Christofias is generally regarded as one of the least capable Presidents our country has ever elected. His term begun with Cyprus running budgetary surpluses. It ended with empty state coffers. He failed to get reelected for a second term.
Granted, one could argue that the surpluses that Cyprus was running during the good times prior to President Christofias’s election, weren’t big enough given the then-state of the global and European economies. We could have fared better. And yes, the crisis would hit Cyprus in 2013 irrespective of who was the President. And yes, I can even attribute the Mari disaster that hit Cyprus back in 2011, to bad luck.
But all of the above do not justify the failed social policies that led to the reckless exhaustion of the island’s cash reserves. Nor do they justify President Christofias’s arrogant attitude and superiority complex towards anyone who would dare question his leadership abilities. Not to mention the largely anti-EU stance of his government, even though our country had been an EU member-state for some time at that point.
President Christofias did manage to do something important in his life. He did manage to get elected as President of a country.
Managing to persuade others to entrust you with a position of responsibility is undoubtedly important and deserves some merit. Exactly because this is important, the perks of those positions are much greater than what other “jobs” offer.
The manager of a company who may receive part of their compensation through ESOPs can continue having some perks related to their position even long after they leave. But only provided they sawed good-enough seeds for there to be rewards to be reaped after their term. A President who has done a good job will be revered by their people, public holiday, or not. Even though I was never a “fan” of his, I do recognize that President Christofias deserves the respect that any country head does and still call him by his official title. But he is no longer a President. Declaring his funeral day a public holiday (just for public servants mind you), even a non-recurring one, discredits the work that more capable Presidents did, and echoes as an ode to mediocrity across the land. And for that, I feel almost ashamed as a citizen of Cyprus.