July 11 is never to forget
By Shana Joseph
In the aftermath of the July eleventh explosion, citizens of Cyprus are finally taking their fate into their own hands. But will this passionate stance continue or will it dwindle and give way once more to apathy?
News of the explosion in the early hours of that Monday morning at the Evangelos Florakis navy base in Southern Cyprus initially brought much confusion. Along with twelve casualties and several injuries sustained, damages of hundreds of thousands were reported to the surrounding areas and the country’s main power plant. The country’s minister of defence, Costas Papacostas and the chief of the National Guard, General Petros Tsalikides, perhaps foresaw the uproar which would ultimately follow when they resigned on the same day, as within forty eight hours chaos beyond anything witnessed since protests opposed to opening the gates between Northern and Southern Cyprus broke out in the capital of Nicosia. The question on the protesting citizens’ minds was, and remains, why were containers filled with gunpowder left exposed to the heat and threat of brush fires? Why was the tragedy not prevented and who was responsible?
Twelve days after the explosion, disorder continues to mount as citizens are relentlessly calling for the resignation of the entire Christopfias administration by the means of daily protests outside the presidential palace in Nicosia and in the centre of town in Nicosia. Accusations of criminal negligence have been made as reports have surfaced of an alleged inspection by American authorities at the naval base some time prior to the explosion. A source interviewed claims officials were advised to move the containers from their exposed location, in order to prevent the gunpowder being set alight by the heat or brush fires. As a country plagued by brush fires every year, it seems unimaginable that the containers were stored in such dangerous circumstances. The general consensus is that the tragedy could have been avoided. Along with the memory of people killed on that day, the continuous disruption caused by the damage to the power plant is serving as a daily reminder of the event.
Following the explosion, it appeared the country’s main power plant would be offline for the rest of the day but the power station was damaged beyond repair. Efforts to repair it were announced but the task is scheduled to take several months. Currently, the county’s two smaller power stations are responsible for supplying electricity throughout the southern part of the island. Their ability is limited however, and so in order to meet the energy demands, electricity cuts are necessary for the foreseeable future. As it stands, electricity is being cut off in alternate areas once a day for two hours at a time. This arrangement does not include unpredictable electricity cuts as the power station’s machinery is out-dated and in several instances has not been able to sustain the electricity demands.
The current state is less than ideal for business reasons but more so for health reasons. Heat-waves during the summer months are a regular occurrence. A large number of people, primarily the elderly, and also animals experience heatstroke every year in scolding temperatures of up to forty-five degrees. Casualties have been recorded over the years and so being without air conditioning is a serious concern. The productivity of business is in a precarious state; communication is disrupted during the day and without electronic means of work, several businesses are currently in turmoil. One source interviewed spoke of sixty employees being sent home mid-afternoon as there was no point to them sitting about with no way of doing work. Airports and hospitals are currently depending on generators during the electricity cuts. Banks, along with automatic cash machines, have been rendered useless throughout most of the day. Unemployment rates will no doubt increase and this uncertainty is another reason contributing to the aggressive reaction.
After several years of displeasure at the way the country has been run, what is happening now is Cypriots have been awoken from a comfortably numb state of being. There has always been a difficult political climate in Cyprus but never to this extent. Unfortunately, it is apathy to blame for the current establishment. Several thousands of citizens remain unregistered to vote while countless others cast a blind eye at politicians’ manifestos. The time has come for the Cypriot community to realise the full extent of their ability and to prevent another inept establishment replacing the current one by being pro-active about the future. The biggest challenge they will now face is maintaining the unity forged thus far. It remains to be seen if the president will yield to the pressure and resign. Such an outcome would no doubt be a commendable victory. It is a shame however, that lives had to be lost to prompt a reaction to begin with.
In the aftermath of the July eleventh explosion, citizens of Cyprus are finally taking their fate into their own hands. But will this passionate stance continue or will it dwindle and give way once more to apathy?
News of the explosion in the early hours of that Monday morning at the Evangelos Florakis navy base in Southern Cyprus initially brought much confusion. Along with twelve casualties and several injuries sustained, damages of hundreds of thousands were reported to the surrounding areas and the country’s main power plant. The country’s minister of defence, Costas Papacostas and the chief of the National Guard, General Petros Tsalikides, perhaps foresaw the uproar which would ultimately follow when they resigned on the same day, as within forty eight hours chaos beyond anything witnessed since protests opposed to opening the gates between Northern and Southern Cyprus broke out in the capital of Nicosia. The question on the protesting citizens’ minds was, and remains, why were containers filled with gunpowder left exposed to the heat and threat of brush fires? Why was the tragedy not prevented and who was responsible?
Twelve days after the explosion, disorder continues to mount as citizens are relentlessly calling for the resignation of the entire Christopfias administration by the means of daily protests outside the presidential palace in Nicosia and in the centre of town in Nicosia. Accusations of criminal negligence have been made as reports have surfaced of an alleged inspection by American authorities at the naval base some time prior to the explosion. A source interviewed claims officials were advised to move the containers from their exposed location, in order to prevent the gunpowder being set alight by the heat or brush fires. As a country plagued by brush fires every year, it seems unimaginable that the containers were stored in such dangerous circumstances. The general consensus is that the tragedy could have been avoided. Along with the memory of people killed on that day, the continuous disruption caused by the damage to the power plant is serving as a daily reminder of the event.
Following the explosion, it appeared the country’s main power plant would be offline for the rest of the day but the power station was damaged beyond repair. Efforts to repair it were announced but the task is scheduled to take several months. Currently, the county’s two smaller power stations are responsible for supplying electricity throughout the southern part of the island. Their ability is limited however, and so in order to meet the energy demands, electricity cuts are necessary for the foreseeable future. As it stands, electricity is being cut off in alternate areas once a day for two hours at a time. This arrangement does not include unpredictable electricity cuts as the power station’s machinery is out-dated and in several instances has not been able to sustain the electricity demands.
The current state is less than ideal for business reasons but more so for health reasons. Heat-waves during the summer months are a regular occurrence. A large number of people, primarily the elderly, and also animals experience heatstroke every year in scolding temperatures of up to forty-five degrees. Casualties have been recorded over the years and so being without air conditioning is a serious concern. The productivity of business is in a precarious state; communication is disrupted during the day and without electronic means of work, several businesses are currently in turmoil. One source interviewed spoke of sixty employees being sent home mid-afternoon as there was no point to them sitting about with no way of doing work. Airports and hospitals are currently depending on generators during the electricity cuts. Banks, along with automatic cash machines, have been rendered useless throughout most of the day. Unemployment rates will no doubt increase and this uncertainty is another reason contributing to the aggressive reaction.
After several years of displeasure at the way the country has been run, what is happening now is Cypriots have been awoken from a comfortably numb state of being. There has always been a difficult political climate in Cyprus but never to this extent. Unfortunately, it is apathy to blame for the current establishment. Several thousands of citizens remain unregistered to vote while countless others cast a blind eye at politicians’ manifestos. The time has come for the Cypriot community to realise the full extent of their ability and to prevent another inept establishment replacing the current one by being pro-active about the future. The biggest challenge they will now face is maintaining the unity forged thus far. It remains to be seen if the president will yield to the pressure and resign. Such an outcome would no doubt be a commendable victory. It is a shame however, that lives had to be lost to prompt a reaction to begin with.
