Averof should know when to quit

Over the past few weeks, we have witnessed an array of politicians seemingly fixated on their own importance and on the unshakable belief that only they can make a difference and save us from the perils that lie ahead. Before getting to Disy’s former leader Averof Neophytou, however, a word about the unfortunate Nicos Tornaritis, who accepted the newly invented post of special representative for Asia and Africa. Nicos Christodoulides displayed his Machiavellian skills in making the appointment. But it was sad to see Tornaritis trying, to convince whoever cared to listen, that it would have been a shame to allow his diplomatic skills go to waste. He was apparently oblivious to the fact that he was also taking part in an effort by Christodoulides to weaken Disy – the party to which Tornaritis owed his political career in the first place.

But apparently Disy has no need to worry about Christodoulides’ efforts to create havoc in its ranks. They can do it themselves, thank you very much. Disy’s internal divisions Averof, a politician whose career is inseparable from Disy, appears to have had no scruples about putting the party in the same difficult position for which he himself criticised Christodoulides only four years ago. Then, it was Christodoulides who defied the party line and chose to declare his own “independent” candidacy for the presidency. Averof spoke in riddles at his press conference on Tuesday, no doubt aware of the contradiction between his position then and his actions now, perhaps hoping that the passage of time would somehow dissolve the inconsistency. Averof tried to rationalise his decision by presenting himself as the only candidate capable of tackling not only the intractable Cyprus problem but also the country’s social-justice challenges. How he…