The speech delivered by Lambros Dionysiou, a valedictorian of the University of Cyprus’ School of Pure and Applied Sciences, at the graduation ceremony, was a punch to the gut.
In his address on behalf of the students, the young man bid us farewell, explaining why he chose to leave the place where he was born, raised and educated. “We live in a society that is in decline. Institutions are collapsing, citizens are outraged, and corruption is rampant. We live in a country that is plagued by one scandal after another, a country that is disgraced internationally. We live in a country where no one is punished and nothing changes. We live on an island that remains divided with open wounds. We live in a time when global challenges are increasing, yet we remain trapped in our small world,” he said.
Having experienced all of this, Lampros decided to leave to avoid the moment when someone less qualified is favoured over him, not because they possess the requisite qualifications, knowledge, or experience, but because they hold the right party membership or have the right family connections.
Lambros Dionysiou shared these and many other sentiments, not driven by a contrarian attitude but out of a general disappointment with the state of affairs in his homeland. A place that has the potential to be so much more but is held back by those who wish to maintain the status quo for their benefit.
Among the audience was the President of the House, who was taking notes. Perhaps other state and party officials were also present, individuals who may have echoed the sentiment of a ‘punch to the gut’ and acknowledged receiving the message, just as they did a couple of weeks ago in the elections, remaining unperturbed.
Lambros Dionysiou now joins the ranks of the ‘brain drain’, a term used to describe the emigration of highly skilled individuals. With a birth rate of 1.3, Cyprus is not only facing low birth rates but is also ‘giving away’ its young talent to other countries. Both parents and the state have invested tens of thousands of euros in the education of these individuals, only for their knowledge and skills to be utilised by other nations. There, they will be offered jobs based on merit, not connections or political favours.
Others will stay, return, and persist. They will do so with the hope of not being dragged into the quagmire of stagnant waters. “We have a moral obligation – in contrast to the generation before us – to leave to our children and grandchildren a Cyprus better than the one we inherited. A Cyprus that is reunified, prosperous, technologically advanced, tolerant, and inclusive. A Cyprus that we can be proud of.”
We wholeheartedly wish you achieve it, because yes, we, the previous generations have failed.