Another investigative commission is being appointed so citizens can feel like we live in a serious country—one that doesn’t let anything slide without investigating it, assigning responsibility, and changing systems to prevent similar situations from recurring.
The latest commission (which took two attempts to successfully form) concerns the Takata airbags. These have been linked to at least two deaths in Cyprus, despite being recognised as a deadly hazard abroad for years. That’s why they had already been replaced in many countries. There was even a European Union directive about this from 2019. Today we’re in 2025.
And while the Commission begins its work to discover what went wrong and why this issue was allowed to drag on without action—with tragic results—these dangerous airbags still remain in place.
At some point—we don’t know when—the Commission will complete its investigation and submit it to the Attorney General who requested it. And then what?
We’ve seen this show play out countless times. So many times that we no longer take it seriously. Investigative commissions, criminal investigators, authorities, experts… Historically, they’ve been appointed by every administration for any issue that stung a bit more than usual and couldn’t be swallowed whole by citizens. For collapsed roofs, exploded containers, crashed planes, unfinished projects, destroyed national parks, prison incidents, skyrocketing budgets, kickbacks, stock market fraud, economic collapse, suspicious fatal accidents, suicides that weren’t suicides, passports sold to swindlers, and all manner of actions reeking of collusion and corruption. And what came of it? One can barely remember anyone being held accountable or any meaningful changes implemented.
Appointing an investigative commission, criminal investigator, or even establishing some regulatory authority is nothing but window dressing. Smoke and mirrors for citizens. A future historian, if they have nothing better to do, might delve into the findings of investigative commissions appointed in Cyprus over recent decades. They’ll surely discover interesting things about how this state functions and will pity us. They might even admire our stoicism. If nothing else, the work of so many investigative commissions won’t be completely wasted. All that brainpower, energy, and time might serve some purpose, even in a distant future.