A glance at the news alone leaves one questioning: Is this a serious state?
The Agriculture Minister rushes urgently to Abu Dhabi to explore installing mobile desalination units in Cyprus to bolster drinking water availability. There she will meet with a company experienced in both mobile and permanent desalination plants. Note the word “urgently”.
After the dams have dried up, after exhausting every last hope for rain, we scramble hastily to find water. And when you’re desperate, you’ll pay whatever price they ask. The minister herself goes – not ministry officials – to reassure us this matter is receiving the highest level of attention.
The same applies to firefighting. We thought we would have two helicopters for fire suppression. We were prepared to pay over €14 million for two helicopters for three years, but the procurement process was conducted in a way that allowed companies other than the chosen one to challenge the agreement. Which is exactly what happened.
Now we rush forward, praying no major fire breaks out. When will a country plagued by drought – and consequently facing fire risks – treat this as an urgent matter and secure permanent resources to address the problem (as far as possible)? How many millions are spent annually on renting aerial firefighting equipment from other countries?
The same question can be raised about healthcare. Nearly forty million was spent in one year sending patients abroad for treatment. It’s acceptable that a state cannot handle everything on its own.
However, if those millions were invested in improving medical services and properly managed, perhaps many cases could be treated in Cyprus, sparing patients and their families additional hardship.
Every country in the world has speed control systems to prevent road accidents. In Cyprus, after discussing the matter for decades, we implemented a system that nobody trusts, which is why there’s no compliance.
And if that situation is complex, what can one say about bus stops? After years of highlighting the issue, a decision was made to build proper stops. But not just any stops. We wanted designer ones.
And after spending tens of millions on “smart” stops, we discovered they’re taking us for fools.