Last week, the Council of Ministers finally decided to address the issue of multiple pensions and salaries.
While citizens, after 40 years of contributions to the Social Insurance Fund, receive pensions of €800, and others with fewer years of contributions receive just €400 per month, there exists a certain group who enjoy both a salary worth thousands and a pension also worth thousands.
This widens the pension gap and is a significant provocation.
After years of discussions, the current government—many of whose members, including the president, are directly affected as they belong to this privileged group—has “solved” the problem: anyone who wishes can voluntarily forgo their pension while receiving a salary.
And volunteers are rushing to take advantage of the opportunity.
After this voluntary solution to the issue, the president declared that, starting next year, girls can voluntarily enlist in the military if they so choose.
For 14 months, just like the boys. In other words, they can give up the right to pursue a paid position as a professional soldier (SYOP), with all its associated career benefits, and instead opt to serve the country voluntarily.
The Minister of Defence was somewhat surprised and tried to downplay the situation by explaining that the matter would be studied further, while AKEL took it seriously and issued a statement, attempting to counter with logical arguments.
In the same spirit of government improvisation, the Minister of Transport, Alexis Vafeades, resurrected the old idea of staggered school hours as a solution to the traffic problem.
His colleague, the Minister of Education, when asked about it, stated, “There is no plan from us” (meaning from the government’s side).
He mentioned reducing fares as an incentive for students to use buses as a possible solution, while Mr. Vafeades also brought up the idea of a tram again—another timeless concept.
In other words, it’s all just talk. Statements are made without coordination or any groundwork.
The multi-pensioners will voluntarily give up their entitlements, girls will voluntarily enlist in the military, and half the students will go to school in the morning while the other half go in the afternoon.
This is an idea that has been thoroughly discussed, revealing the difficulties and problems that would arise from its implementation.
But the discussion is nothing more than a recurring theme, and we will again have to endure the chaos on the roads for another year.
Until next year, when, after the summer break, we’ll once again find ourselves in unmoving car queues, and the ministers will tell us the same things: staggered school hours, trams, and – perhaps – even voluntary attendance at schools…