It has been years since, half-jokingly, Glafcos Clerides described Cyprus as a “Banana Republic.”
This was not because the economy is based on banana production and export, but because the term is often used to refer to states where institutions and government mechanisms fail to function, and a corrupt clique is in control.
This phrase was uttered about three decades ago (Glafcos Clerides passed away 11 years ago), and now, in 2024, we find ourselves looking towards Mexico and seeing a resemblance in terms of corruption. Not the ordinary citizens, but the President of the Republic himself.
“I truly believe we can become a model country in the fight against corruption,” said Nicos Christodoulides, speaking at a youth symposium. “Mexico was known for many years for drugs and organised crime, and with the policies implemented, it is slowly presenting itself as a model country for tackling organised crime.”
Indeed, in Mexico, drug cartels were in control, resulting in thousands of deaths, millions of impoverished people, and a corrupt caste that eroded everything. Until a president decided to impose order, mobilising the army against the cartels, which also led to thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of impoverished people crossing borders in search of the promised land. In other words, corruption persists, but at least there is an effort to combat or at least limit it.
In our case, it’s significant that the President acknowledges the existence of corruption, which, among other things, damages the country’s image abroad and discourages investors from operating here. “The issue of corruption is a destructive cancer in our social and political life, with adverse consequences in all sectors, while at the same time damaging our country’s reputation internationally, with all the negative implications that entails,” President Christodoulides stated in his speech.
However, Mr Christodoulides didn’t fall from the sky to govern the country. He was a member of the government for nine years, a government that was identified with corruption more than any other. And for a year and a half now, he has been the President.
What has he done to curb corruption? (Apart from dismissing the Auditor General, who was proven to fight corruption, albeit with an inappropriate tone.) We’re not saying he should deploy the army in the streets, but is the appointment of Giorgos Aresti as an ethics advisor enough?
So, is Mexico a step forward from a Banana Republic, or is it a step backwards, or are they the same?