In a small, closed-off place where we have become accustomed to measuring ourselves only against our own shadows, rewarding each other, and grading ourselves as exceptional, what would happen if we had to compete with others, if we were judged by others and not by our close-knit circles and connections?
An answer to this question was provided by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe regarding the list of proposed judges for participation in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
Following the recommendation of a special committee appointed by the Cabinet, the President of the Republic sent three names to the relevant European body.
After the candidates’ qualifications were examined and personal interviews were conducted, the Cypriot government was asked to return with new suggestions, “as not all candidates meet the requirements of Article 21 of the European Convention on Human Rights for the election of a judge to the ECHR.”
According to reports, the issue arose during the personal interviews and concerned one of the candidates.
However, the body cannot choose between only two candidates, so the process was cancelled, and new proposals must be submitted.
The matter perhaps gained more attention than it warranted, possibly because one of the names on the list was from the group of eight judges who had ruled on the case of Odysseas Michaelides.
Amid the flurry of comments that followed, lawyer Achilles Emilianides rushed to single out the candidate who failed the personal interview so that all three would not be targeted.
Clearly, there are Cypriots who excel abroad, who have paved their own way without needing a political figure to push them forward. And clearly, the failure of one to convince the European body does not reflect the competency of an entire nation.
However, it is indicative and instructive. Presidents often mislead us into thinking they appoint the best individuals to key positions. Parties also claim they choose the best candidates for their electoral lists, encouraging us to vote for them to represent us.
In the public service, everyone is deemed exceptional. Judges are beyond reproach, performing their duties flawlessly.
Doctors might operate on the left leg while the problem is on the right, but they can continue practising medicine until they learn to distinguish between left and right.
In a small world, it’s easy to believe we are the best. To don graduation gowns in kindergarten and write our biographies in our old age to recount our life’s journey.
But what happens when we are judged by others?