The remarks made by Fidias about “crazy people” in the controversial podcast of recent days understandably provoked widespread revulsion in Cypriot society. Yet beyond those words, the video contains other deeply troubling elements. Eating while conducting an interview signals disdain for the interlocutor and guest, but also for the institution he represents, the European Parliament, and ultimately for the voters who elected him.
The anti-conformism Mr Panayiotou seeks to project, alongside other political parachutists hoping to enter the political arena ahead of parliamentary elections, relies heavily on social media to gain visibility and traction among a public fatigued by the old party system. But this brand of anti-conformism is not rooted in the enduring values of human coexistence. When mockery, rudeness, labelling and insult are repackaged as “relaxed style” or “outspokenness”, the result is not renewal but a slide into the jungle. Respect is not a social formality. It is a non-negotiable value.
Yes, this country needs to renegotiate its representation. That need exists because traditional parties and leaders have failed. It was not only Fidias’ podcast that unsettled public opinion in recent weeks. There was the video involving close associates of the President, the activity of organised crime and its links with institutions, and investigations involving political figures. But when so-called anti-conformists simply descend into the realm of improvised spectacle, this offers no hope for the country’s future. A future already under threat not only from the national question, as politicians endlessly repeat, nor solely because we live in a volatile region, but also because the climate crisis is pushing us toward existential danger.
In such an environment, individuals who emerge onto the political stage and seek our vote without competence or a value system grounded in fundamental human principles lead us to the same dead ends created by the old party system, or worse, into cynicism.
In a few months, we will be called upon to choose our representatives in parliament. Is society exhausted by scandals and distrust? Yes. Is there a protest vote? Yes. Even disengagement is a form of protest. Do we feel despair? Yes. And yet even in such conditions, a narrow opening for hope remains. Let us seek out new people, serious and thoughtful, who show respect and can represent us with prudence, honesty and credibility in public life. Some will exist, even if they are not the ones shouting loudest on social media.