THE COMMUNISTS of AKEL often refer to their party as the ‘progressive, democratic forces’. Yet in reality, AKEL is deeply conservative, reactionary force, resisting change by protecting public sector privilege, union protectionism, market rigidities and suppliers’ interests.

If it were up to the communists, very little would have changed in Cyprus in the last 20 years apart from the rates of taxation (upwards) and state handouts. We saw this reactionary ideology in action during the Christofias presidency, which resulted in state bankruptcy because the party, despite the many warnings, refused to make the necessary changes that would have saved the country.

This reactionary character is manifesting itself again in the AKEL campaign to stop Sunday shopping. On Thursday, it presented a draft bill that would take away the power of the Labour minister to issue shopping hour regulations by decree. In principle, reducing such absolute powers would be a good thing, but this is not the party’s real motive.

AKEL wants to take this power away from the minister so the parties in the legislature would be able to decide when shops would open and when they would be obliged to stay closed. Opening hours, holidays, etc. would be governed by law approved by the legislature. With its fellow travellers of DIKO and EDEK also backing the bill, which is expected to be put to the vote in a couple of weeks, AKEL plans to put an end to Sunday shopping.

The party had always been opposed to it on the grounds that it would harm the interests of workers and small shops. On Thursday, it claimed that hundreds of small convenience stores and bakeries had closed down since the introduction of Sunday opening and 2,700 jobs had been lost. The Labour minister has countered that employment was provided to some 6,000 people as a result. In other words, there was a net benefit.

Interestingly, neither side mentioned the benefit for consumers, who have embraced Sunday shopping, as a visit to any big supermarket on a Sunday morning would show. But making life easier for people, who might be too busy to shop in the week (they are not all civil servants), is of no concern to the caring communists – because the overcharging, small, neighbourhood convenience must be protected. Even this is a fallacy – there were far too many small convenience stores and bakeries and it was inevitable that a large number would have closed down as a result of the recession – not because of Sunday shopping.

What AKEL has always failed to accept is that nothing stays the same – social and economic conditions change, as do the shopping preferences, spending patterns and consumer habits. No legislation can stop these changes. Sunday shopping has become part of Cyprus life and AKEL should realise that it cannot turn the clock back.





