Dear Zeta,
The only act that made me bitter, throughout our long friendship and cooperation, was the one you imposed on me today.
To address, not to have your precious rejoinder, but to bid you farewell in monologue, expressing on the one hand, sorrow and universal shock at your unexpected loss, and on the other, deep gratitude for all you have offered to me, to our Government, but most importantly, to our people and our country.
I would like my Zeta to forgive me for adding my own testimony to the countless tributes, articles and comments that have been written or said since the day of the announcement of your death, not only by friends, but also by the entire political leadership and especially by ordinary citizens, regardless of ideological tendencies.
And I ask you to forgive me, for I am well aware of the modesty and humility that were among the most important traits of a charismatic personality like you.
But in a final farewell, how can I omit what I feel as a human being, what I experienced as President from the long and impeccable collaboration between us. How can I fail to mention the wealth of work you leave behind.
How truly ungrateful I would be if I failed to state publicly that my vision of a welfare state would never have been possible without your personal stamp.
How can I fail to capture the sadness of your colleagues in the Cabinet, your colleagues in the Ministry, the shock of ordinary citizens because, as one morning newspaper put it, "the best Minister has gone," or as they themselves put it, "the poor man's Minister has gone."
But at the same time how can I not mention the inconsolable ones, your son Achilles, his wife Hera, your beloved granddaughter Chloe, your brothers Mary and Doros.
And if for all of us your death causes grief, for our country it is an irreplaceable loss.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
What has been written and said these days about our Zeta is neither accidental nor the usual posthumous comments attributed to a deceased person, since "the dead are justified". On the contrary, they reflect and convey the dimension of a personality that throughout her active presence, whether in the Civil Service or in the country's political system, was distinguished for her ethics, honesty, diligence and high sense of responsibility which, combined with her acumen and strong personality, allowed her to be creative and highly effective.
Equally important, and despite her achievements, she remained a modest, exuberantly human, a true and respected Lady. With this personality I had the honour of working with from the time I took over the Presidency until the day she passed away.
I feel proud of this Lady and her work.
I would be inexcusably unforgiving if I were to dwell on the flattering things that are perfectly identified with the person and Minister Zeta Aimylianidou.
I would like to recall that despite the successive crises that our citizens and our country have faced, and in contrast to what has happened in other countries, Cyprus has experienced over the last nine years and more, industrial peace.
This was not only due to the measures adopted by the Government and with its own contribution, but also thanks to its ability to negotiate with practicality, to avoid conflicts and to understand the problems and differences between employers and employees. It was also the need for the state to meet its obligations towards its citizens, especially the vulnerable groups of the population; it was the need to build an effective welfare state.
To achieve the above goal, Zeta's presence was decisive.
As I have already mentioned, my vision of a welfare state would never have been possible without her personal stamp.
As I have already mentioned, my vision of a welfare state would never have been possible without her personal stamp.
And if there is one thing that weighs heavily on me, my Zeta, it is that the day before the press conference scheduled to discuss the achievements of your ministry and what is your legacy for the welfare state, you were struck with a fateful ordeal.
As a minimum tribute, I feel the need to justify how genuine and true is what has been attributed to you these days, by quoting only part of what has laid the foundations of the welfare state. Reforms and policies such as. The introduction of the Minimum Guaranteed Income,
2. The Minimum Guaranteed Pension for all below the poverty line,
3. Establishment of a woman's right to maternity leave for a child acquired from a surrogate mother,
4. Widowhood pension for men,
5. Paid paternity leave,
6. Right to a pension for thalassaemics from the age of fifty years,
7. Establishment of Disability Assessment Centres,
8. Establishment of a Christmas Benefit for low pensioners, mothers of large families, recipients of public assistance and the incarcerated,
9. Reinstatement of maternity benefit,
10. The creation of the Home for Assisted Living for the Severely Disabled, the Children's Home, the Women's Home and more.
My Zeta,
I know your modesty will forgive me that heaps of other important measures have not been mentioned. What I want to assure you is that your work will be completed with the introduction of the National Minimum Wage, pension reform and parental leave.
Dearest Zeta,
It is what we all feel proud of, it is what those loved ones you leave behind can boast of.
Today as you leave to meet your husband, your Konstantinos, you can now rest easy.
Peaceful as a devoted mother, partner and friend, but above all as a citizen who served the people.
Peaceful because your passage into eternity will remain as bright as your path in life.
A path that you can be sure we will make an example and beacon of our own path.
Good journey my dear friend, our beloved Zeta.
(PM/EC/EXP)
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
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