There isn’t much time left before Cypriots go to the polls to choose the next president of the Republic of Cyprus. A large majority of the people are still unsure whom they will vote for. At the last parliamentary elections over 120, 000 (21.3 per cent) of registered voters abstained as a protest against the status quo and existing politicocracy (Kommatokratia).
The country is certainly going through a disastrous economic crisis, and therefore, apathy and abstentions are likely to increase. This year’s elections are probably the most crucial in the history of Cyprus and, for better or worse, abstentions will play a major role as to who will lead the nation. People do not abstain for nothing; they abstain from voting because they are disillusioned by the behaviour of their peers and government policies.
The campaigns so far have been dull, mediocre and certainly not inspiring to generate optimism. Thankfully, voters are no longer so easily influenced by political slogans and have awakened from a prolonged deep sleep and yet, there are those who are choosing to remain asleep. Millions are being spent on advertising campaigns to persuade citizens to cast their vote so that the politicocracy can continue control over the electorate as always.
The truth of the matter is, the existing system has cleverly manipulated peoples’ minds, and confined them into separate political cages. Free-minded decision-making has been substituted by narrow-minded political party obedience and conformity. However, this political influence is now shifting towards a new reality where people demand deeds, not promises aimed to please the ears; that ploy no longer works!
In fact, there exists a new mood where devoted supporters of the system, have now become free-minded. They are liberated to select or not to select, the leadership of their own choosing rather than follow dogmatic principles. A great number of them are currently resisting the instructions of the political hierarchy and choosing to support other candidates. Entire political parties have been fragmented into two camps; the loyalists and the renegades. Like oil and water, they will never reunite again. This positive shift in politics, is primarily the result of easy accessibility in information and a well-overdue political maturity; hence the increase in numbers of abstentions.
The driving force behind this mass evolution of open mindedness, it’s mainly due to the ever-inexhaustible knowledge available on the Internet. This amazing uncensored medium of transmitting information (or misinformation) at the click of the button has helped to reduce the subconscious influence of the media and television over the minds of the people. The power of knowledge has liberated minds and freed them to climb out of the black box of dogmatism.
Predominately, most mass media companies are strongly linked and influenced by different political parties with one aim in mind: to rule public opinion and spread their political views onto others. Above all else, this is a powerful tool to control and minimize hostile political criticism against the establishment.
Edward Bernays – the Austrian-American pioneer in the field of public relations and propaganda – said in his 1928 book Propaganda that: “The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses, is an important element in a democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country.” Strong words indeed – a secret “government” hidden within an elected government! Hence, flawed democracy.
Media mind-manipulation has now become an art in social engineering and the above statement is as real today than ever before. It’s a science of control utilizing clever visual and audio techniques designed to convince. Mass media is at the vanguard of using surreptitiously minimal or sub-minimal messages to persuade the public. The use of clandestine mind-manipulation is practiced indiscriminately in the fields of public relations, television, radio, marketing, consumerism, retailing, advertising and other areas; all aimed to infuse human submissiveness. Just like fear, it is a dangerous manipulative tool and can impel people to do anything asked of them.
The most famous case of media mind-manipulation occured on the night before Halloween, 1938 in the USA when six million Americans, unwittingly became subjects in an experiment in psychological warfare. Radio Mercury began broadcasting Orson Well’s radio adaptation of H.G. Well’s War of the Worlds. The prank was so realistically presented that millions of Americans believed the world was actually under attack by Martians. The story caused mayhem and thousands succumbed to outright panic and begun fleeing into the night to escape the alien invaders.
Surreptitious mind control programs flourished in the USA and USSR during the cold war era. Secret Agencies such as the CIA and KGB both played pivoting roles, introducing similar clandestine research and experimentation in behavioural engineering of humans – similar to what the Nazis experimented with
Cyprus was not immune from the cold war paranoia led by the USSR and the USA – both attemped to instill their ideologies for world domination. In Cyprus, such programmes cannot be discounted; on the contrary, they became the nurturing breeding ground of today’s politicocracy or Kommatokratia. Individuals, including community leaders, social clubs and organizations, knowingly or unwittingly participated in such projects; many, without even realizing it.
The communist party, for example, sent a great number of devotees to Moscow to be trained (indoctrinated) at the Institute of Social Sciences, and by doing so learn the art of propaganda. The capitalists on the other hand, braced eager participants through “education” sponsorships and “training” in the USA or Britain. The results of those programmes have split the island into different ideological groupings, each at loggerheads with one another. Today, a large majority of them, are still trapped inside the black box.
They became so inlfuential, football clubs, institutions, labour unions and society at large were politicised. Fanaticism had replaced common sense and community welfare. Entire villages and communities found it necessary to provide separate coffeehouses for the communists and others for the capitalists. This split soon spread right across the land; Cyprus has been transformed forever by the loss of such innocence. To this day, the same social schism and political principles remain.
Citizens in western democracies have learned to assess policies using reasoning and common sense and have matured politically to choose candidates and governments based on merit and not so much on party-politics. Normally, they will support a leader or a party, but often vote for someone else who they believe is a better qualified candidate: not so in Cyprus.
Until a new, free-minded generation takes leadership, little change is expected in the foreseeable future. Bad politics in Cyprus is, and shall always be part of the social structure and a way of life; nothing moves without political-party approval or say so! Such controlling power goes beyond reason, common sense and flies against the grain of democratic principles.
Next month’s elections will soon be over and marked with elation, dejection and many abstentions, but as for a new chapter in the political life of Cyprus, there is little hope of that happening. The political parties are already scheming to stake their portion of government positions and ministries. Sharing the pie is part of an ongoing politically corrupt arrangement.
When that happens, mind control through Kommatokratia will continue without opposition by an electorate, who has learned not to think for itself, but feels more comfortable and secure trapped inside a box.
* Andreas C Chrysafis is the author of Who Shall Govern Cyprus – Brussels of Nicosia?; Porphyra in Purple; and Andartes. All books are available from good bookshops, amazon.co.uk, amazon.com, Kindle and reputable Internet. sites. Other published articles can be found on Google under “Vanishing Cyprus” or “Andreas C Chrysafis.