There is a lot to be done, to change the perception on impunity of politicians, Cyprus' Auditor General, Odysseas Michaelides said on Friday in a discussion in the framework of the 4th Cyprus Forum, taking place in Nicosia. Michaelides and the United States Ambassador to Cyprus, Julie Fisher, participated, among others, in a discussion on 'fixing democracy', where they referred to the responsibility of governments to preserve democracy and transparency. In his opening remark, Michaelides referred to the role of the Supreme Audit Institutions (SAI) in each country, in the fight against corruption, even if preventing and uncovering corruption is not their responsibility, as he said. He added that the primary responsibility for the prevention and detection of fraud rests with both those charged with governance and management. 'Most important of all: The tone must be set at the top', he said, adding that governments need to develop effective strategies to manage the risk of fraud by considering both fraud prevention and fraud detection. As long as accountability is diminished and often completely absent, and as long as corruption thrives, democracy is in danger, he said. In the discussion that followed, Michaelides also referred to the attacks against Cyprus' Audit Office, noting that they serve political purposes and that there were established pillars of independence that must be protected by the State. He also said that SAIs should be strictly politically neutral and maintain their standards. Asked about the perceived impunity of politicians in Cyprus he said he agreed with that, and that such cases violated the pillar of the rule of law, in that everyone is equal before the law. Perhaps because we are small countries, there is a lot to be done, to change this perception, he said. Ambassador Fisher, in her opening remarks, referred to the need for governments to preserve democracy and a speech by former US President Ronald Reagan that resonates with her, as she said, in which he admonished Americans that it is each generation's duty to fight for democracy because it is a generation away from extinction. She also said that, governments have a responsibility to their voters to be able to answer to major challenges such as climate change, pandemics, inequalities, and must be able to produce results, noting the importance of good governance. During the discussion, she referred to the statement made earlier by the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, that at the end of his administration he will be judged and noted that that fundamentally 'goes to the heart of our democracies', what will they achieve, that is, towards their citizens. Over 200 speakers at this year's Cyprus Forum ---------------------- In his greeting, Yannis Thomatos, Executive Vice President of the Delphi Economic Forum, said that he was very happy that Cyprus had been the Forum's first stop abroad, noting that they have a presence in the Balkans, in Brussels, Canada and elsewhere. He noted that 'our region must be expressed in the decision-making centers'. Referring to this year's topic, which is transparency, he said that this was a relevant topic, since if one takes a look at the headlines around the world they will see that there is a pattern; weakening of democracy, rise in inequalities while social cohesion was weakened. He also said that there was a sense that the institutions were not functioning and this was the main cause of the crisis of confidence, noting that transparency and accountability were necessary in decision making. He said that this year's Cyprus Forum was bigger than ever, with over 200 speakers, with 1/3 coming from abroad, and with more than 30 partners helping to shape the content. The President of the Cyprus Forum, Nicolas Kyriakides, in his own greeting said that they will be having interesting discussions, "the conclusions of which we hope will prove useful in the decision-making centers, but also connect Cyprus even more with foreign policy making centres". He announced that the Cyprus Forum 2024 will be held on September 27-28, next year. CNA is a media sponsor of Cyprus Forum.

Source: Cyprus News Agency