Ploutis Servas

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Ploutis Servas (Greek Πλουτής Σέρβας, born Πλούταρχος Λοϊζου Σαββίδης) was born in Lemesos on May 22, 1907. He studied social sciences in Moscow. He returned back to Cyprus in the 1930s and had to sign a declaration saying he would not be involved in politics in order to be allowed to set foot in the country. He became the general secretary of the illegal Communist party of Cyprus and founder and first general secretary of AKEL (1941-1945). He was also the first elected mayor of Limassol 1943-1946 and 1946-1949. He advocated accepting the British plan of self government for Cyprus in 1948 and became isolated within his party. He was expelled in 1952.

He supported Ioannis Clerides in the 1960 elections, but wasn't an active politician again himself. He worked mainly as a reporter and a writer. Books he wrote: Spain on fire (1936), The labour issue (1936), AKEL and local issues(1942), Portraits of Palmer's era (1946), Corea (1949), Prague Spring (1973), How did we manage to get to zero; The Cypriot tragedy (1975), Old and new China (1977), Responsibilities (first volume 1980, second volume 1984, third volume 1985).

His death on the February 14, 2001 caused controversy in Cyprus as in his will he had asked to be cremated. There were no crematoria in Cyprus and there was a heated debate between those supporting the availability of cremation as an alternative and those (mainly religious Orthodox christians) who disapproved of it.