An interesting exchange between Cypriots addressing the attempt of a group of T-Cypriots to reclaim their communal rights as per the 1960 constitution
based on the article "Finding a formula for UN-led talks" by Stefanos Evripidou published on January 23, 2011 on the Cyprus Mail website.Serdar Atai from Famagusta comments:
@ Antifon: I'm not arguing what happened in the past and who was right or who was wrong although I beleive both sides had wrongdoings and their own hidden agendas.
In 2006, we as the 78 individuals who are citizens of the RoC, applied to the interior ministry for our right to stand for elections, vote for the elections and use our communal rights thru the 24 seats reserved for our community in the House but were politely refused. The excuses used were; we cannot belong to the TRNC and to the RoC at the same time, we had to have permanent settlement in the territory of the RoC at least for 6 months and we should possess full representation of the Turkish Cypriot community! Excuse me, but i'm not convinced.
The reason is simply to use the power unilaterally and to develop a habit by this application since 1964, resulting a big reluctance to powersharing and failure to kick that habit.
Sun, January 23rd 2011 at 21:56
ANTIFON comments:Serdar Atai from Famagusta, as I stated before "Their [T-Cypriots'] false understanding of "equality" lies at the very heart of the problem."
Whether you agree or not G-Cypriots will never agree to a 1960 again. They would agree on the November 1963 ideas or an offshoot, which is more than any 18%/10% minority has anywhere in any western democratic country. At the very least there have to be such safeguards so as to prevent the 10%/18% minority to stall developements, dictate policy, veto normal budgetary or other processes, or worse even stand in the way of the state fulfilling its EU responsibilities. Especially when the minority is/will be at the mercy of a not so democratic Turkey with a seeming competitive, even retaliatory, agenda vis-a-vis some of the EU's member nations, especially the larger ones.
Redefine in your minds what a 82-90/18-10 equality means. Then seek to reintegrate yourselves into the Republic of Cyprus. If you are just and honest in your requests/ideas/demands, your approach in general, then you have nothing to fear.
If you stick to the ill-logic that you are equal partners of the state and the ill-designed 1960 is your Bible, then I am sorry but I call such bahavior hypocritical. My intention is not to offend anyone; rather to get a point across. I apologise in advance if I do it poorly.
The litmus test to address your sincerity is:
Is the right we ask acceptable by Turkey to give its 22+% ethnic minority of Kurds? Or perhaps to be more fair the question should be: should we support Kurds to acquire that same right within the confines of the Turkish state, if they demand it too? If your answer is positive, then that right is most likely a must have for the T-Cypriot community.
Naturally noone suggests to deny you any human right, as often is the case in Turkey for example. Neither would anyone deny you the right to veto any decision that has a direct impact on your community's security.
Thanks for engaging.
Mon, January 24th 2011 at 07:28
Lemon from Europe comments:
@ Serdar Atai from Famagusta, I can only mildly agree with you up to a point. I do not know what you refer to in 2006, however if your claim is true and you guys are Cypriot Citizens then I do not believe the interior ministry should have prevented you from standing for elections or vote. I thought that the RoC encouraged TCs to vote in elections. The RoC does not recognise the 'TRNC' so they can not use the excuse about where you live in Cyprus to prevent you from participation. The RoC has recognised boarders that include all of Cyprus not just the south and if you live in the North permanantly then you are in Cyprus not in any other country.
So I find the excuses used by the Ministry very silly. Either you are a Cypriot or not, and if you are a settler or a child of a settler well that is a different story. If you run or participate in the political life of the RoC then it should show that you care about the state and are supportive of the legitimate authority in Cyprus. This should be encouraged. If your claim is true then you should persue the matter through the courts and sue the Ministry.
On the other hand Serdar Atai you may be making up these claims [Antifon: he is not] so that you can justify your point in this forum. I personally do not believe that TCs are denied participation if they want it in the RoC. It is more likely that the puppet officials in the 'TRNC' would place restrictions on those they know of that participate with the political life of the other side. I do not think a TC would be rewarded by Erolgu's bunch if they effectively became anti-TRNC.
When it comes to property, well I think that Turkey will eventually lose this game. It is turkish power that holds the North and when they leave, the real owners will then have the right to evict illegal home invaders. You just need a commission to ensure that people vacate and take possession in an orderly manner.
I do not agree with the following statement - "The Turkish Cypriots are in a hard place. They’ve got to choose between the EU with the Greek Cypriots and subsequent fear of domination, or a loose confederation where they will still be in the hands of the Turks. They have more to gain from a federation if they can trust the Greek Cypriots this time round, but it’s difficult for them.."
The majority seem to enjoy and welcome the iron claw of the Turkish Motherland. Turkish domination and living with strangers seems to be preferable to living with their fellow countrymen. They are use to the way things are, seeing the Turkish military sitting around waiting for nothing to happen is normal. Those that are left have been oppressed so much they don't even realise it. Turkey is the puppet master and they can't even think without asking their masters what they should think. Everything you see in the North, from the flags on the mountains, the various statues and monuments and the messages of the pseudo media illustrate what is acceptable and dictate how TCs are meant to think. Eroglu is merely spreading the messages of his masters and there is no decenting view. With the few TCs under control, that only leaves the settlers that are Turks and well logically you won't get any opposition from them how benefit the most from the situation. Keeping the Turkish army there only ever benefits the interests of the settlers, keeping Cypriots from the south away only benefits them not the TCs.
