By ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ (GREEK) TÜRKÇE (TURKISH)
The “2022 Financial and Economic Protocol between the TRNC Government and the Republic of Turkey”, commonly referred to as the “Protocol” has been at the centre of the debate within various circles since it first made its way into our lives. In the face of the daily devaluation of the Turkish Lira, those governing us have somehow failed to restore the purchasing power of the community and have failed to find a solution to the deepening poverty. People, trapped in a hopeless future, are now having to think twice when purchasing even the most basic goods.
The rise in fuel prices has in particular created a serious dilemmas for those who work in the private sector and who are struggling to make ends meet on the minimum wage which now stands well below the poverty threshold. The absence of a functional public transportation system stands as a major obstacle to providing an alternative that will address the public’s transportation needs. Given these circumstances, the difference between being employed and being unemployed is narrowing. Of course, when we take into account the rising unemployment, we see that for many, even inhumane working conditions become acceptable. Annual inflation stands at 98.12%, and annual inflation on food prices is at 119.75%. Is the UBP (National Unity Party)-DP (Democratic Party)-YDP (Rebirth Party) government finding solutions to all these problems? No.
So, what are they doing?
- In the face of all these injustices,
- In handing over our political will,
- In selling the country piece by piece,
- In aiming to carry out social engineering through cultural and religious values,
- In intending to sell off our most strategic institutions,
- In aiming to remove rules on the granting of citizenship which has already become a complex issue and in carrying out similar actions, they are aiming to prevent the Turkish Cypriot community from putting up a struggle by requesting urgency on tailored draft bills to be passed in parliament.
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According to the dictionary of the Turkish Language Association urgency is defined as “something which needs to be done immediately, swiftly”. There is no need to ponder too much on the word’s definition. Its meaning is clear. Draft bills or laws passed onto parliament may be granted urgency if there is an emergency or if a delay would result in negative consequences. Therefore, it is within this frame that we need to consider these draft bills in which urgency is requested. However, when their content is analysed, the legislation the current government deems urgent directly contradicts human rights conventions and even the TRNC constitution. So, where is this urgency and rush to pass these laws stemming from?
Members of the appointed cabinet and MPs of the governing coalition who failed to provide any explanation during yesterday’s session, were unable to respond to the questions or counterarguments of the opposition’s MPs. In fact, we understood from what little they did say, that most of them had not even read the draft bills approved by the cabinet and sent to parliament. We, as members of the Human Rights Committee of the Turkish Cypriot Bar Association, along with representatives of some trade unions, personally witnessed this disgrace from the public gallery. We stared at their faces and directly into their eyes – hoping that perhaps they will feel some shame and start thinking about the future of this country.
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It is obvious that they do not want the voice of opposition to grow, in the execution of their orders. They are so convinced that there will be a pushback that creating a climate of fear in advance serves their interest. Perhaps these bills will not be passed – and they shouldn’t, we shouldn’t allow them to pass – but these ongoing debates will create tension and concern within the community. After all, the conditions of the country they are modelling are evident. They take as an example those who have plunged beautiful Turkey into darkness, who have destroyed democracy and who have imprisoned or forced into exile those who fought for rights and freedoms.
Come and let us take a closer look at the details.
- Rights deriving from collective agreements will be stripped away,
- Society’s values and the education curriculum will be more intensely immersed in “Turkish-Islam” under the disguise of the “preservation of joint values”,
- Religious affairs will infiltrate into the state, in a way that will undermine secularism, a fundamental component of the state’s character,
- The struggle waged by civil society organisations will be prevented on grounds of “spreading disinformation”,
- The “policing” of Social media will be legalised under the framework the Penal Code and the Law to Privacy and Protection of the Private Sphere of Life, creating the perception that we are being watched all the time,
- The Seditious Publications Law which we thought had been scrapped after 1921 will resurrected to haunt us like a ghost and prison sentences as a result of such trials will increase from six months to five years…
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In short, they will take measures leading to more human rights violations while taking us closer to the economic precipice, beyond what an article can cover. In a plan that drags society into social and economic annihilation, they naturally, do not want to hear dissenting voices. Because every step they take will serve to dismantle the fabric of democracy in the country, creating the breeding ground for autocracy. That is why they rush to bring these draft bills to parliament and ask for urgency so that no one would dare to oppose the destruction they will cause.
Of course, they failed to calculate that these moves would cause a backlash, that they would not be able to silence anyone and that perhaps they would even prompt an even stronger reaction. As in other parts of the world, past and present, oppression in the north of Cyprus will be met with defenders of rights and freedoms. If they look at the geography that they emulate and from which they take their orders, they will see the unwavering struggle of the people there. If they can be a little more objective, they will realise that the tyrant they are obeying is close to losing.
“The day will come when tyrants leave…” The tyrant will leave but you can’t stand idly by and take it. The Republican Turkish Party (CTP) and – should they not be expelled from their party – the two MPs of the People’s Party (HP) and we the professional associations, the trade unions, the civil society organisations and the parties in and out of parliament, have a great duty. Together, we must fight for our freedom and wage a joint struggle on attempts being made against our political will and the poverty which is deliberately being created. We have no other option…
