Lost cause
MY READER will know that I have supported the Turkish Cypriot cause most of my adult life. There are few longer-lasting injustices in the world than the imposition of diplomatic, political and economic isolation on the Turkish Cypriots, simply for the “crime” of surviving Greek Cypriot attempts to eradicate them from their homeland. “Ethnic cleansing” by any other name.
Their literal battles to survive from 1963 onwards were militarily successful, from when the first Greek Cypriot attempts to isolate them from all the levers of power in Cyprus and force them into surrounded enclaves began, right up to the literally lifesaving Turkish intervention in 1974 and the consequent founding of the TRNC.
Since then, things have gone increasingly pear-shaped, especially in recent years. They are now a minority in their own land. In that sense “ethnic cleansing” has happened on a grand scale. There are more Turkish Cypriots in London than here. Many of the brightest and best have left. Who can blame them? Greek Cypriot objective No 1 has been largely achieved, but not just by them. The UN, the EU and UK have all had a hand in it, by granting South Cyprus all the international recognition and consequent “Cypriot” involvement in the affairs of the world. The Turkish Cypriots have none.
The result? The TRNC finds itself totally and increasingly dependent on Turkey, politically, economically and militarily. Fair enough, without that, I doubt there would be a Turkish Cypriot left here. Unfortunately the price for that salvation has been unintentionally devastating, especially since the recent collapse of the Turkish lira. Denied the experience of economic realities and genuine independence for so long, the Turkish Cypriots have become locked in a mini-world of enterprise-destroying subsidies, hand-outs and state benefits, that their own economy cannot sustain. That is one unwelcome reality that is now coming home to roost with a vengeance.
The evidence is hidden in last week’s Cyprus Today. One report was headlined: “Unions threaten more strikes as prices go on rising.” In response, one TRNC union stated: “We will all go bankrupt if financial assistance does not arrive quickly.” One reason that is true might be because decades of “financial assistance” (read “state funding” that the government hasn’t got) has crippled competitiveness and genuine enterprise. No amount of repeating the same mistakes is going to help. You can go on striking all you want, folks, prices will still go up, inevitably. You can’t buck the market.
Even the UBP opposition here seem unable to grasp that. They say: “The government has chosen to introduce price hikes across the board.” No they haven’t. They had no choice and neither do the unions. The collapse of the lira means vital imports cost more. You cannot escape that reality. It’s biting. UBP’s response? They say the government should provide “subsidies”. Dear, dear me.
Echoing this decades-old and unsuccessful mantra is the teachers’ union. “Spend, spend” on education, they say. What with? Which pot of gold is that coming from? The empty one in the TRNC Finance Ministry?
Unless the TRNC changes direction and stops spending money it hasn’t got, all those decades of literally human sacrifice on the altar of Turkish Cypriot survival could prove wasted. Facing harsh realities would be costly in the short term, for individuals and companies. Uncompetitive companies would disappear, but those who have the skills to adapt would survive. The TRNC’s economy would emerge leaner, but fitter and capable of real growth and future prosperity. It would take a brave leader to do it; someone willing to be unpopular in the short term and save the TRNC in the long run. Where the hell is that person? The People’s Party leader Kudret Özersay, or UBP’s Ersin Tatar, perhaps? Maybe, just maybe.
One London-based Turkish Cypriot friend, who is a keen supporter of the TRNC and runs a successful business in the UK, told me: “I could never run a business in the TRNC. The system stifles real enterprise.” There you have it, in a nutshell. Successful Turkish Cypriots exist around the world, in their hundreds of thousands. A new enterpriseembracing, books-balancing direction might just bring them back. The TRNC economy would be transformed and Turkish Cypriots would cease to be a minority in their own land. If things stay unchanged, the unique Turkish Cypriot identity is in danger of disappearing. That would be the ultimate “lost cause”. Avoid it. Time is running out.