Deputy Speaker and Speaker trade insults in public spat

PARLIAMENT’S Deputy Speaker has accused his superior of “being drunk” at work in the Assembly — apparently in reprisal for being publicly reprimanded by Speaker Teberrüken Uluçay for overworking his chauffeur.

The tit-for-tat claims were made in live TV interviews this week which began with Gazimağusa Republican Turkish Party (CTP) MP Mr Uluçay alleging that his deputy, Zorlu Töre, of the opposition National Unity Party (UBP), had made his driver work up to 20 hours a day during June — which he described as “unacceptable”.

Speaking on BRT television about the “serious progress” made by the government in its efforts to reduce spending including overtime and fuel for official vehicles, Mr Uluçay said his own petrol expenses had been “only 1,150TL” since taking office in February, and that he only used his ministerial car for official visits, using his own vehicle for trips to weekend village events.

However he said his deputy had been warned several times for “above-average fuel bills” and use of his official car at weekends — “especially at a time of financial crisis”.

While overtime curbs had been introduced, he added, documentation for Mr Töre’s driver had shown him clocking up 395 hours’ work during June.

“I’m not even talking about overtime. This is what the driver declared for June, when we had summer working hours . . . Daily working hours should be six-anda-half hours, but if you divide 395 [by the number of working days], he appears to have worked 20 hours daily.

“This is not acceptable. It is a breach of human rights and I have told [Mr Töre] so. I will be taking up this issue.”

Hitting back during a programme on Kanal T on Wednesday, Mr Töre claimed “everyone knew” that Mr Uluçay “often walks around drunk”, adding: “He has a little mini-bar full of alcohol in his office at Parliament.”

Mr Töre also reiterated a claim of drunkenness made eight months ago by another MP against CTP deputy Doğuş Derya, and denied at the time by the Lefkoşa feminist MP.

Reacting on social media on Wednesday, Ms Derya attacked Mr Töre for having used Parliament’s photocopiers to duplicate “sloppy maps” of alleged territorial concessions; and using his official car “day and night”, running up a fuel bill of 20,000TL so far — “more in August alone than nine ministers put together”.

“He is attempting to cover up his benefit from public resources with the name of patriotism . . . [and] is trying to defame,” she wrote, adding: “If there is any drunkenness, it’s out of shame at being under the same roof as you [Mr Töre] at Parliament.”

Mr Uluçay was not available to comment.