Kibkom North Cyprus Forum

Just trying to get an idea of how people feel about our interim prime minister. I do not claim to know much about the politics here, I do feel the DTP made a better fist of it than the CTP out of the last two sessions and I always had the feeling that Mr Talat would have brokered some sort of deal outside the TRNCs best interest so I am not sure about the whole pro unification party stance of the CTP.

How do others feel, especially the locals please.

Also if the CTP win the election will the lady of the moment be PM then.

Perhaps one of the locals could keep us up to date as impartially as possible in the forthcoming weeks.

Thanks

If you read Cyprus Star (just this once for me!!!!) front page is my meeting with Dr Sibel and at the end are comments from two London Cyps, Fevzi Huseyin , former and future Chairman of Embargoed! and Baroness Meral Ece. Also I put the matter on Facebook and if you read my page, youwill see a number of comments to the picture and small comment I posted.

So, from what I know and form conversations around, definitely Dr Sibel is FRESH AIR.

as to her continuing as P.m., she is willing, but she has to be chosen. Heard a rumour that there is a man lined up, but I also have a feeling that public pressure could well want her to continue. It would seem a retrograde step to have the firfst woman P.M and then throw her back into her surgery with her patients alone.

Mind you if she became P.M. then her patients would be at a loss for she recognises that she culd not continue as a doctor to people in particular, but more in general to the nation.

and it would be very good to hear the opinions of citizens as to what they feel about her. Thanks Jonnie for raising the subject.

Dr Sibel Siber is most certainly one of the best GP's here in the North. She has been our GP for the last 5 years and she pulls out all the stops to help her patients get the best care possible. If she is successful in politics we will miss her but we understand that she will serve us all in another way. Good luck Dr!

It was your article that made me think TBH Marion.

A few things strike me.

1. She claims all corruption by previous government will be investigated. Firstly that is a handy place to be in in the run up to an election and secondly there have been pretty shonky things done by most parties here at election time, I can name some, but not on an open forum!

2. So there is quite a big chance that the next government will be elected on the strength of this "breath of fresh air" and then said BOFA is then replaced by another same old same old, henceforth known as a SOSO, who spends most of his time squabbling with his own party and opening restaurants which are doomed to failure.

I think I read somewhere that Sibel only got the interim job on the understanding,that she would not stand for election.Correct me if I am wrong.

can't really answer that Owl Lady. don't know where you read it. but I do know that when I asked her if she would be willing to continue as P.m she said she would! Anyone else heard anything.

And to Jonnie. As to your no.1 - I think that applies to many and no, do not post on open forum.
And to 2 - we shall see. Nothing ever stays the same, but a breath of fresh air is welcomed for as long as it lasts. it can restore life and health!

Owl Lady wrote:I think I read somewhere that Sibel only got the interim job on the understanding that she would not stand for election. Correct me if I am wrong.

Marion wrote:can't really answer that Owl Lady, don't know where you read it, but I do know that when I asked her if she would be willing to continue as P.m she said she would! Anyone else heard anything.

Owl Lady is correct, after the election in 3 weeks' time, Sibel Hanım will not be able to continue as Prime Minister. If her party, the CTP, wins the election, then their party leader, Özkan Yorgancıoğlu, will be the Prime Minister. Although Sibel Hanım is a CTP MP, she was chosen as an interim PM by all parties on the understanding that she would relatively apolotical.

Jonnie wrote:I do not claim to know much about the politics here ... How do others feel, especially the locals please ... although be as impartial as possible

Jonnie, I'm not yet a "local", but I am married to one and I do have an interest in these matters ... so here goes:
In TRNC we don't have really have the left-right divide as in the UK and other western countries. Corruption has been present in all administations to a lesser or greater degree since 1974 - the only real difference between the parties is how much they want ties with Ankara - the UBP, because of the financial support from Ankara, favour closer ties - indeed some of my TC friends have even gone so far as to say the UBP are little more than Erdoğan's puppets - these friends of mine are worried that TCs will lose their cultural identity, and are particularly concerned about "religious conservatisation". One should note that most of the mainlanders that have been given citizenship, would vote UBP.

The CTP and other parties here are less keen on ties with Ankara ... and as one would expect very few mainlanders would vote CTP.

Jonnie wrote:I always had the feeling that Mr Talat would have brokered some sort of deal outside the TRNC's best interest so I am not sure about the whole pro unification party stance of the CTP.

I can't see Yorgancıoğlu's CTP going down that road Jonnie - too much water has now passed under the bridge since those negotiations involving Talat.

As for Sibel Hanım, I also hope that at some point in the future she runs for higher office. As Philyesil and others have stated on this thread, she is a very caring doctor; a doctor who went beyond the call of duty in the later stages of my mother-in-law's life. It certainly wouldn't be a bad thing to have such a caring individual more permanently at the TRNC helm.

Hi Ian thanks for your, as usual, helpful information. I am a citizen through marriage and able to vote this time.

My husband supports the CTP but I want to find out as much as possible about each party and make my own mind up.

You say that 'most mainlanders would vote for the UBP' because this party wants to retain links with Ankara.

I wonder how true this is.

Most of my near neighbours are mainlanders from Hatay, Urfa etc and are all working.

They seem to find TRNC life less 'restrictive', I rarely see them going to the mosque at call to prayer time, they have teenage daughters who, while not wearing the more skimpy fashionable clothes that the young cypriot girls do, do not wear headscarves and often walk down to the village alone.

I think this would be a big no no in their 'home' villages.

Last year during ramazan I saw one of the men, who works in the village, having a 'sneaky' cup of tea at 1pm.

Can you imagine what would have happened had he been seen doing this in his village in Turkey?

We shouldn't presume that they are all strict muslims who would welcome the TRNC being 'Islamised'.

I think a lot of them would privately vote for the CTP, although never admit to it.

Whilst it is not my country I would welcome closer ties with Ankara, and see no real "religious conservatisation", I find it quite shocking that some here see Turkey as the "enemy". As for losing the Cypriot identity most of the ROC has now been homogenised into the EU and with the exception of psudo-cultural sites will continue to loose its identity.

A friend of mine stood for office I think at Municipality level last round under CTP, he referred to it as the Party For Unity and was quite dumbstruck when I told him some of the rules and regulations regarding the EU.

Jonnie wrote:Whilst it is not my country I would welcome closer ties with Ankara, and see no real "religious conservatisation".

Except for one or two theological high schools, I too don't see much evidence of conservatisation in Cyprus. I think though many nationalistic TCs are concerned that, with Ankara financially supporting/controling things here, the TRNC would gradually adopt (have to adopt?) similar practices to those found on the mainland, where for example one is no longer allowed to purchase alcohol after 10pm and, as Blue Butterfly wrote, women in many parts of the country are made to feel uncomfortable if they don't wear more conservative clothing. As we've seen in recent weeks, a sizeable minority on the mainland vehemently oppose the AKP's conservative policies.

Returning more to the subject of this thread - if one was so inclined, where better to start in the conservatisation (albeit very gradual) of TRNC than with the introduction of theological high schools ...

Yes Ian, I would agree on most of your points but more than "a few theological schools" (and they are "a few" too many when we only have 3 Maarif Colleges teaching in English - igcse, A/S etc. properly). We also had a boom in mosques. These are built for the mainland Turkish settlers most of whom (at least pretend to be) are very religious. Nothing wrong with that of course, but not when we have mosques appearing in many villages which are empty all week!

The same goes for the double minaret mosque at the entrance to Girne - up the road from me - which blares away prayers and death announcements 24/7 using 8 huge speakers! The only time it gets crowded is on Friday afternoons, where I witness all the mainland Turkish casinos' personnel and management attend besides an all Turkish settler group of at least 2-300 people.

The primary and high schools in Girne are overcrowded with mainland TC children of not just settlers but also the ranking military personnel, as well as the children of all the workers imported by many big casinos and hotels. With free state schooling, that is a great burden on schools at this time - hence the construction of couple of extra primary and high state schools in Girne and suburbs over the past 5-6 years, which are also overcrowded!

Unless there is a secret agenda, under the circumstances, any sensible person with some logic would immediately see the need for more schools and teachers instead of theological schools(?) or the Mollas they will produce! But as the financial supporter, Turkish government's demands will always be met rather than the most logical route.

Turkish Cypriots and their country is part and parcel of the Sheria ruled state that the AKP would love to run in Turkey, but I think their mask has come off over the past year's events. Neither their money lending Muslim brother states in the Middle East, nor their own ambitions/expectations will ever become a reality

Have you seen the panic with Erdoğan and AKP over the fall of Sheria supporting government in Egypt? Perhaps now everyone can see why Erdoğan has practically destroyed Turkish Army's hierarchy (by sending many Generals to prison) replacing it with pro-islamic Generals and high ranked officers! I believe he has also made himself the "Chief of Staff" like the president of USA. Now he believes has nothing standing in his way on the way to Sheria ruled İslamic nation...

Oh boy! I wish he would realise just how wrong he is...

bigOz wrote: Now he believes has nothing standing in his way on the way to Sheria ruled İslamic nation... Oh boy! I wish he would realise just how wrong he is...

Hi Özer,
Although I certainly don't support Erdoğan I feel he has prepared the ground very well - Unlike in Egypt, the military won't now trouble him and enough of the major companies support him, for him not to be undermined there.
In any case Özer, let's meet up one day, to maybe discuss this further. So that Havva can join us, the weekend is better, but a weekday evening is also OK. Text or call me - you have my number.
Ian

So do we have anything in terms of election pledges of a manifesto from these parties?

Ok for what it is worth, my prediction is that we will end up with a coalition government (god knows how long that will last) and that Dr Sibel will be offered a ministerial post. Any want a bet?

Jonnie wrote:So do we have anything in terms of election pledges of a manifesto from these parties?

In answer to your question Jonnie, no, not really. I guess you're really asing about pledges made to unify the island (or at least to make steps in that direction) ... and, no, nothing from any of the parties about that ... now that Turkey is far less keen to join the EU, there is no need on Ankara's part to "solve the Cyprob" ... and all the parties here, to a slightly greater or lesser degree dance to the tune played in Ankara. Eventhough many of the parties' (TC) supporters resent the control Ankara has over things here, the CTP and the like can't afford to upset Ankara - they also need their money to keep the economy afloat

With regard to pledges made about the health service, education, roads, etc my TC wife and I are not aware of any - in so many ways the policies of all the parties here are so similar.

The biggest gripe I have with elections is that when a party enters government it has the right to appoint a certain number of its supporters as civil servants. However, the memurs, that held those positions in the previous administration, are kept on with the same salary ... they are "kızağa çekildi" (literally "pulled on a sledge") until another position in the civil service becomes available ... the husband of my second-cousin-in-law was "çekildi" for a whole year on full pay until a position was found for him. It's one of the reasons why there the so many civil servants in the TR of NC ... and consequently one of the reasons why, as mentioned above, all parties need the financial support coming from Ankara.

Hi again Jonnie,
Still nothing in the way of real election pledges.
However, according to gündemkıbrıs, the CTP's Özkan Yorgancıoğlu, today apparently said that "Turkish Cypriots' main concern is with their loss of identity". As to what he proposes to rectify the problem (if indeed it is a problem) he doesn't say.
Ian

Source : http://www.gundemkibris.com/yorganciogl ... 62121h.htm