Be constructive, not destructive!

In any peace process, it is important for political parties from across the political spectrum to play a constructive rather than a destructive role. After all the goal of peace needs to be a shared one. In the southern areas controlled by the Republic of Cyprus, political parties left and right of the political spectrum support Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias. Yet in the north of Cyprus, despite the support of both the Turkish Cypriot leadership and Turkey for a solution and despite majority public support for a solution, the main opposition National Unity Party (UBP) still boycotts the peace process. But on an island that is fast changing, how long can UBP continue with its unyielding and reactionary stance?

CHANGE

There is no doubt that UBP played a key role in the formation of the TRNC. Some may argue that based on this one should not expect anything different from the party. But circumstances change. 65% of north Cyprus’ electorate voted for reunification in the Annan Plan 2004 referendum. Had the referendums been endorsed by both communities, the TRNC would have been dismantled. UBP must respect the will of the people. In a democracy, power is after all vested in the people. Lessons too need to be drawn after UBP and Denktash were voted out by the Turkish Cypriots for being increasingly out of touch with mainstream Turkish Cypriot opinion. Turkey too, a long time ally of UBP and Denktash abandoned them, switching support to parties that favoured a Cyprus solution.

The north is not the only part of the island where circumstances have changed. In the south too, changed circumstances have led to changed politics with left / right parties all supporting reunification.  To be a progressive Greek Cypriot politician who supports the peace process and reunification no longer automatically means you are a left winger. DISY once a party linked to EOKA B has since become a respectable Progressive, European Liberal – Conservative Christian Democrat Party, which even boasts Turkish Cypriot members.

POLTICAL IMMATURITY

But sadly this kind of political maturity has not developed in the north of Cyprus, where support for the peace process and reunification, as well as the planning of bi-communal activities is still very much in the hands of the Turkish Cypriot left. Turkish Cypriots have no equivalent of the right wing progressive Democratic Rally (DISY). Main opposition parties on the right of the political spectrum, such as the National Unity Party (UBP) refuse to take part in the peace process. Conceivably former Interlocutor Rashid Pertev could take their vote for his People’s Party which is competing with UBP and DP. 

Hanging onto the past, which is the base of all its policies, UBP is the only political party north of the Green Line which favours a permanent split or partition of the island. Their reasons are not too different from the ideals of those supporting racial segregation in the Southern United States and South Africa. UBP party members regularly talk of the ‘Gavour’ (Infidel) – a highly derogatory term for Greek Cypriots.  The term is equivalent to ‘Negro’. In Britain, a politician who uses such languages would be soon isolated or evicted from their party. But UBP party members produce fears of Osmosis, a scientific term meaning the gradual movement of one liquid into another . Osmosis is the passage of water from a region of high water concentration through a semi-permeable membrane to a region of low water concentration. You could talk about the concentration of Cypriots but I would leave it like I put it. 

The term is used to scare Turkish Cypriots about assimilation and inter-marriage with Greek Cypriots once the island reunites. The rhetoric is not too different from the KKK or far-right parties in Europe. Yet with a tradition of bullying, intimidation and even making threats there is little tolerant for diversity of opinions either in the party. UBP party members in Cyprus and abroad frequently label progressive, free thinking Turkish Cypriots as ‘Greek lovers’ or ‘Greek.’

RECKLESS POLITICS

Attacking all sides out of desperation, UBP launched attack upon attack on the Turkish Cypriot leader first dubbing him a ‘token’ for meeting Mr Christofias before accusing him of ‘selling’ Cyprus. UBP’s leader Tahsin Ertugruloglu has often called on the Turkish Cypriot leader to quit the negotiating table and walk away from talks. But with hindsight what responsible community leader could suggest such a move? What would ‘walking away’ resolve? A reckless approach. Does Mr Ertugruloglu imagine what the political and economic consequences would be for the Turkish Cypriot community if they walked away from talks? Not to mention the international reaction it would cause. It would effectively destroy all Turkish Cypriot efforts to end isolation in the north of Cyprus by removing any moral ground the community has gained.

Still some UBP members particularly in London do not seem to want to give Cyprus-based Turkish Cypriots the freedom they take for granted in Britain. They regularly attack the Turkish Cypriot leadership or indeed any Turkish Cypriot in Cyprus who meets a Greek Cypriot. Living in multicultural London where they are not alone and certainly not isolated they attempt to give free lessons in nationalism to Turkish Cypriots in Cyprus. As if nationalism pays the bills…  Their arguments straight from the 1950s, many of them last put pen to paper in the 1950s and cannot look into the future.

Isolated, and abandoned by its traditional ally Turkey, UBP is the only political party in the north still pushing for TRNC recognition. Some of the party members are certain this will happen soon. But with no indication of when, Mr Ertugruloglu wants Turkish Cypriots to continue living under isolation until that time comes. UBP’s waiting game triggered CTP Party leader Omer Kalyoncu to ask: “Who made you that promise?” How will you deliver that promise to the Turkish Cypriot community?  Yet UBP could not produce a date or even hazard a guess….

But while the party continues to talk of a two state solution as if it is around the corner, meanwhile a peace process in Cyprus is backed by both Cypriot leaders, and the three guarantors Greece, Turkey and Britain, the EU, the UN and the United States. So what?  Diverting attention from the meaningful to the meaningless can be cruel, particularly since neither UBP nor the international community can deliver such hopes to the Turkish Cypriot community who has been waiting long enough.

MODERNISE OR DIE!

All political parties in the north have a responsibility to support the ongoing peace process since the Turkish Cypriot community has proven overwhelmingly that it desires peace. A Cyprus reunified and reconciled is today’s goal. Rejecting to participate in the peace process is both an insult to the democratic will of the Turkish Cypriots and damaging to the Turkish Cypriot community at this important time. If UBP respects the will of the people and are to be taken seriously again and take up a respectable role in Turkish Cypriot political life, parties they need to divert all energies away from mono-communal or mono-ethnic 'solutions' that stand no chance of being accepted by both communities and to participate fully in the peace process. As the momentum builds in the ongoing Cyprus peace process, there is little to be gained from pondering the past and sulking in the corner of Turkish Cypriot political life. Times have changed. In the same way that left wingers no longer talk of ending capitalism (they do talk about imperialism in connection with Iraq and elsewhere), rightist parties like UBP must change their language and be constructive. They need to modernise or die or the Turkish Cypriot community will eventually abandon them too.