Britain's latest Cyprus policy of Divide and Rule, here in London!

During the 1950s, Britain adopted a Divide and Rule policy in its dealings with her colonial subjects from Ireland to India. In Cyprus, from 1878 first Christian was put against Muslim, then Greek against Turk and vice versa. The policy helped Britain maintain colonial control over the island and her Cypriot subjects. Divided, her subjects were easier to control. But sadly, despite all the pain and suffering caused by Britain's divide and rule policy over the decades, the policy finds new ways to manifest itself even today in London among the surviving victims of this policy; most notably the Cypriot diaspora. Encouraging a tug of war between separate Greek and Turkish Cypriot lobbies here in London, the British government today is encouraging both Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities to lobby against one another to win favour at Westminster, rather than encourage them to work together. 

"DIVIDE AND RULE"

Derived from Latin divide et impera, "Divide and Rule" can be defined as a strategy where small power groups are prevented from linking up and becoming more powerful, since it is difficult to break up existing power structures" In Cyprus, Britain and without doubt Greece and Turkey frequently used Greek against Turk and vice versa to achieve their aims for the island. Still there are those, not just Cypriots, who justify division brought about by Divide and Rule with the completely false idea that the division of the country somehow reflects the existence of "two separate peoples in Cyprus.   

LONDON 2008

Disappointedly with no lessons learnt, fifty years on Britain still prefers to regard Greek and Turkish Cypriots separately and the Cyprus question as an ethnic issue. Our British government routinely invite the two communities to meetings with the Government separately. For Greek Cypriots they see Lobby for Cyprus who only deals with Greek Cypriot issues in Cyprus, for Turkish Cypriots they see Embargoed! who openly regard themselves as a Turkish Cypriot Human Rights Group. Separating even human rights along ethnic lines, it is as if by their very policy the British government already recognise partition.

However, politically there are many Greek Cypriots who have already reached agreement with Turkish Cypriots very easily and vice versa. Greek Cypriot capitalists already work with Turkish Cypriot capitalists. Greek and Turkish Cypriot musicians, students, writers, poets, medical staff, teachers, builders and even shoe fitters get along. The whole Missing Persons exercise has joint teams of Cypriot archaelogists.  To assume they would not is to assume there are no down to earth and objective? human? members of both communities.

Regrettably, leading each community on with hope and encouragement, while encouraging their lobby groups to organise, the Government is encouraging an unproductive tug of war between the two communities here in London into who will influence British government policy on Cyprus. Little do those warriors in his battle realise the bitter truth that Britain's policy may already be made up along with her commitments made to either her ally Greece or Turkey. But again, the Cypriots are left to fight one another, arrange and organise lobbying dinners and seminars in the hope that they will so how change Britain's Cyprus policy. Meanwhile, Britain gives limited support to each community always failing to commit itself fully to supporting one side or the other. I wonder after all these years of lobbying, if Greek and Turkish Cypriots who act against one another honestly believe that one day Britain will fully commit herself by supporting them.

A MEETING WITH JIM MURPHY AND JOAN RYAN

After meeting their with Greek Cypriot representatives, a few weeks ago, Jim Murphy and Joan Ryan invited Turkish Cypriots to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London. A welcome gesture by the British government eager to reach out to Turkish Cypriots who have long been victims many would believe. However that is not my interpretation or the interpretation of many disgruntled Turkish Cypriots who could not attend the meeting.

Among those 'lucky' ones present were the Republican Turkish Party (CTP), London branch, Embargoed! and the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce (CTCC). There seemed to be a mixed bag, with certain people who are community representatives and those who work in the media. Unsure which hat I was being asked to wear, media or member of the Turkish Cypriot Community Association (TCCA) or London CTP, I sat in the corner not knowing whether I could speak or not. Apparently press were not permitted to ask questions. But I noticed that many people present who did have the right to speak overlapped the category of both media and representatives of one group or association or another.  I wondered whether we were supposed to be a representative sample or whether we were all expected to take one Turkish Cypriot line.  What messages were the British Government getting from us or did they think they already knew and just want us to confirm their thinking?

At the meeting, Embargoed seemed to be taking over the questions to the Minister and Joan Ryan. There was no sign of the Turkish Cypriot Democratic Association Chairperson Hasan Raif or TCCA Chairperson Turkey Hadji Philippou, other Turkish Cypriot groups or associations and absolutely no Turkish Cypriot intellectuals or academics. It seemed few pro-reunification Turkish Cypriots were invited either. Although I fully respect CTCC, I must admit I did consider it a tad bizarre how Turkish Cypriot businessmen have more of a right to speak for the Turkish Cypriot community than elected political figures like Hasan Raif who has for decades attended parliamentary meetings in Westminster and devoted much of his life to the Cyprus problem. Clearly I believe somebody somewhere was very careful about who was invited. Somebody somewhere perhaps sought total agreement without any fuss.

But then I wonder, perhaps through misinformation the government believe that these people were worth leaving out as they are somehow 'marginalised.' Knowing Cyprus' politics only too well, this is of course very typical of the propaganda partitioners feed British politicians about progressive, pro-reunification Turkish Cypriots as had happened in the past for Greek Cypriots? But if this is the Government’s justification, it will mean a disaster for Cyprus.

MARGINALISED / REPRESENTATIVE?

Far from marginalised, progressive Turkish Cypriot groups in London played a pivotal role in getting Turkish Cypriots to support the idea of a reunited Cyprus and mobilising the youth of northern Cyprus, onto the streets. It was these groups who encouraged 65% of north Cyprus' population to vote in favour of the reunification plan. Bearing in mind that 60% of north Cyprus' population are Turkish settlers, we can assume that the majority of those who voted in favour of the peace plan were Turkish Cypriots bringing the true number of Turkish Cypriots who support reunification to a very high figure; 75% or more would not be an exaggeration. By contrast it is the Greek or Turkish Cypriot extremists who have to an extreme degree tended to alienate everyone else, including their own compatriots, and have contributed to the disunity we have today.

REALITY CHECK FOR ALL CYPRIOTS

I wonder is the British Government an ex ruler of Cyprus naturally ignorant of a country where they still occupy their Bases or does the need to meet Cypriots separately fit into their own pre-supposed analysis of Cyprus or because they listen to those, often extremist, who shout loudest? We have a saying in English, "empty vessels make most noise."  It is perhaps time for Cypriots who are not extreme, who want a settlement for their country, who have friendships across what has never been a divide in the UK, to talk together to the British decision-makers.  Cypriots want a settlement because Cyprus divided does not help Cypriots.  It does not help Turkey; it does not help Britain or the EU. Maybe as far as the British Government is concerned Turkey is the key important player not Cypriots at all. But Britain must too realize that Turkish Cypriots are not represented by Turkey, even though the Strategic Partnership assumes this to be true. Turkish Cypriots do not want to be outnumbered by Turks in their own country. There is much to gain from a Cyprus united, all Cypriots and ultimately Turkey will become EU citizens and the Turkish will become a European language on a settlement for Cyprus. There will no longer be a problem about the Custom's Union as Turkish Cypriots will be included in the arrangements.  If EU countries objected to Turkey they wouldn't be able to hid behind the Republic of Cyprus, they would have to be honest about their emphasis on human rights and freedom of speech or islamophobia or racism.  

Cypriots for their part should be aware of Divide and Rule, and cease playing Greco-Turkish war games that only waste time and weaken one another, especially as Greece and Turkey are moving closer together. They need to be disciplined enough to forget for a second their linguistic differences and act now, united and powerfully as Cypriots, to save their common homeland from an eternity of partition.