TURKEY’S Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has stepped up his verbal onslaught against the Turkish Cypriot unions and parties that demonstrated against Ankara’s direct interference in the running of the north’s economy. Erdogan demanded that the authorities in the north arrested those who chanted slogans against Turkey, and alleged that Greek Cypriots were behind the demonstrators.
His bullying appeared to have had the desired effect, with union bosses toning down their rhetoric yesterday and all politicians discussing ways of defusing the tension. Nobody could have expected any other outcome. Did the Turkish Cypriot unionists seriously believe that they could have emerged victorious from a confrontation with the man who has successfully taken on the Turkish military establishment?
Not one given to diplomatic niceties, Erdogan put the Turkish Cypriot protesters in their place, bluntly reminding them that they “were fed and maintained by Turkey”. And as Turkey picked up the tab, it had every right to dictate how its money was being spent in the north. His quote, “they take our money and tell us to get lost,” may have been undiplomatic but it was an accurate description of what had happened.
A union boss said yesterday that they had gone to the Turkish embassy because they wanted to send a message: “We do not accept what they are imposing on us. We are against it and we do not want to be hostages and slaves until Turkey joins the EU. We are ready to fight for our rights.” But what rights was he talking about? The right to have all the north’s financial needs paid for by Turkey?
This is not a right but an arrangement from which Turkey could pull out whenever it chooses. What would the public sector unions do if Erdogan decided to withhold the funding? The fact is the economy in the north has never been self-sufficient because of its small population. The influx of settlers from Turkey may have boosted population numbers, but not adequately to make the economy self-sufficient, let alone sustain an over-paid and over-staffed public sector.
Under the circumstances, the Turkish Cypriots do not have much a case and will have to accept what Erdogan wants to impose on them. The party which picks up the tab also calls the shots. Perhaps the Turkish Cypriots had been deluding themselves about their relationship with Turkey, but the latest dispute should have brought a few unpalatable truths home. The real surprise is that it has taken them so long to realise that they are at the complete mercy of Ankara.
