Categories: ph1en
Date: Mar 21, 2011
Title: NATIONAL ISSUE
Any Cypriot understands that the Cyprus issue is a complicated problem that is very hard to resolve satisfactorily.
At the same time it is widely accepted that it would have been very beneficial, if during all these years we had focused more on all the other problems plaguing our society, problems that if rationally approached could significantly improve our daily lives.
We recognize and support the expertise and rational way of thinking gained by some of our politicians - from various parties - on the national issue. We are convinced that if they had been allowed by their political parties they serve, to unite their thoughts and their efforts, we would have long agreed between us, the content of the sought solution that we should strongly demand and possibly we would have already managed to agree on an acceptable solution.
A united front approach on the national issue however, would have removed to a large extent the reason for the existence of certain political parties. Therefore, for the sake of their survival, the political parties promote a false sense of patriotism and by necessity conflicting positions .
As for the poor people of Cyprus, for decades they are forced to watch thousands of hours of elaborate but always barren and futile discussions between party leaders on television and other media channels (which sometimes, perhaps deliberately, are transformed into hypocritical cockfights) which wrongly stress and confuse the people.
The corrupt party system requires so. Unfortunately, the primary need of our politicians is that of their political survival and thus the maintenance and growth of the popularity of their parties, in order to maintain or even to increase the benefits that they have already legislated for themselves. Unfortunately they have learned all too well the lesson from their predecessors:
Divide and rule!
As provided by the resolutions of the National Council, we believe that an honest compromise on the basis of a FUNCTIONAL bi-zonal bi-communal Federation is the best possible solution for the reunification of Cyprus and hopefully it is still possible to happen, even though there are important indications that this is not what Turkey wants. We also believe that, at present, any withdrawal from the compromising proposals of the President (as some parties had called for) will irreversibly expose us and lead to an effort (by the international community) to impose a solution, risking a refusal by the people of Cyprus, essentially leading to a de facto partition of the island.
In terms of procedure, we believe that the way our side has been negotiating our national problem has already wasted precious time and that there is no substantial likelihood of acceptance of any offered solution by the Cypriot people. The key factor for the People to accept any solution which will eventually be proposed will be the unanimous acceptance and promotion of this solution by a majority of the major parties. Any serious disagreement between them would lead the people to question it and subsequently reject the offered plan.
Also, if we had managed to create a transparent and law abiding country, all the other countries would face us in a very different way, giving us better prospects for a fair solution.
In view of the aforementioned thoughts, we believe that we should immediately establish a team (accepted by all political parties) composed by Cypriot experienced political analysts, top professors and diplomats that are based in and out of Cyprus, to monitor and constantly analyze international developments in coordination with developments in Turkey, and to advise the National Council accordingly.
The National Council must assume its responsibilities and approve a settlement framework, taking very seriously into account the latest developments in the SE Mediterranean, which are clearly to our advantage and are possibly reversing the current leading role of Turkey in the region. If this is impossible because of the usual disagreements between the parties then our theoretical choices - Single State Bicommunal Federation, De facto situation and division of the island – should be put to a referendum and the preferred by the People choice should be adopted as a national policy that our President will negotiate but always with the direct participation in the negotiation of four major parties. At the same time the citizens should be educated with this choice in advance, so when and if we get a solution plan the citizens will be prepared to accept. Let us not repeat the mistakes of the past.
The implementation of such a proposal would :
- Drastically reduce the level of unwanted populism of our politicians, because they no longer have to deal with the Cyprus issue and thus their time will be diverted towards finding solutions in other major problems of our society
- Prepare the people for a widely agreed solution
- Provide the President and/or negotiator with seriousness and popular support, factor that the international community will give serious consideration.
- Pressure the Turks and the Turkish Cypriots to negotiate more seriously or expose their intransigence.
This new approach in connection with policies on the domestic issues, based on fairness, rule of law, transparency, good governance and development will allow for the first time, based on the new political conditions in our region, a sense of optimism, vision and bring a secure future for our country and our children.