Denktaş: There is a Significant Disconnect Between the Public and Administrators

In a program where he made important statements, Denktaş evaluated the last 50 years. While significant progress had been made since 1974, he emphasized that it is no longer sufficient and we are even regressing. “Blaming everything on embargoes is a mistake. We made good progress, then fell back. We need to recognize our own mistakes as well. Our administrators should not take steps that are not suitable for the people of Cyprus. They need to present a vision. However, I see a significant disconnect between the public and the administrators. The administrators do not consider institutions and unions, and some have even labeled them as enemies. This is not a proper approach. This is not how a country should be governed. It does not work anywhere in the world,” he said.

“THE CYPRUS ISSUE SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR DOMESTIC POLITICS”

Denktaş noted that he is working on an alternative method for resolving the Cyprus issue, emphasizing that it should no longer be used as material for domestic politics. He stated that a consensus can only be reached in this way, and as long as the Cyprus issue is used for domestic politics, it will create polarization and prevent reaching a common ground. “If we continue with the current situation, someone will impose something on us, and then we will truly fall apart. We are working on how we can bring together those who demand federation and those who demand two states while maintaining their positions within the UN parameters. We will soon start sharing this with civil society and our political parties because this path is not sustainable. We have been through a period where something was imposed on us from the outside. The Cyprus Republic was such an imposition. Therefore, we must accept that a solution imposed from outside will not be a solution,” he said.

“BOYCOTTERS SHOULD EXERCISE THEIR WILL”

Criticizing the election system and law, Denktaş called on boycotters to exercise their will. “When boycotters go and exercise their will, we will see that many things will change. Their numbers are quite high. As they withdraw and grow, we lose our will. But first, we need to change the system. No matter what we do or who we elect under the current system and disorder, it will not lead us to a better place,” he said. “The election system and law do not yield proper results. I have been advocating for a presidential system since 1986. The system I am talking about is a more democratic, grounded version of the presidential system currently implemented in the South. We need to start discussing and debating the transition to a presidential system. We should comprehensively discuss its positive and negative aspects. Otherwise, no matter who comes to power, nothing will change,” he said.

“THE BIGGEST PROBLEM FOR CITIZENS IS THE COST OF LIVING”

Denktaş emphasized that both the government, the opposition, and unions need to think about how to reduce the cost of living. He highlighted that the biggest problem for citizens is the cost of living and economic hardship, noting the importance of transitioning to an accounting system indexed to a stable unit. “We proposed this system in 1994, but it was not implemented because it was perceived as changing our currency. However, this is the method under current conditions as well. The first thing we need to do is discuss the problems in public finance with civil society organizations and unions. As long as 87% of the budget goes to salaries and salary-like transfers, development is not possible. We need to discuss formulas to reduce this to 70%,” he said.