Gürcafer: Contractors Are Being Demonized

Speaking out against what he called a deliberate smear effort, Gürcafer argued that contractors are being singled out while many in society share similar circumstances regarding property use.

“The propaganda of othering continues at full speed. This time, it is contractors who are under attack. Some have taken it upon themselves to demonize our contractors in front of society, yet nobody investigates or questions the reality behind it,” Gürcafer said.

He pointed out that nearly 90 percent of land and property in the TRNC consists of pre-1974 Greek Cypriot property, used today by workers, professionals, businesspeople, farmers, and families across all sectors of society. “When almost everyone is living, working, or farming on such land, singling out contractors as if they are guilty of something is nothing but a political game,” he stated.

Gürcafer stressed that contractors acquire land by paying significant sums to Turkish Cypriot owners, not through allocation or political favor. “Contractors have paid millions for these lands, with money going directly to the pockets of doctors, civil servants, workers, businessmen, shopkeepers, unionists, and pensioners who sold them. You can see it in the bank deposits. Yet, despite this reality, it is easier for some to portray contractors as the villains,” he said.

He concluded by urging critics to examine the facts: “Go and investigate whose names are on the bank deposits and which professions have benefited from land sales. You will see that not even one percent of those deposits belong to contractors. Still, some find it convenient to demonize them. As the saying goes, look at the beam in your own eye before searching for the speck in someone else’s.”