Gürcafer: Political instability is dragging the country into chaos, we are at a tipping point
20 January 2021
Noting that around the world a wind towards normalization has begun to blow with the introduction of a vaccine, Gürcafer said that countries will demonstrate their capabilities in this process and will try to repair their injured economies and organize their social lives. He went to state that Northern Cyprus should be ready for this.
Yesterday CTBCA President Gürcafer was a guest at Elif Şen Çatal’s ‘Headline’ program on Cyprus TV. President Gürcafer commented on the political developments in the country and evaluated the effects of the Kovid-19 pandemic on the economy.
“We watched an act of theathre”
Gürcafer likened the debates which took place in the Assembly of the Republic to an ‘’act of theatre.’’
Gürcafer said, “As the Economic Organizations Platform, we held a meeting which went on for 4 hours on Tuesday and simultaneously watched the assembly meeting on a TV screen. We watched what was a play on the screen while we were deliberating on what kind of initiative we should take to get vaccines, what kind of diplomacy we should follow, and how we could improve the economy without causing further contagion in the country.”
Gürcafer said, “In my opinion, what needs to be done; they should hanker down just as they do in the Vatican when electing a new Pope, and not come out of the Assembly without finding a solution”.
“An early election means a collapse”
‘’The last thing we need is an early election,” said Gürcafer, adding that he believes that the members of the Assembly can also foresee how holding an early election will come at a cost.
Cafer Gürcafer declared, “An early election would mean squandering the 2021 summer season for tourism, the bankruptcy of thousands of businesses and the collapse of our public finances.’’ He went on; ‘’So, are there not 50 would be members who will enter the Assembly again after the election, who will form the government and aim to produce solutions? Are there not 50 members in the Assembly now? They should sit and they should untangle this mess. However, if they still insist on an early election, they should hold it, but all 50 current members of the Assembly should go home and not be members of the Assembly ever again.”
“We are at a tipping point!”
Pointing out that the world is undergoing a war with a pandemic, Gürcafer said, “At this juncture, we are concerned about our health, the economy, our livelihood, the future of our children and of our country. The members of the Assembly have to address such concerns. It is not the time to discriminate based on party affiliation and act on selfish priorities. They must put aside all their differences even if they have to make concessions from their view of the world, even if it hurts or is contrary to their principles. They have to do what is right for this country.’’
Gürcafer warned, “If not, we will take to the streets both as the business world and as the people. We will go to the Assembly.’’
Cafer Gürcafer, spoke as follows: “We as the NGOs decided to go to Turkey during the pandemic. Aimed to talk with the Ministry of Health and with the Vice President responsible for Cyprus and ensure that the vaccine needed to vaccinate our society arrives earlier than later. Similarly, we requested an appointment from the EU Ambassador. Let us take our share of the vaccine from the EU, let us get vaccinated at the earliest and accordingly, open our doors in a controlled manner. Let life sprout again. What is going on in the Assembly while we are dealing with all this? We are at a tipping point.’’
‘’This should not be taken as a threat, but the reaction of the public, the reaction of NGOs will be different than ordinary, this time it will be very severe.”
“We can turn our advantages into opportunities during the vaccination phase”
Gürcafer highlighted that we could turn our advantages into opportunities while vaccination occurs.
Cafer Gürcafer declared, “Compared to a population of 80 million in Turkey, it would be a lot easier to vaccinate a population of 500k in the TRNC and this an advantage for us. Summer is ahead, we need to animate our tourism sector. A would be tourist has seen an epidemic and experience trauma in their country too. Millions of people may plan to overcome this trauma with a vacation. This could be to our advantage if we set rules requiring prior vaccination for people intent on coming to our country as well as vaccinating our people.’’
Gürcafer spoke as follows. “We have also discussed this with the Minister of Health and the officials in the ministry. We consider the economy and health holistically, and we make our calculations and demands by planning together. The vaccine is key. Future visitors need to know a place they would want to visit is safe. Consequently, of course, we need to obtain the vaccine”.
The Association President Gürcafer, stated that the country’s lack of formal recognition is a disadvantage.
Gürcafer said, “We have two gates. One is the EU due to our status there. It is very important to act with urgency, show initiative and undertake diplomacy as soon as the vaccine reaches the south. It is necessary to generate pressure and form a public opinion in this respect. The second is Turkey and we need to go there and explain the situation. We need to ensure that upwards of a 100k shots of the vaccine arrive from Turkey in one shipment. We need the Government to committ to this.’’
“There is a much more institutionalised construction sector now”
Assessing the effects of the pandemic on the economy in as a whole, Gürcafer also commented on the specific effects it has had on the construction sector.
Gürcafer reminded that the sector experienced a very steep decline in 2007-2008 due the exhaustion of the hope for a solution after the failure to accept the Anan Plan, and the negative impact of the Orams case on the foreign buyers. He pointed out that “There was serious damage’’. However, he went on to explain that ‘’We have a much more institutionalized construction industry today. Thanks to these institutionalized corporates, the sector has survived the current crisis. No project has become idle. Over 25 thousand units have emerged out of this period. This is a value, a product worth over a billion dollars that will hit the market”
Drawing attention to the fact that the market has two categories as clients in the domestic and foreign spheres, Gürcafer said, “This country must be secure for foreign consumers to come. Then, even more new projects will come to life in the construction sector and the 70 sub-sectors that feed off it will also be mobilized again.’’
Cafer Gürcafer stated that our purchasing power has decreased with the increased value of foreign currencies in the domestic market and that there is no state capability which could increase the purchasing power of the people. Therefore, it is necessary to come up with new arguments in order to reach people’s pockets.
“The current system is blocking productivity”
Evaluating a presidential system, Cafer Gürcafer said, “I do not necessarily call for a presidential system. With changes that could be made to our parliamentary system, we can actually achieve an arrangement through a much shorter path.”
Gürcafer said, “For example, if a member of the Assembly becomes a minister, he or she must lose their membership. We need to look back at what the infighting of the members over their desire to become ministers, the disputes over the Presidency and who is to become the Prime Minister have cost this society. Our country has been degenerating for a long time. No institution has been spared of this degeneration. It is nigh time to take ownership of this country. We should grasp and revise the system completely. Otherwise, pick and send the most valuable people in the country to the Assembly, this system will waste them too.’’
