10 things I hate about partition*
Credit: Old Nicosia Revealed
1. I don’t want a stamp in my passport every time I cross the border. Partition will lead to a hard border with an unstable Turkey.
2. In a region fraught with instability, Cyprus will be even more vulnerable than it already is (picture ‘sitting duck’) and I will feel even more unsafe than I already do.
3. Divided, we will be unable to fight climate change which is coming hard and fast our way. Say bye bye to saving Pentadaktylos/Beşparmak.
4. Brain drain will continue on both sides of the island. The island’s youth will certainly not stick around to be paid peanuts on an island with limited opportunities.
5. Rising nationalism on both sides.
6. The community that we have known as Turkish Cypriots will soon cease to exist. The north will buckle under the weight of citizenships given to Turks and anyone else it plans on sending to Cyprus.
7. The realisation of utter failure. I for one don’t like losing, I like winning and in this case winning/achieving the reunification of our island.
8. I don’t want Turkish Cypriots born and brought up in the north to lose their rights as EU citizens.
9. I don’t want to have to flee the island due to the ear piercing sounds of wailing from armchair protestors and activists.
10. I don’t want my island divided any longer.
*Title references teen romance movie ’10 things I hate about you’.
Notes
Alper Ali Riza, queen’s counsel in the UK and part time judge
Fiona Mullen, Director, Sapienta Economics Developments
Esra Aygin, freelance journalist
Hello, I liked your post 10 things I hate about partition with which I fully agree! Would you be interested to join New Cyprus Association General Assembly coming Wednesday 9/5, 7.15pm at Chateau Status restaurant opposite Ledra Palace next to H4C? Afterwards around 9pm there will be a dinner for which I would like to invite you to join us as our guest! Pls let me know if you can make it. Best regards Alkis
Hi Alkis,
Thank you so much for your invitation I would be delighted to join. Will drop you an email to confirm.
10 things I hate about ignorance and narrowmindedness!
1. Where does the assumption come from that you will have a hard border with Turkey? You already do. North Cyprus is not a part of Turkey and has never been. It has it’s own government. The only reason Turkey has such a high influence in the North is because they have NO ONE ELSE to turn to due to embargoes other countries have put on them.
2. The only reason you feel “unsafe” is because there is a general consensus in the south of Cyprus that the North is dangerous which is simply untrue. And The whole of Cyprus is in no way a sitting duck. The North is protected by Turkey and the South by Greece. Both are members of NATO. Not to mention the British forces army bases. Only the UN would leave after a partition because there would no longer be a need for a buffer zone. (Picture ‘sitting duck on top of arsenal of weapons’).
3. You’re doing 0 to nothing about climate change as it is. Cyprus has a tourist economy and has little interest in doing anything sustainable apart of wanting to drill for natural resources which we all know impacts the climate. Cleaning up a couple of beaches is not preventing climate change.
4. The same tourist economy mentioned above is the reason for having limited opportunities. Neither South or North care about anything other than the tourist economy. Neither government cares about actual sustainable development.
5. Nationalism is not a bad thing perse. It just shows people love their heritage.
6. Where does the assumption come from that after a partition North Cyprus will still be under embargoes by the rest of the world? Where does the assumption come from that Turkey will keep it’s hold over North Cyprus if the North finally has other countries to trade with instead of Turkey? Again this is all pure speculation based on a belief warped by propaganda. Who knows, the North might even be accepted into the EU just like the South was. This would also solve your hard border issue as Europeans are free to cross borders within the EU as they please. The real reason hardly any Turkish Cypriots remain in the world today is because Greek Cypriots tried to ethnically cleanse them off the island. And the reason they all leave tje island is because the rest of the world left them for dead.
7. This is your only valid reasoning so far. You hate losing. Well tough luck sunshine.. we can’t win them all.
8. Again speculation based on nothing. First of all, Turkish Cypriots right now are not clasified as EU citizens. They can’t lose something they don’t have. Secondly, again there is no way to assume that the North will not be allowed to join the EU. Seeing that the EU would like nothing more than to have a permanent foothold here there is a good chance they will allow the North in.
9. You mean those protesters in the South that go to the border crossings and demand that the whole North be purged to take it back for the Greek Cypriots?
10. It’s not “your” island. This is exactly the type of thinking that started this whole thing in the first place. People screaming “It’s my island!” Cypriots being either Greek or Turkish should be saying “our island!”.
Thank you for your feedback and the time you took to answer every one of my points. We live on an island where thank goodness we have differing opinions. My points are not assumptions pulled out of nowhere. I would be happy to meet and discuss every one of these points over a coffee the next time you’re in Cyprus 🙂
The resolution is in the hands of the people, you can only live in harmony when you accept other’s differences !