Cyprus-Forum.com

[YFred]

Talat’s brave pledge is a lesson for our politicians
By Loucas Charalambous

TURKISH Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat, made a statement in Istanbul on March 6, which was given very little coverage by our media. However I think it was one of the most significant statements made by a Cypriot politician in 50 years and deserved much more attention than it was given.

Talat said: “My aim is to achieve a settlement in 2009. But the procedure is moving at a very slow pace. If the hope of settlement vanishes, then my mission will come to an end.” In such a case, Talat said, he would not be a candidate in the elections scheduled in the north for this time next year.

This was the first time that a political leader in Cyprus directly linked his political career to the achievement of something tangible in the national problem. Ever since 1960, the politicians of our side have been doing the exact opposite. They link their political career to the course of the Cyprus problem in reverse fashion. They use the prolonging of the problem as an excuse to prolong their own participation in political life.

Every time they need to justify their candidacy, they invoke the Cyprus problem, which supposedly requires their continued services. Has anyone ever heard any of our politicians seeking a political post for any reason other than the burning desire to serve his country for the sake of the Cyprus problem? I have not. They are all supposedly needed by their country because the Cyprus problem is unsolved and, invariably, going through “its most critical phase”.

An unsolved Cyprus problem is necessary so that our illustrious leaders can justify their political careers, as former DISY deputy Constantinos Lordos astutely pointed out several years ago. In the absence of the problem, their services would not be needed.

In this desert of political cant, Talat is offering everyone a lesson in correct behaviour. If I am not mistaken, the Turkish Cypriot leader must be about 57 today, an age at which our political elephants start to entertain ambitions for the presidency, in the next 20 years (our previous two presidents were governing us in their 70s and 80s).

And why would Talat step down? As he said, if he did not realise his dream to solve the Cyprus problem this year, he would have no reason to stay in politics. It takes a lot of political and moral courage for someone who is in the highest public post of his society to take such a decision at the age of 57.

This commendable political decision by Talat has once again exposed the political immaturity that plagues our side. None of our politicians responded to Talat’s comment, presumably because they would feel uncomfortable with comparisons of their own choices.

On our side, none of those who created – or failed to solve – the problem has had the decency to come out and publicly state that he had failed, that his mission was over and he would be going home. Not once in the last 50 years has this happened.

Sometimes, there is no shame in learning things from your rival. In this case, Talat gave our politicians a very useful lesson in decent political behaviour.



Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2009

[kurupetos]

Talat said: “My aim is to achieve a settlement in 2009. But the procedure is moving at a very slow pace. If the hope of settlement vanishes, then my mission will come to an end.” In such a case, Talat said, he would not be a candidate in the elections scheduled in the north for this time next year.

Is that braveness?

[YFred]

Talat said: “My aim is to achieve a settlement in 2009. But the procedure is moving at a very slow pace. If the hope of settlement vanishes, then my mission will come to an end.” In such a case, Talat said, he would not be a candidate in the elections scheduled in the north for this time next year.

Is that braveness?

It's not just brave it's honest and clean politics.

[kurupetos]

Talat said: “My aim is to achieve a settlement in 2009. But the procedure is moving at a very slow pace. If the hope of settlement vanishes, then my mission will come to an end.” In such a case, Talat said, he would not be a candidate in the elections scheduled in the north for this time next year.

Is that braveness?

It's not just brave it's honest and clean politics.

How about cowardness?

[YFred]

Talat said: “My aim is to achieve a settlement in 2009. But the procedure is moving at a very slow pace. If the hope of settlement vanishes, then my mission will come to an end.” In such a case, Talat said, he would not be a candidate in the elections scheduled in the north for this time next year.

Is that braveness?

It's not just brave it's honest and clean politics.

How about cowardness?

Talat was talking about peace when it wasn’t so safe to do so in TRNC and many more like him. Cowardice you will find in those who bedded with the fascists for decades to share power and bring Cyprus to this abyss.

[christos1]

Talat said: “My aim is to achieve a settlement in 2009. But the procedure is moving at a very slow pace. If the hope of settlement vanishes, then my mission will come to an end.” In such a case, Talat said, he would not be a candidate in the elections scheduled in the north for this time next year.

Is that braveness?

It's not just brave it's honest and clean politics.

Ridiculous. Goes to show you how the Cyprus Mail is completely useless. In your upcoming so called elections, YFred, Talat's party is going to get clobbered, is it not? Talat isnt running again simply because he can not win. it has nothing to do with bravery. If George Bush could run for a third term, he wouldnt, because he couldnt win. But notice how Loucas is trying to spin the story? Ridiculous indeed.

[YFred]

Talat said: “My aim is to achieve a settlement in 2009. But the procedure is moving at a very slow pace. If the hope of settlement vanishes, then my mission will come to an end.” In such a case, Talat said, he would not be a candidate in the elections scheduled in the north for this time next year.

Is that braveness?

It's not just brave it's honest and clean politics.

Ridiculous. Goes to show you how the Cyprus Mail is completely useless. In your upcoming so called elections, YFred, Talat's party is going to get clobbered, is it not? Talat isnt running again simply because he can not win. it has nothing to do with bravery. If George Bush could run for a third term, he wouldnt, because he couldnt win. But notice how Loucas is trying to spin the story? Ridiculous indeed.

That is your opinion. If you were right, he wouldn't have been running in Politics for the past 20 years and lose. You just can't believe that a TC politician can be clean and honourable as that.

[christos1]

Talat said: “My aim is to achieve a settlement in 2009. But the procedure is moving at a very slow pace. If the hope of settlement vanishes, then my mission will come to an end.” In such a case, Talat said, he would not be a candidate in the elections scheduled in the north for this time next year.

Is that braveness?

It's not just brave it's honest and clean politics.

Ridiculous. Goes to show you how the Cyprus Mail is completely useless. In your upcoming so called elections, YFred, Talat's party is going to get clobbered, is it not? Talat isnt running again simply because he can not win. it has nothing to do with bravery. If George Bush could run for a third term, he wouldnt, because he couldnt win. But notice how Loucas is trying to spin the story? Ridiculous indeed.

That is your opinion. If you were right, he wouldn't have been running in Politics for the past 20 years and lose. You just can't believe that a TC politician can be clean and honourable as that.

Why not answer my question. Isnt Talat's party projected to lose in the upcoming so called election? Answer it or should i post a Turkish news article that states it? Again, it goes to show how shady the Cyprus Mail really is.

[Viewpoint]

Talat said: “My aim is to achieve a settlement in 2009. But the procedure is moving at a very slow pace. If the hope of settlement vanishes, then my mission will come to an end.” In such a case, Talat said, he would not be a candidate in the elections scheduled in the north for this time next year.

Is that braveness?

It's not just brave it's honest and clean politics.

He is very brave and is reaching the point that I reached after the AP referendum this problem is unsolvable and being honest he placed so much faith in GC "brother" only to have his face slapped time ant ime again. The GC mentality hasshown him that they do not want to share jack shit and demand we capitulate to accepting minority statued under a GC leader in a GC state....this we will never do so the stark truth of the matter is this division will continue forever. Good try but you were doomed to failure you underestimated the GCs will for a solution and misread their "brotherly" camaflouge as a chance to resolve matters, President Talat is the only real chance GCs will ever have in finding a solution, that chance is very fast fading but again they are so blind and stubborn to see this they are doomed to division forever.

[Sotos]

Talat is the same like Dektash. He also wants for his Turks to keep the north part of our country that they stole from us. Exactly the same shit.