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UBP and Change
24.04.2009

Niyazi Kizilyurek
Political parties generally come to power by promising change; however the biggest challenge for UBP is changing itself
Beyond doubt the winner of the election is the UBP. The big right wing party achieved power by itself. UBP won the election with an old leader and old policies but did not recognise that they have entered a new era. We will all witness soon whether they register the new era or not and what sort of policies they will adopt.
There are big differences between the Turkish Cypriot community that existed when the UBP was in power five years ago and the Turkish Cypriot community of today. Today the Turkish Cypriot community is in a relatively regular relationship with Greek Cyprus. The number of the people who work in the South, students who study there, people who receive services in the hospitals and people who go there for shopping is significant. A majority of Turkish Cypriots carry Cyprus Republic passport and benefit from the EU opportunities.
Mr. Eroglu came together with the Greek Cypriots only once in all his political life. He met with DISI just in the eve of the election. I guess he crossed to the South for the first time for this reason. This was an improvement but now all the crossing points are open and thousands of Greek Cypriots cross to the North. Tomorrow somebody may like to enjoy a cup of coffee with Mr. Eroglu. Beyond that, the relations between these two communities are not controllable like in the old times and certainly cannot be easily restricted. The world wants improvements in the relations of two communities in an EU member Cyprus. In the old days of Mr. Eroglu this was also considered as betrayal. For the UBP Turkey is also a new Turkey. In 2003 when the UBP was in power Turkey had not taken any steps towards EU membership. Today this is not the case. Today Turkey is carrying out membership negotiations with EU on one side and on the other side fighting for democratization.
The Turkish Cypriot community is going through a very serious economic crisis now. We do not even know whether the salaries will be paid next month. To produce solutions to these problems will not be as easy for Dervis Eroglu as he said in the election campaign. Everybody knows that Turkey, where unemployment is through the roof, will not be as generous. On the other side, the sea of plunder, North Cyprus is finished. It is not possible to fill the public service with new civil servants. Creative politics is necessary and it can be done with the old habits.
The Orams case will be concluded soon. Most probably the Greek Cypriot owner of the property will win this case. From now on building economics between the lands will be impossible. Under these conditions trying to abolish the Property Compensation Commission will lead Turkey to a more difficult position.
We will watch how much UBP will adjust to this new climate or will adjust at all. However if they will be persistent with old politics and approaches, it is possible to say that they will not be a very long lasting party.
I want to draw attention to one point as I conclude. In his first statements made right after the elections, Dervis Eroglu gave signs of ‘change’ that did not escape people’s notice. He persistently noted that UBP is not against a solution or anti-EU. Actually he even went one step further and mentioned the ‘Agreements of the Cyprus Dispute during the UBP times’..
Let’s not forget that anyone who swing-voted for UBP, will leave UBP quickly if a solution chance can be caught tomorrow but UBP insists on their old opinions.
UBP say they come for a change but for the nationalist right the biggest challenge is to change itself and introduce itself to liberal democratic values. Politics based on plundering property left behind by the Greeks and the heroism of those who died in 1974 and before is over. It is beneficial for UBP to recognise this; for itself and for the Turkish Cypriot community and Turkey.