BirKibrisli wrote:If we applaud Bananiot for criticising his own side,we cannot turn around and criticise Kikapu for doing the same...They both have the right to their opinions and the right to speak them openly and freely...We don't have to agree with them,and we have the right to shoot them down for it,hopefully with intelligent and sensible discussion...
The problem is that it hurts more when critsicm is coming from your own side. That is why the TCs are very hard on Kikapu and the GCs on Bananiot...It is true that we need more Kikapus and Bananiots in this forum...That would indicate that more and more people are managing to see the "other" side's perspective...
Having said all that, I think Banainot has more credibility than Kikapu simply because he does criticise the TCs as well when the ocassion arises...I could be wrong,and would be delighted to be proven wrong,but I cannot remember Kikapu ever criticising or disagreeing with any GC on this forum...And I have not seen Kikapu ever defending and TC even when they are unfairly attacked...for example,when certain individuals keep going on the TCs being the Ottoman remnants,or guilty of the deeds of the Ottomans going back to 1571,or leaving their homes voluntarily to aid Turkey's expansionist Taksim policy during 1963-74,Kikapu remains silent...What he doesnt consider is that silence for most people indicate agreement...Yet it is not possible for a sensible,intelligent person and a TC, to agree that all TCs are thieves,cockroaches,traitors to their country,and hell bent on helping Turkey to achive her imaginary expansionist ambitions...It is not possible for any sensible person to believe that the TCs were wrong in opposing ENOSIS when they did,and the way they did it,which was the only realistic option they had...Yet when all these accusations are thrown at us,Kikapu will insist on keeping silent...
That I think is what is puzzling most TCs here,including myself,who did my share of criticising my own side in the past...The excuse that "I moved on,and now only consider the future" does not wash with me...Kikapu must have his own personal reasons for doing what he does...It is upto him to tell us what those reasons are ,if he so choses...If not we have to respect his decision and his right to conduct himself the way he sees fit...We do not have the right to speculate as to what those reasons might be...We have every right to attack his arguments but not his person...
Hi Bir,
Actually, you will find I have hell of a lot more posts making criticism of the GC's past events than Bananiot will ever have against the TCs. If you can access my first 6 months posts here on the forum, you will see what I'm talking about, therefore my credibility is intact.!
Spending endless hours of going back and forth on the same topics is the reason why I do not get into conversation about the past anymore. I have no hidden agendas, only I don't want to waste time by going around in circles. If you enjoy such "merry-go-round", then have fun. You yourself have only recently joined this "merry-go-around", so tell me Bir, how you managed to sort anything out with the GCs yet.?? Has the past events changed.? I don't think so, so while you are debating about the past and I choose not to get involved in it anymore, but does not mean I agree with what happened in the past to be correct or justifiable. I do not need to challenge every statement made by the GCs members here on the forum in order for me to remain credible. Lets not "throw the baby out with the bath water", or else it would become the case of labelling anyone "guilty" for choosing not to engage in the same topic over and over again. I wish you luck if you want to do so yourself, which is your provocative, but please allow me the same courtesy for not getting involved in the same "merry-go-around" conversation of the past.
For me, the future is what is important. When I pick on the NeoPartitionists and contradict their stance for wanting partition, is only because that is what they want to do, is to partition the island. Would you expect me to go along with them.?? This is at present time reality. This is where we are. Going back to past history is not going to change anything. That's why it is called history. It has already happened, but the permanent partition of Cyprus has not happened yet. This is something we can all do something about to alter the course of the future. This is what I'm interested in. This is what I argue for.
In any case, here is my very first post on the forum. You decide if I never argued against the GCs or against Piratis, since he is the most outspoken in reminding us of the past. You will some posts made by yourself also in the thread below. Take a look in what you said at the time.
Piratis & company are stuck in year 1571
Thu Apr 20, 2006 8:55 pm
I have been reading most of the post by Piratis for the last month or so, specially regarding the "Cyprus problem", and most of the time, he defends the actions taken by the Greeks against his fellow citizens ( Turks ), because of what had happend 400 years ago. Well, no wonder there won't be any settlement on the Island and will remain divided way beyond our life time. If grudges can be kept for that long for the claimed deaths of 20,000 in Nicosia back in 1571, then I expect, it will take another 130 years from 1974 for the deaths of claimed 6,000 lives. I have no idea how long the Turks grudges will last for the deaths they have suffered in the hands from their trusted fellow citizens (Greeks ).
Piratis likes to point out that the whole problem was just a " intercommunual disagreements" and it should be left to them to work it out. So then, why was it not worked out between 1963 to 1974 when the majority could have made "wrongs done" corrected. It actually goes back to 1960, when the ink wasn't dry yet on the signed agreements between the parties to make Cyprus an independent country, when the plans were being formed to slowly but surely do away with the minority citizens. Not necessarily kill them all, but exile most, otherwise I would not be here to write this, since I was one of the 700 citizens taken at gun point in Nicosia ( Kücük Kaymakli ) to a detention center at some University building and kept there for a week in 1963 at age 8 years old. We were lucky to be captured by Greek soldiers that chose not to do us harm to about 30 people hiding in one room. Not so lucky were the family not far from us who were gunned down in their bath tub.
Perhaps had ( Turks ) they known the grudges of 1571 were still alive and well, they would have not fallen victims to their fellow citizens ( Greeks ). We can all scratch our heads for solutions and what ifs, but too much blood have been spilt over dirt and national pride. Lets hope future generations do not follow Piratis & company's foot steps.
http://www.cyprus-forum.com/viewtopic.p ... pu&start=0