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[Saint Jimmy]

Apologies to TCs on this board. By its nature, this question goes out to GCs mostly:

Why would we have a problem with equal political representation in any form of government structure? I take it as granted that we don't plan or intend to take any decision that is against the interests of TCs, and in our favour - after all, we are here (that is, in Cyprus) together, and we have to live and work together; plus, we know what happened last time we tried to change the law because we didn't like it! So, if that is true, why do we mind them being represented equally in Parliament or wherever?

One answer could be because the Annan Plan gives them the right to effectively veto any decision by means of not allowing a majority vote in the house. However, as an example, if a decision is good for the entire country, whereas the alternative is not as good, but better for TCs, do you think that every single one of the TCs in the House would vote for the latter??? All of them?

That's got to amount to unfair generalization... They are not all evil, nationalistic ogres! I haven't met any, but I'm sure they have a few of those, too, as do we!!!

Are we (or: 'Have we been taught to be') just afraid of the big bad wolf???

[Alexandros Lordos]

One answer could be because the Annan Plan gives them the right to effectively veto any decision by means of not allowing a majority vote in the house. However, as an example, if a decision is good for the entire country, whereas the alternative is not as good, but better for TCs, do you think that every single one of the TCs in the House would vote for the latter??? All of them?

Saint jimmy,

the Annan Plan does not say for TCs to block a decision all of them must disagree ... in the senate, at least 40% of TCs must agree to most important decisions, and in the presidential council at least one out of two.

just to get the facts straight ...

[insan]

According to the logic of those GCs, sharing the power equally on legislative and judicial bodies will lead us to deadlocks on many issues. So what if TC's population has been same with the GCs population? Would it mean that any form of unification couldn't be possible because both communities would have an absolute political equality?

[Saint Jimmy]

Saint jimmy,

the Annan Plan does not say for TCs to block a decision all of them must disagree ... in the senate, at least 40% of TCs must agree to most important decisions, and in the presidential council at least one out of two.

just to get the facts straight ...

Yep, I had a couple of things wrong, you're right. But the spirit of the question still stands. Even so, does that mean that we are against such an organisation of the legislature because we can't trust... 2 out of 5 TCs to make the right decisions, fanaticism-free??? Do you see where this is going? If we are against it without being able to justify it, we'd better start thinking 'bigotry', 'racism', etc.

[KELEBEK]

Saint Jimmy

Are we (or: 'Have we been taught to be') just afraid of the big bad wolf???

I see myself more as a butterfly.

[Saint Jimmy]

I see myself more as a butterfly.

??????
Sorry, didn't get it...

[Alexandros Lordos]

Saint jimmy,

the Annan Plan does not say for TCs to block a decision all of them must disagree ... in the senate, at least 40% of TCs must agree to most important decisions, and in the presidential council at least one out of two.

just to get the facts straight ...

Yep, I had a couple of things wrong, you're right. But the spirit of the question still stands. Even so, does that mean that we are against such an organisation of the legislature because we can't trust... 2 out of 5 TCs to make the right decisions, fanaticism-free??? Do you see where this is going? If we are against it without being able to justify it, we'd better start thinking 'bigotry', 'racism', etc.

You have a point, and personally I am not against such an arrangement so long as the numbers are fixed. 40%, or 1 out of 2, is too much, and we could fall prey, not so much to fanaticism as to interest groups. If it was 25% and 1 out of 3, then that would still protect genuine TC rights (since it can be assumed that in cases of anti-TC legislation all TCs would vote against it) while making the system less vulnerable to those who might want to take advantage of it in order to further their own personal interests.

[Piratis]

Would that mean that you would agree to give me and my family political equality as well? I mean since nobody wants to harm me anyways, then why not?

The TCs have some strange idea of what is fair and how we should share things in Cyprus. What if tomorrow they demand that since there are 2 states in Cyprus, they should share the budget equally as well. And if we don't agree block the budget. What then?

[Alexandros Lordos]

What if tomorrow they demand that since there are 2 states in Cyprus, they should share the budget equally as well. And if we don't agree block the budget. What then?

This is the perfect example of what I meant above, that the Federal Government should not be vulnerable to getting hijacked by interest groups. "Political Equality", while essential, can also have its dark side, and we should be wary of that.

As I said in another post, we need efficient, reliable and impartial tie-breaking mechanisms for exactly this kind of problem.

[Saint Jimmy]

Would that mean that you would agree to give me and my family political equality as well? I mean since nobody wants to harm me anyways, then why not?

Dude, strange argument, I like it!!

Anyhow, you and your family have no reason to ask for such equality: no one has ever threatened you (that I know of )! The reason I think TCs are entitled to some kind of safeguard against the possibility of GC 'oppression', not any more by physical force, but by legal means, is because I feel they have a point in not trusting us. Just as we have a point in not trusting Turkey, and thus our claim to get rid of Turkey's guarantees is valid.