This is called ‘adding insult to injury’

When you put down some news stories that were in the papers recently, you will come across an extremely strange, unnecessary process. 

- Relocating the May 19 youth ceremonies from stadiums into schools: The outfits of the students during this festivity were a source of annoyance for the Education Ministry for a long time anyway. The statement of the Education Ministry lacks credibility and is pathetic in the real sense. “Students are distracted from classes; the weather is cold,” blah, blah, blah… Instead of this, if they had said, “We want to upgrade the 1940ish structure of May 19 ceremonies and transform it into a modern festivity,” then it wouldn’t have received so many reactions. 

- General Directorate of Religious Affairs’ decision to take students to an Umrah visit to Mecca: I do not know the real aim of the directorate but giving an example such as “Students are taken to Vatican in the Western world” is far from being credible. 

- An examination into Mina Urgan’s book by the Education Ministry: The ministry has started an investigation against a literature teacher who advised her students to read Mina Urgan’s wonderful book titled “The Memoirs of a Dinosaur.” The event is tragicomic. A principal has reacted by saying, “Why do they recommend books of authors of a different religion?” Over this, the ministry has assigned the same principal to investigate the case. 

Well done. Where would I start? 

Does this mentality prepare to ban all together the books of atheists and Christian writers? Who is trying to prevent us from learning about different views? 

This is an attitude that falls apart. 

Denktaş had one dream: to annex KKTC to Turkey 

As long as I remember in this occupation of mine, we always had a Cyprus issue. When Cyprus was mentioned, there was only one name that emerged: Rauf Denktaş. 

From the 1950s to today, for exactly 62 years, we are struggling to solve this issue. For 62 years, because Turkey and Greece cannot agree among themselves, this issue has become a toy in the hands of international giants (the United Kingdom, United States and Russia). 

If we make a balance sheet and review who has won and lost, Greece tops the list of winners. It has entered the European Union and was able to pull the Greek Cypriots behind. The Greek Cypriots also became rich and they were also empowered in the political arena because they were members of the EU. But they were able to reach this day by losing one (North Cyprus) of their two arms. 

Turkey on the other hand is shackled at both feet. The Turkish Cypriot is still poor and continues to live imprisoned to the island. 

It is because of Denktaş’s insistent and stubborn policies that we have reached the point we are at today… 

There are two “heroes” in Cyprus. 

One was Makarios. His aim was to silence the Turks and annex the entire island to Greece. 
The other was Denktaş. 

He also wanted to annex North Cyprus to Turkey at all costs. He did not have anything else in his heart, unwillingly accepted other proposals coming from Ankara but never truly adopted them. He believed the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) would not be able to survive without Turkey. It was not EU membership or a bi-communal, bi-zonal solution that he wished for. It was only annexation to Turkey and an independent KKTC under Turkey’s military guarantee that he worked so hard to accomplish. 

Both of these leaders were very strong. Makarios, until the Karamanlis government was formed (1974), and Dentaş, until the Erdoğan government was formed (2004), were able to influence both capitals and mold daily policies. They both had immense support from the public of the “mainland.” In other words, they were able to maneuver both countries. 

But neither Makarios nor Denktaş were able to fulfill their dreams. The world has changed; they have lost their effectiveness and they first left the political arena, then this world. 

The Turkish public loved Rauf Denktaş a lot during his lifetime. 

Me too. 

At times I was very angry at him. I thought he was outdated and I wrote it. Especially during the Annan Plan era, I harshly criticized him for making both Turkey and his own people miss a great opportunity. When I sat across from him, he would first drag me through the mud because I was not supporting him but at the end of every encounter and fight, he would win my heart with his kind-heartedness. 

In the lifespan of our generation, he was our hero who had left his mark on our recent past.