SHAME
(Publication
Date: 19 March 2007)
They were the ones,
I should have run away or gone somewhere they couldn't see me.
I'm looking for a side street
of my own.
On that side street, I need to find a place that suits me; somewhere they can't see…
***
A topic that was much
discussed in recent days had somehow not made it onto my agenda.
And I'm glad it hadn't!
Because on Saturday at around 18:00,
I realised what a pointless debate it was.
The topic under discussion:
The “punishers” who have been making their presence felt on our streets and have now become everyone's nightmare.
Did you park your car by the side of the road and/or somewhere parking is prohibited?
You get a ticket straight away.
Numerous in number,
these people roam the streets like jackals searching for food.
My opinion on this matter
was quite positive!
In other words, they're doing
what they're supposed to do.
Doesn't it cause you a problem, too,
when cars parked along the roadside throw traffic into chaos?
It's true that we all
complain about this, but when all is said and done, we park there ourselves.
In fact, this is a reflection
of the hypocrisy we display in many areas.
No, no, don't get angry right away;
don't you think I'm right?
Aren't we the ones who say, “Let's not be traffic monsters,” and then go on to cause accidents?
Aren't we the ones who say, “It would be so nice if there were no nepotism in government offices,” and then rush to find friends and family to pull strings for us?
Aren't we the ones who complain about environmental pollution, throw rubbish here and there, and act as if we want to do our bit to pollute the environment?
That's us, isn't it?
So we shouldn't get angry right away…
Anyway, that's not what
this is about.
*
Let's get back to our
“punishers”…
As far as I recall, the complaints
raised in the discussions in recent days were: The large number of these people, how they were hired, and their level of education.
The number of these people, how
they were hired, their level of education, and/or whether they were trained for the job they do are not important to me! After all, this is the responsibility of those who hired them. I'm sure they have taken the necessary measures in this regard. And if they haven't, they'll be held to account when the time comes.
Hasn't that always been the way?(!)
What makes these discussions
meaningless isn't what I've just said.
In my view, the real issue worth
discussing is the things that happen to undermine what these people are trying to do.
Just as happened last Saturday
at around 18:00!
*
I was at the newspaper around 17:00 on Saturday; you know, there's a page I put together, called Sinekritik, which is published on Sundays in your newspaper, Vatan. (By the way, starting with yesterday's page, I've begun a series of articles called “Once Upon a Time”—I don't think you should miss it…)
I'd gone to the newspaper to discuss the details of the new column that would appear on this page. I left the newspaper at around 18:00. As I was driving towards home, along Dereboyu Avenue, there was a traffic jam I couldn't make sense of. Yes, there's always traffic on that avenue, but it usually affects both directions. There was no problem in my direction; the jam was on the other side.
As I drove on, curious, what did I see? A huge rubbish truck had blocked the opposite lane, people were furious, and there was a strong stench…
I looked again to make sure I wasn't seeing things. My eyes might have deceived me, but that foul smell was proof enough of the truth.
As you know, Dereboyu
Avenue is home to some of Nicosia's most popular venues.
I couldn't help asking myself, “What is rubbish collection doing on that avenue at that time of day?”
In fact, just as I'm doing now,
let me ask everyone concerned, not just myself.
Besides, isn't it the job of the
“punishers” who patrol that avenue to keep people from parking along it and, as a result, prevent the absurd parking here and there, thereby reducing traffic congestion, at least somewhat?
While these people work all day
to achieve that, isn't it a disservice to them if you, the people who hired them, cause traffic congestion like this?
If our ancestors told you, “What kind of fasting is this, with cabbage pickles on the side?”
what would you say?
Is it really so difficult to collect the rubbish at other times of day, for example, in the dead of night, when not a soul is out on the streets?
See you on Wednesday… Be respectful in traffic!
All the texts and other content on this page are original and belong to Cem KAR. They may not be used, even in part, in any way in print or any other electronic medium (CD, Internet, etc.) without permission.