QUESTIONS FOR THE PRIME MINISTER
(Publication Date: December 13, 2006)
Some terms
carry meanings that directly affect our lives.
One of these is “statistics.”
Statistics
are very important for human life, and they are also of vital importance to those in government. After all, statistics are a science that guides us in taking the pulse of society, meeting its needs, correcting improper practices, understanding the level of the society in question, and so on.
We can define statistics as “the
science of numbers, the art of making numbers meaningful, and an absolute standard for objective evaluation.”
However!
What matters in obtaining
accurate data is that the figures be precise and clear!
***
The other day, our Prime Minister
made a statement: “Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer said that with the new reforms to be introduced, the economy and working life of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus would be in a much better place.”
A statement that excites
and inspires us all, and raises our expectations!
It is also an accurate observation.
We are following the work of
Mr. Prime Minister and his government with interest.
They have made many radical decisions
and passed laws, from the social security law to the regulation of working life.
However, the statement made by the Prime Minister the other day was not limited to the above.
The Prime Minister continued
his statement: “Speaking at the General Assembly of the Republic’s Assembly, Prime Minister Soyer said that, given that an average of around 6,000 people cross into South Cyprus each day, and around 3,000 on Sundays, this gives an idea of the number of people working in South Cyprus. Soyer noted that there is not a very large gap between wages in South Cyprus and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, and said that around 3,000–4,000 Turkish Cypriots are working in South Cyprus today, and that this number is falling by the day.”
Yes, that is the statement and the news!
When you first read the news, you probably say, “Hooray, the TRNC economy is going to improve. Look, the number of people working in the South is already falling.”
Perhaps you are among those who say, “Hmm, so more people cross over to the Greek side on weekdays.”
I do not know how accurate or
inaccurate the Prime Minister’s statement is.
But this much
I do know: the Prime Minister himself does not know how accurate or inaccurate what he said is!
Because he is speaking on the basis of
assumptions!
*
I have a few questions for
Mr. Prime Minister.
How many people living in the TRNC
work on the Greek side?
How is this monitored?
What problems do those working
there face?
Do those working in the South
have any social security coverage?
In short, we could add many more
questions, but I believe it would be pointless to do so.
Because, as I said just now,
the Prime Minister is speaking on the basis of assumptions.
All this tells us that
the Prime Minister does not have scientific data on these matters.
No—if he does have this information
but is citing rounded figures, that is even more painful.
The Prime Minister, who criticizes whistle protests in Parliament, should not speak in Parliament as if he were chatting over coffee, citing rounded figures.
*
The Prime Minister is not to blame here.
In fact, I am not looking
for anyone to blame in this article.
I am simply trying to say a few things
about what is needed.
As I also noted in the introduction to
my article, statistics has become indispensable in every area of our lives, in every sector of society, and at every stage of decision-making; this science is, in fact, life itself.
For this reason, I especially
urge you: please properly oversee the process of collecting these data and forwarding them to experts for evaluation.
And please share these data
with the public, and base your statements on them.
Until we meet again in another article
on Friday; be respectful in traffic...
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