I interviewed Ali Başman, one of the successful figures in the business world, for the newly launched BayMen Magazine... You can read the full interview and see the photos in the magazine, but I wanted to share some of its striking points with you…
The economy took centre stage in our conversation with Ali Başman about the TRNC... On this subject, Ali Başman says, “It is the duty of governments to raise the public’s standard of living. Our current government colleagues say, ‘Income levels have risen.’ But no one talks about expenses. They should explain how income and expenditure are balanced. I absolutely disagree with the minister’s statement that ‘we are on a very good path.’ In fact, in my view, the TRNC economy is experiencing its worst days.”
“If you can’t enforce it, don’t pass a law!”
I don’t know what the minister (the Minister of Finance) would say, but I asked Ali Başman what he based this on. Başman explained the situation with examples: “People’s purchasing power has fallen. How much have electricity prices risen in the last two years? How much have petrol prices risen? Last year, someone earning a salary of 1,500 TL was getting around 1,000 dollars. The dollar is now at 1.8, which means salaries have lost 20% of their value. Given that our market is indexed to foreign currencies, it’s not hard to see that purchasing power has fallen. Business is down in every sector except food. The situation for restaurants is even more dramatic. They introduced a smoking ban, which I fully support, but it’s different in casinos! Supposedly, TRNC citizens are not allowed in... But go to a casino and 80% of the people there are TRNC citizens… There’s free food, free drinks, entertainment, smoking is allowed, and you can also try your luck. Why would people go to restaurants or entertainment venues? If you’re going to pass a law, monitor and enforce it… Well, if you can’t enforce it, don’t pass a law… Unfortunately, that’s where our country has problems… If smoking indoors is prohibited, it should be prohibited everywhere; there should be no exceptions…” What can you say when someone speaks the truth?
One thing I was curious about was the situation facing our young people. I asked Ali Başman what message he would give to young people thinking of entering the business world. Başman said it was wrong to leave for other countries and work as a dishwasher because there are no jobs in this country. At the same time, he noted that working life is not easy and that anyone thinking of starting a business should first work somewhere in that sector.
Speaking about the future of the business world, Başman said, “Doing business in the TRNC is not easy… We have a small-scale market, and our population isn’t large! Even so, our businesspeople are very successful… In my view, tourism is our country’s biggest industry. If we welcome one million tourists, our country will take off. We need to make that happen…” He urged the government to develop policies in that direction... Knowing of Başman’s interest in football, I also wondered whether he was interested in politics. “I haven’t had much time until now, but I think it’s time to get into politics,” said Başman, pointing out that winning an election is not what matters; what happens after you win is.
Those were the main points from my interview with Ali Başman, but if I were you, I’d pick up the BayMen Magazine, which goes on sale today, for the behind-the-scenes story and other details...