A while ago, I wrote an article titled “That Economic Program We Prepared, You Know” and criticized the government over its preparation of an economic program. In that article, I said the following: On September 19, Sunat Atun, the TRNC Minister of Economy and Energy, said, “The economic program is the work of the people of the TRNC”…
Ten days after this statement, we read a report saying that the minister had spoken to TRT about the economic program. “I suppose the minister is explaining the program to the people of Turkey because we prepared it and know all about it,” we thought. The Turkish people certainly have a right to know…
Then, about four days ago, the minister gave an exclusive interview to BRT’s Ankara bureau. In it, the minister explained that there would be no cuts for public employees, and that the cost-of-living adjustment would be distributed in a more sustainable and equitable way.
This time, we were the target, and the minister was explaining to us the program we had prepared. Naturally; One voice rose from all the people of the TRNC at once: “We knooow… We prepared it…”
I had written these lines jokingly, with a touch of irony. But in a conversation I had the other day with my guest, Seda Yavaş, Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce, I saw that after the program was announced, a certain group really was saying, “We knooow… We prepared it…”
But everyone I have spoken to about the provisions in the announced economic program—from the business community and economists to almost everyone in the opposition—is saying the same thing: “We support the provisions in the program that point to our problems. But there is no substance behind them… It doesn’t say how they will be implemented,” they say…
As for me, I was torn over what to think when I read the program. I’m conflicted about whether to support all the provisions in it or not…
That’s because the provisions in the program are so open-ended that you end up using a lot of “ifs” when interpreting them… Take Kıb-Tek, for example… There are provisions about breaking up Kıb-Tek and divesting it. But since the details—how this would be done—aren’t clearly set out, when commenting on it you have to say, “If no one loses their job and we get a high-quality service, then it’s a positive step.” It’s possible to come up with many comments on this and other issues that begin with “if”…
To put it briefly, without going into “detail,” just like the announced program itself, the program has economized on words: it avoids detail and uses fairly general, roundabout sentences…
The economic program, which is very economical with words, has drawn criticism from trade unions for failing to include clear statements, and there is no doubt that it will soon bring a significant number of people out onto the streets…
I hope these demonstrations won’t add to the turmoil in our country, where political chaos already reigns…
Until we meet again, goodbye…