It’s worth being frank. The TRNC is a public-sector country, and the private sector here is always left struggling to survive. In recent days, whoever I talk to, the conversation keeps coming back to this! Why? Let me explain…
First, cash has stopped circulating in the country, and there are serious problems with payments—in other words, collecting what is owed. Second, almost every business owner wants a job in the public sector. In other words, not only private-sector employees but also those who employ them want to move into the public sector and become civil servants. The government is doing everything necessary to keep the private sector from staying afloat, from social insurance contributions to ex officio assessments and ordinary tax burdens. As soon as you show even a little life, pressure is put on you and you find yourself facing a mountain of debt. You can’t collect payments or pay your debts. As a result, bankruptcies and shop closures follow one after another. Then, when you walk the country’s streets, you see signs saying “for sale,” “for rent,” “business for transfer,” “we’re closing,” and “we’re finished”… The economic downturn is at its worst, the exchange rate is soaring, and the government seems to have little intention of doing anything about it. Indeed, as always, the government’s agenda is the public sector, temporary workers, and hiring. There has been no progress on the jobs created under the label of temporary employment to win votes over the years, most recently during the UBP congress! The announcement is that there will be no more temporary hires and that permanent positions will be opened instead. Yet no action is being taken—or can be taken—against those who are hired, and those who do the hiring, in this country based solely on “being one of someone’s people,” without regard for knowledge, qualifications, or experience. When it comes to the public sector, no one has the courage to make the necessary reforms. But the future is being mortgaged, and the injustices being done are forcing people to leave the country. One part of the country is chasing higher salaries and social benefits, even as its “guaranteed” pay erodes because of the economic downturn; another is struggling to collect payments, drowning in debt.
So, can’t the people who should step in and fix this see what’s happening? Are they really living so far removed from the public and the marketplace?
There’s a story from the United States that’s often told about this. During his campaign for a second term as president, George H. W. Bush had an experience. He went to a supermarket and looked around. Just then, the cashier was scanning items with a laser barcode reader. Bush Sr. was astonished when he saw this and said, “That’s a very impressive technology.” Yet the system had been in use in the United States for years. The comments that followed put Bush Sr. in a very difficult position. The fact that he hadn’t been to a supermarket in years and didn’t mix with ordinary people led to his losing the election. Of course, that’s the United States, and Americans live there. When Americans realize that someone doesn’t know their problems, they don’t vote for them.
So, who do we vote for?