Without a doubt, the most hotly debated issue in recent days has been the war of words between Doğuş Derya and Zorlu Töre and its public fallout.
At this point, I should say that what matters to me is not so much who said or implied what, but that things which could not be discussed are now being discussed.
The fact that things discussed behind closed doors until yesterday are now being discussed in Parliament is, in my view, a sign of serious progress.
While this aspect of the matter is important, unfortunately people on both sides have resorted to insulting those whose views they disagree with.
Yet what needed to be done to dispel the question marks was not to trade insults, but to give reasonable and sensible answers to those questions.
This tension could have been turned into an opportunity.
But sacrificing such an opportunity to a contest or debate over who can “hurl insults” will gain us nothing but a waste of time.
And indeed, ignoring this problem or viewpoint will not make it go away, just as it has not until now.
Let’s be honest…
We all know very well that what we say among ourselves in this country differs from what we say when others are among us.
In this country, we have our own divisions and beliefs.
In this country, while some people think, “We saved you,” or “We couldn’t have survived without them. They saved us!”, others think the exact opposite.
In this country, while some people think, “Aren’t we all Turkish?” and “That’s how these Cypriots are,” others think, “These blackbeards/people from Turkey came, and this is what happened.”
In this respect, we still have many problems and divisions that we have been unable to resolve or have not resolved, have been unable or unwilling to face, and have been unable or unwilling to discuss.
We can discuss and debate these divisions only when those of us who share the same views come together.
In my view, the right thing to do is to discuss all these problems between us openly and sincerely, within a framework of respect.
With the approach of not talking or debating that has been followed until now, we have got nowhere, and none of our problems or views have changed.
When we can speak freely about these issues, we will be able to set out on the path to becoming a fully integrated society that has overcome its problems.
I hope that one day we can achieve this…