14
January 2014
Hakkı
ÖZER
hakkiozi25@hotmail.com
Abandoning the Cyprus Syndrome
Being part of a Diaspora living in a cosmopolitan city such as London is no special thing.
However, being part of a Diaspora, which is so large that it is challenging the population in
your own country surely is. For whatever reason, there is a considerably big Cypriot Diaspora living in London since 1950s. As a member of the Cypriot Diaspora, I sometimes
question how did I or all of us end up here. Colonisation, for one reason, for sure. On the
other hand, many other reasons, such as civil conflict, being part of the strategic political
aims of the so called “1st World”, being a tool in their political games, and of course invasion by “Mother Lands”, which is a term which I personally dislike, played their parts.
When you mention Cyprus to anyone, the immediate answer given, image envisaged is
you are missing out living in paradise. This is partly true. However, as a Cypriot, for a fact
I do know that although it seems like a paradise to an outsider, it is a very disappointing
place to be born in, given the beauty and the capacity it has. She is a dream that has never
fulfilled its potential and will she ever do?
For the last few years I got the chance to witness and be part of the Cypriot Diaspora living
in London. My main and inevitable observation, just like many others’ around me, is that
the Cypriots living here are physically here but mentally are living with Cyprus most of the
time. This “Cyprus Syndrome” seems to find you wherever you go. I find this very disheartening and scary at the same time. This is a sociological issue which should be worked
on...
For many years, and unfortunately at the moment, the status quo in Cyprus remains. For
one part of our population, mainly people over the age of 60, the civil war; which has led
to the separation of the country, is serving its due: Ethnic division. For the rest, upcoming
and significant part, it is a doom which is not helping the country at all and it never will
do. Both the north and the south are going through difficulties in their own rights at the
moment, but the main issue is that both do not give optimistic signs of progress. There is
an ever changing trend of differing ideological parties elected on both sides of the division
and ideologies seem to no longer be part of the political game in Cyprus.
On both sides of the unfortunate and gloomy division in Cyprus, people are voting for political parties not based on their ideologies, but mainly on how they can benefit more from
the nepotistic system which has taken over the country as a whole. The nepotistic inclinations of Cypriots as a whole is another sociological subject which should be studied on its
own. However, it is not very unusual to see an island nation’s citizens, who has been under
the rule of so many different empires such as Egypt, French, Byzantium, Ottoman and influenced by nationalism in the 20th century, to stick with whoever is in power, is it? For all
the followers of the right wing parties on both sides of the division, a very scary issue lies
beneath the surface: “What if we are to be re-united?” They are doing well enough to prevent this. And for the left wing followers the question which should be coming forward is:
“Are we doing enough to contribute to a fair, legal and sustainable re-unification?” Honesty and willingness are lacking in both political wings on both sides of the division.
A quarter of a century has gone by and the re-unification dream, which seemed so far away
during this period, finally seemed possible when AKEL and CTP were elected in the south
and the north respectively, and a re-approachment process was underway. It can still take
considerable academic work to study what was planned, discussed and was tried to be
achieved, but the outcome is very clear: Failure. For all the people who believed that reunification will finally bring peace and prosperity to the island, the one chance that has
ever come across has been missed, wasted or eluded by the 2 parties that fought for it during all their existence. Even some people who sincerely thought along right wing inclinations changed their sides with the wind of optimism during this period. Even they felt
disappointed. Betrayal for all Cypriots. A lost chance.
A short while ago, a new wave of negotiations was initiated for the future of Cyprus. The 2
leaders from both sides of the division showed positive signs of a new willingness to come
together to discuss the future of the island. This momentum came to a halt and turned into
a sour mood once again after a very short period of time. This comes as no surprise, as the
citizens of a small island nation are left in the hands of 2 right wing leaders now, which is
something that we should be really concerned about. Their true intentions are quite shadowed, their lips tight and they are proving to be dishonest to their citizens by giving false
hopes and then darkening the mood even more. You can only wonder us, as masses, the
believers in the future of Cyprus as a re-unified nation, are being fooled about a game
which is into extra time? History tells me that we are. Unfortunately, I think the Cyprus
issue has always been, is and will be a game that we have no control over. No matter how
much time and effort is put into speaking, thinking, organising events and meetings over
the ongoing Cyprus problem, it is going only in one way: Status quo is good for all involved. Both left wings parties, CTP and AKEL are insufficient and insincere in their efforts and their willingness to lead the re-approachment process, and are betraying the
country and its citizens on both sides of the cursing division. As a result, this vital job is
left to trade unions as leaders in this sense, and masses are trying to contribute to the reunification cause via social media at a grass roots level. With the lack of leadership in an
organised manner, one can only empathise with them.
In the light of the above, and coming back to where I started, I believe, thinking about and
fighting a fight which currently is simply out-of-our-hands is not working out. We need to
get stronger by utilising different means, which is adding more f