www.talkcyprus.org

Dhavlos · Joined: 13 Aug 2005 Posts: 4697 Location: Birmingham

I know this idea may sound ridiculous, but after my seminar today on elitism, i was thinking about cyprus.

Why do we have two politicians....Talat and Tassos, who are essentially drawing red lines etc.... on a solution, or at least leading the way in their ideas for a solution?(a rhetorical question!)

Basically, Tpap and Talat imo, are not experts in everything about the cyprus problem.....essentially they are selfseeking, making sure they can be reelected at a later date(or look good in polls....in otherwords, making sure they are popular...and not necessarily for the greater good)

Why do we not have civil servants from both communities, who would be more independant, to form a plan....it would be less likely to be so 'heated' because no one person could be pointed at and blamed for 'giving in'. Also, they would not have the spotlight on one person....so there may be less pressure on them to work in the interests of one community.

I know the argue ment is maybe that the UN could have been a 'independant civil service' working for a solution...but if the civil servants came from the repective administrations (in the north and south), then there would be a common interest to work constructively, from what the'people' want, rather than imposed externally (although the civil service is not elected, so they are independant in the political sense....but they are cypriots,sothere is an interest to unite, i hope!)

what do people think...basically, should the repsective civil services of the two communities try to come up with a solution, rather than the politicians?

respiridus · Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2005 7:00 pm Post subject:

Dhavlos, do you know the "kyvernitikoi" mentality in Cyprus? These people (civil servants), if left unchecked, can spend their entire life pushing paper and doing nothing.

A recent example:
A few months ago, a Greek-Cypriot expatriate has donated a new electrocardiograph machine to be installed at the Nicosia General Hospital. However, the machine has been sitting idle all this time, locked in a warehouse, because of bureaucracy. Apparently, the customs officers can't deliver it because the import tax for it (approx. 15000 CYP) hasn't been paid. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health can't pay the tax because the funds for this is not part of their annual budget. So the damn thing has been sitting there for MONTHS, idle, and is in danger of being damaged because of neglect!

Dhavlos · Joined: 13 Aug 2005 Posts: 4697 Location: Birmingham

Oh, ok.....

maybe they arent the best people then!!

It was just an idea ... and for the record, i dont know much about cypriot beaurocracy etc...

respiridus · Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2005 7:06 pm Post subject:

Sorry :D :D :D

Seriously now, are you from the Dhavlos village, you know , the one at the northern shores of the island that the Turkish Cypriots call "Kaplika Koy"?

Dhavlos · Joined: 13 Aug 2005 Posts: 4697 Location: Birmingham

yep.....

my mum is from that village...my dad is from rizokarpaso/angastina

but to be honest....we dont see our dads family so much so we really just say we are from dhavlos...

why do you ask?

respiridus · Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2005 7:11 pm Post subject:

I have a friend from that village. His name is Christakis - just wondered if you knew him.

Alexandros Lordos · Joined: 19 Aug 2005 Posts: 324 Location: Cyprus/Greece

Well, another idea would be to negotiate a solution by constitutional convention.

Each community would elect a number of representatives (say, 50 from each side) who would be charged with the task of drawing up a new constitution for Cyprus. After their work is done, and if they reach agreement on a Plan, then the result will be put to simultaneous referenda of the two communities.

IMO, this is an idea worth thinking about ...

Dhavlos · Joined: 13 Aug 2005 Posts: 4697 Location: Birmingham

yes...that would be better

Birkibrisli · Joined: 29 Aug 2005 Posts: 1404 Location: Australia

Alexandros Lordos wrote: Well, another idea would be to negotiate a solution by constitutional convention.

Each community would elect a number of representatives (say, 50 from each side) who would be charged with the task of drawing up a new constitution for Cyprus. After their work is done, and if they reach agreement on a Plan, then the result will be put to simultaneous referenda of the two communities.

IMO, this is an idea worth thinking about ...

I agree with this, Alex
It is better than sitting on our hands and waiting for others to find a solution for us.Of course,when it comes to the referanda,the politicians will take centre stage and do their best to influence the outcome according to what is in their best interest(or in the best interest of their puppetmasters). That is the price we pay for parliamentary democracy.
Things would be much better if the parliaments on both sides were a bit more democratic.Now if we could invent a system that would function without politicians,and it would still be democratic,we might get somewhere.