Nicosia, Cyprus. Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman on Wednesday criticised the north’s ‘prime minister’ Unal Ustel amid a dispute over cuts to the cost-of-living allowance as a general strike by public sector workers restarted earlier in the day.
Erhurman responds to Ustel’s criticism
Erhurman said he did not like April fool’s day jokes and compared Ustel’s call for him to show “seriousness”, “respect for the rule of law”, and to “avoid creating a crisis of confidence” to “a bad April fool’s joke”. He said April fool’s day “will pass” and added that “we have a lot of work to do to pave the way for our children and this nation”. He also said, “We do not have time to deal with bad jokes.”
Decree bypasses legislature amid allowance dispute
Erhurman’s comments followed Ustel’s statement on Tuesday evening criticising Erhurman for intervening in the crisis after Ustel’s ruling coalition bypassed the Turkish Cypriot legislature and halted payments of the cost-of-living allowance without allowing elected representatives to vote.
Erhurman warned that the decree to bypass the legislature “shatters the very thing we need most in terms of constitutional order, relations within the state structure, and most importantly in crisis management, trust”.
Ustel criticises Erhurman’s use of social media
Ustel said he had “followed with regret the unfortunate statements” made by Erhurman on Facebook regarding the decree, and said the statements were “incompatible with the seriousness of the state and constitutional norms”.
Ustel added that “Erhurman’s preference for Facebook over official state channels unfortunately demonstrates that he has not yet overcome the political reflexes of a party leader and has not fully internalised the weight of the neutral and inclusive office of the presidency”.
Allowance payments halted until next year at the earliest
The decree stipulates that Turkish Cypriot public sector workers will not be paid the cost-of-living allowance until next year at the earliest after this month. It was issued on Tuesday morning, hours after the coalition failed to pass a bill to do the same through the Turkish Cypriot legislature.
How do you think the dispute over the cost-of-living allowance will affect trust in the Turkish Cypriot administration?
