TCC Press Review 10 Oct 2021

Front Page Headlines

Yenidüzen

The president is touring!

42 of the last 343 days spend abroad. President Ersin Tatar has travelled abroad 11 times for various reasons since he took office on October 23, 2020. Absent from his post for 12.42 per cent of his time in office, Tatar carried out eight of his 11 visits to Turkey.

  • Citizenship was also granted for a regular visitor17 new citizenships were granted. The Council of Ministers gave citizenship to an individual who has been visiting the country regularly for the past six months and engaging in business activities.

Kıbrıs

The number of wardens must be increased for the new prison

The efforts to come up with an organisation chart for the new prison started with problems. KTAMS (Turkish Cypriot Public Servants’ Union) reacted when it emerged that there are differences in the draft law submitted to the parliamentary sub-committee and the draft prepared by the relevant technical committee. KTAMS president Güven Bengihan said a new and privileged group under the name of “External Security Unit” is being created under the draft law. “What we need is an increase in the number of wardens, not set up a new unit,” Bengihan stressed.

Diyalog

Telephone (failures) are particularly a big problem

Citizens seeking or applying for services from government or public offices yearn for the good old days. It’s not as easy as it used to be to acquire services at a government office. Speaking to Diyalog, concerned citizens say they experience serious difficulties when it comes to repairs of landlines or when seeking health services “It’s not only the workers’ fault. The state is experiencing shortages in equipment or lacking experienced staff. There is also neglect,” members of the public told the paper. They complained that repairs of landlines took ages and that services in the private sector were much better.

  • It’s giving out a messageThe Greek Cypriot administration allocated €127m from its €480m defence budget for 2022 to purchase new arms.

Avrupa

210 new citizens granted in 60 days

Citizenships are being distributed frivolously. The government has agreed to grant 17 people TRNC citizenship. According to data collated from the official gazette, the government has given 210 people citizenship since July. The majority of the new citizens are aged between 35 and 53. Some of them have only resided in the north for five years. The names of the new TRNC citizens were published in the official gazette dated October 8.

  • Tourist granted citizenship Murat Demir, who came to the country as a tourist, was granted citizenship under ‘exceptional citizenship clauses,’ following establishing a consultancy company and purchasing a house.

Main News

“Frequent visitor” to the north granted citizenship

Yenidüzen, Avrupa
Migration & Citizenship

OVERVIEW

The National Unity Party (UBP)-Democratic Party (DP)-Rebirth Party (YDP) coalition was the source of a new scandal, this time with the ‘TRNC’ citizenship which was granted to an individual on grounds that he visits the north frequently for business.

Yenidüzen reported on Sunday that citizenship was granted under the citizenships law’s provisions on ‘exceptional’ citizenship. Meanwhile, former interior minister and People’s Party (HP) MP Ayşegül Baybars argued that the problem with ‘exceptional’ citizenship is the lack of transparency.

Speaking during a web TV programme, Baybars said the current interior ministry has granted citizenship to people who do not reside in the north or have not had any political, economic or social contributions to the north.

“For example, the architect tasked to draw the project for the new presidential complex has been granted TRNC citizenship by the government,” she complained, adding that when this issue was raised in the parliament, the government has not responded.

Baybars also argued that the current ministry is now distributing the citizenship indiscriminately and without any respect or compliance with the relevant law.

Leader of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) Tufan Erhürman had also complained about the government’s citizenship policies. He last week had warned that “all hell will break loose” if there is a shocking increase in the number of constituents at the time of the elections.

Avrupa on Sunday reported that the government continues to grant people with “TRNC” citizenship without complying with the laws in place. The daily noted that the majority of the new citizens, who are aged between 35 and 53, have been residing in the north for five years, even though the law in place requires a minimum of 11 years.

The daily, collating information available on the official gazette, noted that the government has granted 210 people citizenship since July.


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