Front Page Headlines
Only 29 per cent of the financial protocol implemented
Only one-third of the funds that were allocated for the island as part of the Turkey-TRNC financial protocols signed for 2020 and 2021 were transferred. Around ₺2bn (€177m) that was promised as part of financial agreements announced with grand protocols during Prime Minister Ersin Tatar and Ersan Saner’s terms was not sent to the TRNC. A striking observation from Erkan Okandan, an experienced finance expert and a former bureaucrat who served with the finance and economy ministries: “The protocols were not implemented, the Turkish Lira lost value. The new budget must be approved in light of these facts. The TRNC is paying the highest price for the mistakes in Turkey’s monetary policies. ₺79.7m (€7m) was paid from local revenues because money was not sent for the defence budget.”
The 2022 budget: ₺12.7bn(€1.14bn)
The Council of Ministers approved the 2022 State Budget and transferred it to the parliament. The budget will first be discussed at the relevant subcommittee from November 16 to 18 and then at the Parliamentary Assembly from November 22 to 24. The government spokesman, Education Minister Olgun Amcaoğlu said the 2022 budget grew by 21 per cent.
- The poverty threshold for a family of four is ₺4,552 (€406) – Turkish Cypriot Public Servants’ Union (KTAMS) said the price hikes widen the gap between the poverty threshold and the minimum wage.
The UBP is not concerned about the country
The leader of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) Tufan Erhürman evaluated the latest developments in the country on Havadis web TV. He criticized the National Unity Party (UBP) government’s lack of concern for the problems the country is facing.
- Poverty threshold crushed minimum wage – Turkish Cypriot Public Servants’ Union (KTAMS) said poverty threshold for a family of four is ₺4,552 (€406).
Worrying
It emerged that the suspect who is wanted in connection with the murder of businessman Cemal Altıntaş in Ağrı (Turkey) has been living in the TRNC for the past four years. The suspect who had an arrest warrant issued in his name was captured in Famagusta on October 16. Police have been investigating as to where he had been hiding and who had been harbouring him. While the suspect was taken to Turkey by a team arriving from Istanbul, reports said that the search for a second suspect was continuing.
- In the region for three months –The French frigate “Auvergne’ docked at Larnaca port.
A new source for kick backs
These buildings will be demolished (Supported with a photograph of the five buildings by the sea). Deniz Yıldızı (Starfish) apartments, located in the Laguna Beach area in Famagusta and owned by the Evkaf Administration of Cyprus, are made up of five blocks housing hundreds of people. In a very swift decision, it was decided to demolish these buildings. It is claimed that the five blocks which have 159 apartment units are not earthquake resistant even though a group of experts carried out inspections on the buildings two months ago, saying the contrary.
- Poverty threshold ₺4,552 (€406) – Turkish Cypriot Public Servants’ Union (KTAMS) said.
Main News
IPC president and its members appointed
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis Diyalog, Avrupa
Property, Territory
OVERVIEW
Növber Ferit Veçhi has been appointed as the new President of the Immovable Property Commission (IPC) and Oktan Türe as a member by the Higher Judiciary Board (YAK) on Tuesday. The appointments, which are effective from October 1 onwards, were published in the official gazette on Monday.
The president of the IPC and the member were recommended by the Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, and the appointments were executed by YAK.
The members of the IPC as it stands now are as follows: Növber Ferit Veçhi (President), Güngör Günkan (Vice President), Oktan Türe (Member), Erhan Berksel (Member), Christiana Krüger (Member), Daniel Tarschys (Member), Saskia Yorucu (Member).
The minimum wage remains ₺228 (€20) below the poverty threshold
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Economy, Governance & Power Sharing
OVERVIEW
Turkish Cypriot Public Servants’ Union (KTAMS) on Tuesday said the minimum wage in the north continues to remain below the poverty threshold.
In a statement issued by the union, Güven Bengihan, head of KTAMS, argued that the minimum wage is melting before the price hikes in the marketplace as well as against the increasing value of the foreign currencies. He added that as of October 31, 2021, the poverty threshold for a family of four stands at ₺4,552 (€406), however the net minimum wage with the latest increase is ₺4,324 (€386).
Bengihan argued the recently established minimum wage contradicts the provisions of the law on the minimum wage making it mandatory for the wage paid to the employee to meet certain standards. He added that the research carried out by KTAMS proved that the net minimum wage is below the poverty threshold.
He added that in addition to the annual inflation rate of 20 per cent which is calculated based on official figures. “There will be a chain increase in many goods and services as a result of the increase in the retail price of fuel,” Bengihan stressed, warning that the purchasing power of the people will decrease further and worsen people’s economic strife.
Bengihan added that the proposed increase in the minimum wage will not be enough to restore the public’s purchasing power, arguing for the need to make legal amendments to include the minimum wage in the law that regulates giving cost-of-living increments to the public sector once every six months.
Meanwhile, the Turkish Cypriot Department of Statistics in a statement issued on Tuesday, confirmed that the retail prices of goods have increased by an average of 20 per cent from August 2020 to July 2021. The Statistics Department also noted the price of fresh vegetables increased by nearly seven per cent in one month from July 2021 to August 2021.
Ireland donates €25,000 to CMP
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis Diyalog, Avrupa
Human Rights
OVERVIEW
Ireland has donated €25,000 to the Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) in Cyprus, the dailies report on Wednesday. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the CMP expressed gratitude to Ireland, which has donated €375,000 since 2006, for its generous donation.
“This contribution to the CMP Project on the Exhumation, Identification and Return of Remains of Missing Persons in Cyprus will support the Committee’s goal of identifying and returning as many remains of missing individuals as possible to bring an end to the uncertainty which has affected so many families for so many years,” the CMP statement read.
The CMP concluded by noting that it relies on donor support to implement its bicommunal project to alleviate the suffering of the concerned families and it has so far identified 1020 missing persons from both communities and returned to their families for dignified burials.