Turkish Cypriots are increasingly dissatisfied with the way the TRNC is being governed, according to the latest survey held in the North by the Centre for Migration, Identity and Rights Studies, a report by Turkish Cypriot journalist Funda Gumush says.
The organisation asked a sample of over 500 people what they thought about the water piped from Turkey and how Turkey has affected the TRNC in general.
The telephone survey, which is carried out every three months, found that 71% of respondents believed the water was a “life-line” for the island. However, they said it was essential that it should be administrated locally. The top three concerns about the imported water was cleanliness, costs and administration.
Over half of the respondents believed that there had been an increase in Turkey’s interventions in the TRNC, nearly 60% said this had a “negative” effect.
Just over half had become aware of an increase in religious influence and 62% said that the effects were negative.
On a scale of 1-10, Turkish Cypriots’ contentment was measured at 5.8; compared to 6.2 this time last year.
Director of CMIRS Mine Yucel commented that the increase in discontent in Turkish Cypriots was linked to politics, the economy and the Cyprus problem.
Yucel predicted that if an early election was held in the near future, there would only be a 50% turnout, since people were not sure who to vote for. “The fall in faith in the coalition and in the opposition parties are clearly reflected in the responses of the survey,” she said.
Increasing intervention by Turkey added to the effects of religion, are negative developments for the North, Yucel said.
There is a question also about the legitimacy of the current administration because, in an election, it could potentially only gain 19% of the votes. This is significant because many decisions are made despite public opinion, she noted.
Yucel called on politicians to be more aware of studies such as this one, when coupled with external factors, the community becomes increasingly despondent.
Cyprus Weekly
