Veteran politician Serdar Denktaş was interviewed by Yeniduzen about his decision to join the mass protest rally organised by the CTP two weeks ago.
Former deputy prime minister and former leader of the Democratic Party* (DP) Serdar Denktaş said that the march had given a voice to the people who had lost hope in the country and had rallied against the apparent indifference of the current government to their woes.
Denktaş said he personally had received both positive reactions from those who attended the rally and those who attacked him for participating.
“I turned to those who attacked me and said, ‘Instead of thinking about why I am there, think about why both Dr. Küçük’s son and Rauf Denktaş’s son were present and leading in a CTP rally with both right and left-wing unions. Think about the reasons for that, and you will do better.’ That’s the truth. I am not a CTP member, and we have different approaches, especially on the Cyprus issue, but it is not the time to discuss time differences; it is the time to find commonalities. Indeed, there, the unhappiness in the country, the increasing cost of living, and the migration of our children were emphasised. Aren’t we all complaining about these? If someone is making noise, if we also contribute a breath to that voice, everything will be better”, he said.
Describing the UBP-DP-YDP coalition government as a government that cannot even reach the right destination with the right steps, Serdar Denktaş said that all parties in the coalition had the same mentality – hand out jobs and get votes.
Denktaş said he kept talking about these issues, “but sometimes it feels like I am talking to myself. Because no one calls and says, ‘come, friend, tell us.’ There are three things we easily waste, land, water, and people. All three are scarce in this country. These things sadden me”, he said.
Distrust in politics and politicians.
“Trust has been eroded tremendously, especially in recent years. Citizens have surrendered themselves to the perception that “the will is not ours.” However, the will is theirs, but they can easily manipulate it. If citizens act with the thought, “We are the ones living here, and even if it comes from Ankara, a whispered decision can affect our lives here, but it won’t affect them,” then hope will sprout again, and we won’t be in such despair. In my opinion, the most significant problem is the loss of trust in politics and politicians. We must find a way to reinforce this trust”, Denktas said.
*The Democratic Party was founded as a breakaway from the ruling right-wing National Unity Party (UBP) in 1992.
