Ozkardas sees a danger for the Turkish Cypriot identity if “amnesty” for the illegal workers and the “citizenship law” is approvedTurkish Cypriot daily Kibris (07.06.11) reports that Mehmet Ozkardas, chairman of the “Civil Servants” Trade Union (KAMU-SEN), has said that the Turkish Cypriots could endure the cuts in their salaries, the abolition of the sliding scale of wages and the change of their working hours, but they could not tolerate their identity and existence to be put in danger.

In statements yesterday during visits of KAMU-SEN to the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Tradesmen and Craftsmen (KTEZO) and the Freedom and Reform Party (ORP), Ozkardas noted that in case a “law” passes regarding the “amnesty” to illegal workers and the issue of the “citizenship”, the identity, existence and political will of the Turkish Cypriot “people” will be endangered. He argued that they all together, regardless of parties, should oppose to the “foreigners migration law” and the “amnesty” to the illegal workers, which he described as “the last blow against the country”.

Ozkardas reiterated the Turkish allegation that the so-called isolations of the Turkish Cypriots continue and that the trust of the Turkish Cypriots towards the UN and the EU is reduced because the latter have not kept the promises it gave to the Turkish Cypriot community during the Annan Plan process. He said that in parallel to this “isolation”, Turkey also implements a “secret isolation” on the Turkish Cypriots. He noted that the Turkish Cypriots are regarded as “lazy people” and “civil servants”, but Turkey closed the Mersin port gate for them and does not allow them to produce.

Moreover, Hurrem Tulga, KTEZO’s chairman, said that with the “law” which the regime considers to pass, the illegal workers will be “legalized” and this will not include only those who live in the occupied area of Cyprus, but also those who left for their countries because they had been illegal. This means that these people are tens of thousands, he noted.

Furthermore, Turgay Avci, ORP’s chairman, said that his party is against granting the “citizenship” to everybody, but sees no problem in registering people who live for 20-30 years in a country and are not involved in any crime