North must ‘drain the swamp’ of education sector

Turkish Cypriot opposition party CTP Leader Tufan Erhurman said on Friday the north must “drain the swamp” of its education sector.

Speaking to Bagimsiz Web TV, he said that as well as in its economy, the north is also seeing rapid inflation in its education sector.

“We are seeing inflation of the number of faculty members, universities, and students,” he said, adding that the higher education standards authority (Yodak) “cannot adequately supervise the sector in its current form.”

He added that the north’s chief public prosecutor’s office has been “crushed under the weight of case files on this matter, and the courts and the police are in a miserable situation.”

He went on to say many problems in the north are “out of control”, adding, “those who constantly call for this state to reach the international stage are showing they don’t believe in the thing they are calling a state. We have now reached the international stage for this.

“How many diplomas are invalid? They should all be cancelled immediately.”

He added, “our higher education sector has no strength left to wait. This is an area [the ‘government’] needs to clean up as much as possible. This is a swamp of an issue.”

He referenced an amendment to the north’s ‘constitution’ that had been tabled in 2014 to narrow the scope of ‘MPs’ immunity should they be involved in serious crimes but failed to pass a referendum.

“Those who made people say ‘no’ are now saying immunities should be lifted. Unless we change the constitution, that immunity remains,” he said.

Asked whether he will run in the 2025 Turkish Cypriot leadership elections, he said “neither I nor my party have made a decision.”

However, he said, “if the country continues with this mentality in a year and a half’s time, irreversible damage will be done.”

Of his own chances, he said, “it is too early to talk about being President when the country is in this state,” but did allow himself to speak about possible future developments.

“If I do stand, let me be very clear, there is no chance I will be an independent candidate. Could I be the CTP Leader for so many years and then become an independent candidate? That just isn’t possible,” he said.

Serdar Denktash, son of late Turkish Cypriot Leader Rauf Denktash, confirmed to the Cyprus Mail last September that he would run for the Turkish Cypriot leadership in 2025.

Turkish Cypriot Nicosia Mayor Mehmet Harmanci in January dropped an indiscrete hint that he would also stand as a candidate, saying “it is not possible for a politician who received 49 per cent of the votes to stay only with the Nicosia Turkish Municipality (LTB).

“In the long run, seeing it this way is a very narrow view. One needs to evolve into other political spheres.”

Incumbent Ersin Tatar is also expected to be a candidate, though no Turkish Cypriot Leader has won re-election since Rauf Denktash won six consecutive elections between 1976 and 2000.