Cypriots should teach the West a lesson of democracy

Referenda are, in theory, held to gauge and follow the will of the people. In Cyprus, the vote on Apr. 24, it seems, must serve other goals than merely ending the island’s ethnic division. Why, otherwise, the Cradle of Democracy and its European and international allies should suddenly care too much about whether a bunch of Cypriots should begin to co-habit after three decades of partition, and campaign in a most undemocratic way to affect the vote result?

The Cypriots should be able to see that their country is only a pawn in a broader strategic game stretching from the Middle East across the Atlantic. They must simply vote as they like, totally ignoring the outside pressure i.e., they must vote nai/evet if they genuinely believe in the idea of reunification, with its costs and benefits, and ohi/hayir if they have serious doubts concerning the U.N. plan.

The referenda, more and more, is tending to turn into a Communist era vote, with international pressure mounting to new undemocratic heights everyday, and that for the sake of democracy! What’s next, will the Cradle of Democracy threaten to execute those who would vote against the plan — for purely democratic reasons?

Naturally, the IMF is playing its part. According to the Bretton Woods twin, a united Cyprus would grow faster than a divided island, cashing in on an investment boom expected after the U.N-brokered settlement. How very nice! It is unknown whether the statement is based on solid macroeconomic analysis, but it certainly proves, once again, that the Fund is an inseparable part of U.S. foreign policy-making.

There are, of course, financial carrots too. IMF’s real patrons in Washington, certainly not its Executive Board, and their men in London have pledged generous aid to help reunite Cyprus. At a preparatory donors’ conference timed to give Greek and Turkish Cypriots an incentive to vote for reunification, Washington dangled $400 million in reconstruction assistance and London, in proportion with its own say in world politics, $37 million.

The cross-Atlantic "cousins" clearly see a Cyprus settlement as central to their efforts to stabilise the east Mediterranean and open the way for Turkey to join the European Union, which also fits into their political reconstruction plans for the Middle East. All that is only too nice. But no one really cares about the Cypriots, or about their will; it’s merely real-politik. And the generousity comes on top of $2.4 billion EU funds over five years as part of international aid to stitch Cyprus back together.

Ask Guenter Verheugen, EU’s enlargement commissioner, he would say that "there is a clear view that if there’s no solution at the end of the month, there will be no solution for a very long time." Ask U.S. officials and their "think tank fellas," they would say that "they would do everything they could to ameliorate the effects on Turkish Cypriots, which would include an examination of all the policies related to their unfair isolation," or "we would not leave the Turkish Cypriots out in the cold."

And who says Azerbaijan spelled out one political price for the Greek Cypriots if they vote ohi because of its ethnic relation and sentimental attachment to Turkey? With Washington’s backing for its multi-billion-dollar energy projects, Azerbaijan, too, was playing its part when President Ilham Aliyev said that the country would join Ankara in recognizing the Turkish Cypriot statelet in the event of an evet vs an ohi.

The careful observer must have observed that no one in big western capitals is interested in the real issue: do the Cypriots think Kofi Annan’s text is a fair and sustainable plan for reunification? Well, there is only way to learn: let the Cypriots decide, with no pressure for either vote!

Both the proponents and opponents of the plan deserve respect for their thinking, as in proper democracies. Unfortunately, there is too much foul playing going on around Cyprus, with its masters disguised, ironically, as defenders of democracy and peace. In fact, they solely defend their own interests. Evidence? You don’t normally threaten people for their choice of a vote in proper democracies, do you, or signal rewards? Perhaps, the best democracy lesson the Cypriots could give the West is to go to ballot boxes on April 24 and vote regardless of all the carrots and sticks. They may vote nai/evet or ohi/hayir; but they should vote as they like, not as foreign powers dictate.