Chamber of Industry organised a demonstration with hundreds of vehicles

Power of production on the road…

All sectors investing in this country in the name of production gave their support to the action, filling Capital Nicosia over with their vehicles. Believing that communities that do not produce are doomed to perish, the production activists called for withdrawing the increase of fuel prices, reduction of  input costs, ending the high taxes and unnecessary employment at the public sector

President Salih Tunar: “If our demands are not met, our activities will continue in various forms.”

Aiming to “make voices of industrialists who invest in the TRNC heard” and to clam realisations of their demands from the government, Cyprus Turkish Chamber of Industry (CTCI) have staged a demonstration with vehicles in Nicosia on November 20.
The Chamber of Industry, demanded from the government “to withdraw the increase of fuel prices, to reduce input costs, to end the high taxes and unnecessary employment at the public sector and to put an end to returning increased public expenditure to investors as taxes.”
“For making the voice of the production heard, all industrialists investing in the TRNC” participated in the Chamber of Industry’s demonstration with vehicles with their commercial and business vehicles.
Gathering in Famagusta, Haspolat, Kyrenia, Güzelyurt and in Nicosia with their business vehicles at different times, the demonstrators started their vehicle convoys from Gonyeli and Haspolat roundabouts and merged by the traffic lights at the entrance of Nicosia.
During the demonstration, which was realised with hundreds of business and commercial vehicles, vehicles carried signs on them writing, “we expect work from the government and not word”, “If there is no production, then there is no independence”, “We demand economic measures and not police measures”, “Production is happiness and using local products is pride”.
Demonstrators started their demonstration with vehicles from entrance of Nicosia followed the route of bus station, Kyrenia Gate, and the Assembly of Republic and ended by the traffic lights before the Prime Ministry Junction.

Rally before the Prime Ministry

Following the demonstration with vehicles, the Chamber of Industry has organised a rally before the Prime Ministry.
Industrialists marched to the Prime Ministry, where a limited numbers of vehicles were allowed, carrying in their hands flags of the TRNC and Turkey and similar of the placards on their vehicles.
During the rally before the Prime Ministry, President of the Cyprus Turkish Chamber of Industry Salih Tunar and the Vice President of the Chamber of Industry Musa Sönmezler delivered speeches.
Following the speeches, President of the Chamber of Industry Salih Tunar presented a letter containing chamber’s demand to authorities of the Prime Ministry for conveying it to Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer. The letter that was submitted to the Prime Minister was read by Chamber’s representative to Famagusta for the press.
President of the Cyprus Turkish Chamber of Industry Salih Tunar has stressed that they were staging the action to create a productive TRNC, which can stand on its own feet, and to show that the future lies in the country.
Claiming that “There was a public sector, which was growing since 1974; which’s income failed to meet its expenditure; rival to the private sector, unfruitful, and which was carried out through populist policies” Mr. Tunar added that the productive sector until today have reached to this point by struggling against high inflation and devaluation, adding that however, now it was time for growing and expanding.
“However, now we are facing high costs, costs of raw material increased by withholding taxes, and obstacles sourcing from independently working departments.” said Salih Tunar and said that industrialists, producers and investors wanted a strong economy, and steps to be taken for an economy standing on its feet.  
Saying that development of the TRNC can be possible through increasing production of goods and services, Mr. Tunar added that a sustainable development was impossible with tearing people away from production and increasing importation in favour of consuming.

“We want to invest more in to this country”

Salih Tunar said that increased public expenditure returned to the investor as taxes increasing the costs thus abolished the competitive power and added, “We want to produce, invest more in this country and to open business fields for the people of this country. This is the way for existing in this country. This is also the way for a solution in this country.”
Stating that a TRNC with a strong economy would be the key for a solution in Cyprus continued his speech as:
“TRNC’s investors need equal competitive conditions, and a just, free market economy. State has to be organising and supervising for the economy.  Otherwise, providing employees of the private sector job opportunities by pumping the state cadres through populist policies, having jobs which are supposed to be done by the private sector done by the state does not grow the economy, it increases powers of the state and lubbers the state. Where is the privatisation? Where is the public reform?
This economic order cannot be a sustainable economic system. We are here to reveal all these once again. As long as this order continues investors do not come to this unstable country; people of this country do not incline towards investing, country becomes more expensive, our consumers slide towards the south, and the community will be diffused by the south.
Let us not make our people to depend on south’s education, south’s hospitals. Let us take lessons from mistakes, which what have been done until today and lets give hand-in-hand to carry this community to the future. Our problems are not insuperable. Let us show the entire world that we can solve our problems through dialogue and mutual effort.”
Stating that, given the equal conditions, businesspeople and investors had enough knowledge and skills to compete with the businesspeople of the world, Salih Tunar said that the economic model based on production, where the state would be organiser, and supervisor of the economy will create a strong economy for the TRNC, which could stand on its own feet.

“Actions continue if demands are not met”

Stating that although this was their first action, it did not mean that it will not continue Mr. Tunar added that the action that they were staging was done not only for the industrialists but for prosperity and the future of the people of entire TRNC, thus their actions will continue in different forms unless their demands were met. He said that they new that they were causing traffic distress to citizens, however they were sure that citizens will justify them, and said, “the CTCI knows how to claim its rights.”
Also Vice President of the Chamber of Industry Musa Sönmezler said that as the chamber they saw the future of the TRNC in production, and there would be no future for the country if there was no production, adding that industrialists have clung to this county for ensuring its future.
Stating that investments of industrialists will continue, however they had some demands from the government, Mr. Sönmezler said that they have conveyed these demand to Prime Minister Soyer in a letter and called immediate realisation of these demands.
Complaining about the size of the public sector, Mr. Sönmezler commented on size of the public sector as “an obstacle before the industrialists”.

Letter to Prime Minister Soyer

Letter containing demand of the Chamber of Industry was submitted to Prime Minister Soyer. Camber of Industry’s letter to Prime Minister Soyer is as below:
“As the CTCI we expected your governments that following the referendum for the Annan Plan, get into power, to reconstruct the damaged and agley public structure by putting structural changes into force.
After it was understood through referendums that Turkish Cypriots were not to blame for the deadlock on Cyprus problem we have expected you to change the introverted structure of TRNC markets through structural changes, to establish the infrastructure of the contemporary free market economy, which is being implemented within the EU and implement the rules.
We as the CTCI have adopted, raising the standards of TRNC’s production and introduce them to the world markets, as a mission.
Esteemed Prime Minister, at this point, because our expectations were largely not met, the CTCI has come to a position where it cannot fulfil its mission. Our Industrialists are loosing blood each day and sundering from production.
Employments within the public sector increase each day due to demands from the base of ruling political parties and municipalities.
Public expenditure increases each day. Expenditure within the public sector has reached to a squandering point.
The state continuously raises prices of goods, their prices determined by the public sector (fuel, energy etc.) in order to reach its goal of meeting public expenditure with local incomes.
Industrialists who produce goods and services and trades people who export are being subjected to taxes under diverse names, which are collected at customs offices to meet increasing public expenditure.
From raw materials to production inputs, machines and equipments imported for investment are subject to taxes.
Despite that our Tax Law says ‘raw materials cannot be subject to taxation while being imported’, making a definition which does not consort with scientific definition of raw material, the Ministry of Finance sends a circular to customs offices and continues to take taxes from raw materials. Meanwhile CTCI’s demand for authorisation regarding the definition of raw material is continuously being rejected.
Because government offices work slow and independent from each other, arrangements falling behind the market could not be done rapidly; regulations that are meant to be temporary are becoming permanent , related sectors are being harmed of these.
Esteemed Prime Minister, the CTCI until today has always chosen the dialogue option and has waited with patience for solution of problems. Regrettably, we have to say that problems are mounting instead of being solved.
Although CTCI’s patience has reached to its and it could not wait any longer, it will keep the dialogue option open until the end. Because despite believing that problems could be solved through dialogue and mutual struggle, our chamber will not hesitate to stage actions it feels it needs.”

Demands

“Esteemed Prime Minister;
1. Fuel Oil prices should immediately be reduced to South Cyprus prices.
2. Before 2008 fiscal year budget is put into force, no matter under what name it is being collected from all private and private corporations (firms) tax rates should be compared to those of South Cyprus and, and should be pulled below rates of South Cyprus.
3.  Before 2008 fiscal year budget is put into force, no matter under what name it is being collected, taxes from importation of raw materials, machines and equipments should be removed.
4. Before 2008 fiscal year budget is put into force, our chamber should be given the authorisation for making the definition of raw material that our industrialists are using. If no steps are taken for fulfilling the above-mentioned demands, then the CTCI will be left with no option other than continuing with its actions.
Esteemed Prime Minister, hereby we declare that the dialogue path is wide-open and we are ready to make every contribution and cooperate for fulfilling of our above-mentioned demands and wish the government success."