GOOD OLD DAYS OF COOPERATION WITHIN THE WORKING CLASS OF CYPRUS
Ahmet Djavit An
When the Communist Party of Cyprus
was established officially on 14 August
1926, there was no Turkish Cypriots
among its founders. Although one of its
aims was "to form a united anti-British
front of Greeks and Turks", its contact
with the Turkish Cypriot community was
very limited. The party supported at first
the independence and later the autonomy
of the island. The difference of ideas
between the Communist Party of Cyprus
and the Greek Cypriot nationalists who
were advocating the union of the island
with Greece (Enosis) obstructed the
formation of the "anti-imperialist unity
front" which was the aim of the
communists. On the other hand,
Kemalism was the only valid ideology in
Turkey and among Turkish Cypriots. The
socialist literature published in Turkish
language was almost non-existent in
Cyprus. Because the influence of the
Communist Party of Turkey, which was
prohibited in Turkey in 1923, was
negligible even in Turkey.
Turkish Cypriot workers were organized
in the common Trade Union of
Construction Workers, established in
April 1919. Turkish Cypriot workers
took part in the activities of the Limassol
Labor Centre, which united all the
workers under one organization in 1924.
The constitution of the Limassol Labor
Centre was translated into Turkish
language, so that the Turkish Cypriots
could learn the aims and the purpose of
the Centre. Mr.Yiannis Lefkis, who was
one of the founders of the CPC wrote in
his memoirs that the Constitution of the
Labor Centre was translated into Turkish
by a Turkish Cypriot called Mustafa who
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had a good knowledge of Greek who
later emigrated to Turkey and worked for
a while at the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
Both Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriot
participated at the opening ceremony of
the centre and the constitution was
adopted unanimously.
We can also see from a Turkish Cypriot
newspaper called "Birlik" (Unity) that it
had a good relationship with one of the
first communist publications in Cyprus
"Neos Antropos". “Birlik” in its issue of
30 January 1925 (No.53) reproduced a
letter written by Mr. H.Solomonides,
written in the name of the writers of the
“Neos Antropos” newspaper, published
in Limassol. Mr.Solomonides thanked
“Birlik” for the letter it sent on the
occasion of the publication of the first
issue of "Neos Antropos". Mr
Solomonides said that his colleagues and
he followed the “Birlik” newspaper with
great interest and that they were sorry for
not being able to publish half of their
own newspaper in Turkish, although they
decided to do so since there was no
Turkish printing house in Limassol.
“Birlik”, in its next issue, reproduced an
article of “Neos Antropos” in Turkish,
arguing that the people of Cyprus did not
want to get rid of British administration
for the sake of living under the Greek
administration.
In April 1924, there were 250 Greek
Cypriot and 65 Turkish Cypriot
representatives at the first meeting of the
agricultural workers which was
organized by advocate Kyriakos Rossides
in Lefkoniko. Two Turkish Cypriots
were elected as delegates. The second
meeting was held in Nicosia in July 1925
where it was decided to form a common
"Rural Greek-Turkish Party". Owing to
personal dissensions, this party did not
come into effect.
We also know that there was another
constitution translated and published in
Turkish in Nicosia on 20th October 1931.
This constitution belonged to the
"Nicosia Labor Club" (Lefkoşa Amele
Kulübü Nizamname-i Esasisi) which had
16 pages. 500 copies were printed and
sold for one piaster (Cyprus currency of
the time).
At the end of 1920's and at the beginning
of 1930's, there were drought and poverty
in Cyprus and economic crisis in the US
and elsewhere in the capitalist world. The
people of Cyprus began leaning toward
the ideals of socialism, and started
organizing themselves in trade unions.
On the other hand, the British colonial
administration tried to block the
development of the working class
movement by changing the penal code
and prohibiting left wing literature.
After the rebellion in October 1931, the
British Colonial Constitution and the
Legislative Council were abolished.
Before this event happened, we read an
article in the “Soz” newspaper, dated 13
August 1931, under the title "The one
who left the flock behind will be eaten by
the wolf!" which gives us an idea about
the political activities of the Turkish
Cypriot left-wingers in those days. The
article read as follows:
"In the last weeks, the communists issued
statements in Nicosia and in other district
centers, and they invited the artisans to
Bolshevism. We shall not analyze or
support their statements. Since we have
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seen some Turkish Cypriot names among
those who signed these statements, we
want to deal with them and explain our
views… We do not know which Turkish
Cypriot approached and met the
Bolsheviks, but whoever they are, we are
offended with this act and they put
themselves in a very dangerous
position... We understand from the
complaints in the Greek Cypriot
newspapers that there are some 60 Greek
Cypriot teachers who cooperate with the
communists. But there is none from the
Turkish Cypriot teachers. This is a good
sign for us and this is a clear evidence
that the Turkish Cypriot community has
no relationship whatsoever with the
Bolshevik movement. If one or two
illiterate Turkish Cypriots who are not
aware of themselves had gone under the
influence of the communists and left us,
this is not due to the failure of our
community. If there is any fault, it is of
those who deviated to dark roads and we
are sure that they will be eaten by the
wolf, because they left the flock behind."
The Communist Party of Cyprus and
eight affiliated organizations were
outlawed in August 1933 after some
amendments were made to the existing
laws. The leaders of the Cypriot
Communist Party were sent abroad. The
Greek Cypriot newspaper "Chronos"
reported in its issue of 4th October 1933
that a Turkish Cypriot called Hasan
Hilmi of Gilani was among those who
were arrested for making propaganda of
communism.
When the British colonial regime allowed
the activities of political parties in 1941,
the AKEL was formed as the legal organ
of the Communist Party of Cyprus. Again
there were no Turkish Cypriots among its
founders.
When AKEL adopted the policy of union
with Greece (Enosis) at its second
congress at the beginning of 1943, there
started some problems for the Turkish
Cypriots in their cooperation with the
Greek Cypriots, both in the trade union
movement and in the political activities
We observe here for the first time a
division of the working class movement
on the ethnic basis.
The First Turkish Cypriot Trade Union
was formed on 27 December 1942 under
the name "Nicosia Turkish Carpenters'
Union" with the departure of 12 Turkish
Cypriot carpenters from the common
Trade Union under the leadership of
Niyazi Dagli. The propaganda for Enosis
was again the reason why the Turkish
Cypriot agricultural workers left the
newly formed Pan Cyprian Agrarian
Union in 1943. The pro-Enosis leanings
of the PEK prevented the further
participation of the Turkish Cypriots. On
1 May 1943, the Turkish Cypriot
villagers formed their own "Turkish
Cypriot Union of Farmers".
The division of the working class
movement on ethnic basis deepened
when on 13 August 1944, hundreds of
Turkish Cypriot workers left the PEO
building in order to establish new
Turkish Cypriot trade unions. In 1945,
843 Turkish Cypriot workers were
organized in the separate Turkish Cypriot
trade unions, under the name "Turkish
Cypriot Union of Workers".
D.A.Alkan, who was Dervish Ali
Kavazoglu's pseudonym, wrote the
following in his article titled "Why the
Turkish Workers' Union separated from
the Greek-Cypriots?" on 13 June 1944
(No.429) of the “Halkin Sesi” newspaper.
He was answering the article of
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Mr.Yakovides, the District Secretary of
the Nicosia Workers Union, published in
“Anexartitos” newspaper, dated 28 May
1944:
"(...) You decorated your union's building
on 25th March with your own flags and
made various speeches, but you never let
us raise the Turkish flag on our national
days and we did not say any word about
the celebration of our national days. The
worst of it, you did not give us the
opportunity to listen to Ankara radio
during the greatest sports bairam. (...)
Your secretary-general Mr.Ziartides sent
a pompous telegram to the British Prime
Minister for the union of Cyprus with
Greece. Although hundreds of Turkish
and Armenians were members of your
Union, you shouted in some of the
general meetings "Brothers! Because we
are Greeks, we have to continue our
struggle and organize ourselves, so that at
the end of the war, we could develop our
nation." If you do not make
discrimination between the racial and
religious differences, why is there not a
single Turk in the district board of the
Union which is recognized by the
government (...)."
I quote another passage from the open
letter of Nicosia secretary of the Turkish
Cypriot TU, Mehmet Niyazi, to the
Nicosia District Workers Union,
published on 22 June 1944 in Halkin
Sesi:
"How many Turkish placards were
among the hundreds of the Greek ones
during the celebrations of 1 May 1943?
None were present. During the meeting
where the decision was taken for the
general strike in 1943, no one spoke
Turkish and suddenly when this was told
to you after the Greek Cypriot workers
dispersed, you wanted to keep the
workers under the rain... Did you try to
employ Turkish Cypriot workers at least
according to the population quota? Was
there any research that the wages of the
Turkish Cypriot would be equal or near
to the Greek Cypriot workers? In short,
did you care for the rights of the Turks?
No! No! No!"
The Turkish Cypriot newspaper “Yanki”,
on its issue of 26 February 1945 No.9,
published an article under the title "Greek
Cypriot parties and us". It was referring
to another article published in the journal
of the Limassol Municipality under the
title "The position of the Turks". Here are
some excerpts: "Although the Limassol
Municipality accepted the fact that we
don't support Enosis, they want to see
efforts for our future participation at this
cause... We believe in the true friendship
between the Turkish Cypriot and Greek
Cypriot... But we see with sorrow that
the love we see from the Greek Cypriot
friends is not more than a political
respect. Because they still insist not to
give the post of second presidency in the
municipalities to us and they neglect the
Turkish language in municipal matters..."
In another excerpt from the letter of the
"Turkish Labor Union" sent to the British
Secretary of the Ministry of the Colonies,
published in “Yanki”, dated 6 May 1945,
was saying this:
"Don't allow the oppression of the
Turkish Cypriot civil servants or workers
under the Greek Cypriots, so that they
would develop and have success... The
street labels which are put on the walls of
every street should be written also in
Turkish... Every document to be sent
from the colonial offices to any Turk
should be written in Turkish, not in
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Greek or English... Besides 1st May, the
Turkish national days should be accepted
and celebrated officially. The Turkish
Cypriots and their schools should be
called not as Islamic, but as Turkish."
In October 1947, the first Turkish
Cypriot left wing publication was issued
under the name of "Iscinin Yolu
SASMAZ" (which means in English,
"the path of the worker does not
deviate"). But this monthly journal
stopped its publication after the second
issue, with the pretext that the contents
were "too ideological".
The Great Miners' Strike which
continued for 125 days from 13 January
to 17 May 1948 is a good example of
cooperation between the Turkish Cypriot
and Greek Cypriot trade unions. In the
beginning, the Turkish Cypriot
newspapers “Halkin Sesi” and “Hursoz”
which were close to the Turkish Cypriot
leadership supported the strike. But later
they withdrew their support. There was a
need to publish a daily newspaper of the
workers for the first time. This was
possible only on 19 May 1948, two days
after the end of the strike. The name of
this newspaper was "Emekci" (Laborer).
This newspaper stopped its daily
publication for a while in 1949 and
restarted as a weekly. It had to stop its
publication because of a libel case from
Dr.Kucuk, Turkish Cypriot leader and
owner of the Halkin Sesi daily.
Mr.Ezekias Papaioannou was elected as
the new secretary-general of the AKEL at
its 6th Congress in August 1949. His
slogan was "Enosis and only Enosis" and
he had the support of Nicos Zahariades,
leader of the Communist Party of Greece.
“Neos Cosmos”, the illegal organ of the
Communist Party of Greece wrote in its
issue of November 1951 that the Enosis
slogan permitted the strongest anti-
imperialist mobilization under the then
existing conditions.
At the 7th Congress of the AKEL in
December 1951, a resolution was
adopted which pledged for the party "to
pay greater attention to those in the
Turkish Cypriot minority who were still
under the influence of the chauvinist
(mainland-oriented) Turkish bourgeoisie
and landlords."
The nationalist policy of AKEL alienated
the Turkish Cypriot community more and
more. An interesting article was
published in the Greek-Cypriot daily
“Neos Anthropos” which was reproduced
a few days later, on 19 March 1952 by
the Turkish-Cypriot daily “Halkin Sesi”.
The article was written by G.Ioannidis,
K.Koliannis and P.Roussou and its title
was “Liberation Struggle of the People of
Cyprus - The Turkish Minority".
Here are some excerpts:
"The problem of Turkish minority is the
main problem in the anti-imperialist
struggle. And AKEL has `to put its
policy on these problems with
seriousness and certainty... It is obvious
that the Turkish-Cypriot worker will not
believe in the slogan of Enosis with
Greece... The Turkish-Cypriots do not
believe in the Greek-Cypriots and they
don't trust the Akelists. Because they
don't trust the chauvinism of Great
Greece... There has to be a single party
of the working people. This can be the
National Turkish Branch of this single
party (AKEL)...” The Turkish problem
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in Cyprus is a special national question
within the whole National Question. If
the AKEL does not have a complete
national policy for the Turkish minority,
it will not be able to deal both with the
Enosis cause and the Greek National
Cause."
The Association of left wing trade unions
(PEO) started to cooperate from the
summer of 1948 onwards with the
Turkish Cypriot Trade Unions. In
November 1952 it decided to open a
central bureau for its Turkish Cypriot
members. In March 1954, Mr.Ahmet
Sadi Erkurt, who was the owner and the
editor of the "Emekci" newspaper and
since 1952 a member of the Central
Council of PEO, was appointed to the
head of this Turkish Cypriot Bureau of
PEO.
AKEL, too, published the first Turkish
language statement of the "Turkish
Branch of the Party" in October 1954
which was widely distributed up to
Galatia village in Karpasia. This first
historical statement included the well-
known Turkish poet Nazim Hikmet's
message to the Turkish Cypriots, who
asked them to cooperate with their Greek
Cypriot brothers in their struggle for
peace and freedom in Cyprus which
should stop being a colony and a military
base, serving for imperialism.
At the end of 1954, we see that 1,500
Turkish Cypriot workers were organized
in PEO. PEO started to publish
statements frequently in Turkish
language and a monthly organ called
"Isci Bulteni" (Workers Bulletin). It was
even planned to publish a weekly trade
union newspaper called "Iscinin Sesi"
(Worker's Voice), but when "Inkilapci"
(Revolutionary) weekly newspaper was
published on 13 September 1955, they
did not realize this plan.
The "Inkilapci" newspaper was published
only for 14 weeks and it became the
voice of the workers. It published articles
and news about all the important social
and economical subjects of those days.
But after the British colonial
administration declared the emergency
situation on 14 December 1955, this
newspaper was closed down together
with "Neos Democratis", the daily
newspaper of AKEL. AXEL itself was
outlawed together with all its subsidiary
village, youth and womens organisations
and many leftists were arrested and put
into prison. In addition to being subject
to Colonial legal suppression, Turkish
Cypriot leftists came under threat from
their own community leadership. As it
can be understood from the article under
the title "Threat", published in the last
issue of "Inkilapci" on 12 December
1955, the then Turkish Cypriot leadership
and its underground organization sent
letters of threat to the publisher team of
the "Inkilapci", bearing sentences like
"Stop the publication of Inkilapci, you
will be killed, your head will be
crushed".
After the Turkish Cypriot and Greek
Cypriot workers marched together on the
1 May 1958 and stated their decisiveness
to wage a common struggle against
imperialism and colonialism, the TMT
(Turkish Resistance Organization)
published a statement and asked the
resignation of the Turkish Cypriot
workers from the Greek Cypriot trade-
union PEO and warned those who
collaborate with the Greek Cypriots that
they would be punished. As a result,
Turkish Cypriot newspapers of those
days were full of resignations from PEO.
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And the first terror action started on 22
May 1958 with the murder attempt to
Ahmet Sadi, the head of the Turkish
section of PEO. Later on 24 May, Fazil
Onder, the editor of the "Inkilapci"
newspaper was killed. Other progressive
Turkish Cypriots were either killed or
wounded in Nicosia and Limassol.
Simultaneously, as Turkey and the
Turkish Cypriot leadership continued
their policy that the partition would be
the only solution to the Cyprus question.
The Greek Cypriot and the Turkish
Cypriot left-wingers who were against
the partition of the island were raising
their voices and making opposition. For
example, the Turkish Cypriot branch of
AKEL, in a letter dated 19 January 1957,
given to Prof. Nihat Erim who was in
Cyprus during that time, stated that "the
Cyprus people, the Turkish Cypriots and
Greek Cypriots, were a non-divisible
whole. They had lived together on this
soil since centuries and they still live."
The idea of partitioning the island is both
not possible to implement and cannot be
a form of final solution to the Cyprus
question. Because the Turkish Cypriot
and Greek Cypriot people do not live in
separate areas. It will end up with a
problem of displacement of people.
History has taught us to whose interests
such events can serve."
***
After almost 50 years, the prediction of
the AKEL Turkish Branch has proven
right and Cyprus, has been de-facto
partitioned. Unfortunately after 1974,
AKEL, which is supposed to be the party
of the whole working people of Cyprus,
decided to close its so-called "Minorities
Department".
One could argue that is it not because of
this vital failure to form a common anti-
imperialist front was the first of a series
of failures that ultimately led to the
physical division of Cyprus. Since our
struggle is common, why are we still not
in a position to form a united front of the
Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot
working masses?
It is, therefore, important for Cypriots,
Greeks, Turks, Irmenians and Latins to
understand that long-term unity of their
land can only be based on a common
concept of Cypriot national identity with
a shared culture and common political
and economic goals.
Anything short of that will inevitably
lead in the best of circumstances to an
uneasy Apartheid with the ever-present
spectre of violence looming overhead.
Resources:
1.Ahmet An, Thoughts on the thesis
of the 80th anniversary of
KKK/AKEL (8 parts), Afrika
newspaper, 15-22 May 2005
2. Ahmet An, An Overview Of The
Past And Present Of The Turkish
Cypriot Left, Ex Ibarhi (in Greek),
in 5 parts starting from No.47
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(November 2003) to No.51 (March
2004)
3. Ahmet An, List of Turkish Books
printed in Cyprus 1878-1997,
Nicosia 1997
4. Birlik, 30 January 1925, No.53
(quoted by Harid Fedai, From Our
Old Press, Kıbrıs, 6 May 2002)
5. Birlik, 6 February 1925, No.54
(quoted by Harid Fedai, From Our
Old Press, Kıbrıs, 8 July 2002)
6. Kemal Cankat, The Influence of
the October revolution on the
political organisation of the
Working Class of Cyprus, Soz
newspaper, 6-13 November 1987
7. Koylu newspaper, 8 November
1954 and Halkin Sesi newspaper,
20 October 1954 (No: 3528)
8. Michalis Michaelides, The
Turkish Cypriot Working Class and
the Cyprus Labor Movement, The
Cyprus Review, Fall 1993, pp.33-
57
9. Nihat Erim, Cyprus as I have
known and seen, Ankara 1975,
pp.55-57
(Presented at the seminar organized
by the INEK-PEO and DEV-IS on
13 October 2005 in Nicosia)