Let's start with the first reverse questions of 2022... Let's continue to introduce and understand the candidates...
UBP Nicosia MP candidate Ahmet Savaşan, gave candid answers to our reverse questions...
Here are those answers:
Your success in the primaries attracted attention. Such success can sometimes have negative consequences. Do you think your success will be reflected in the ballot box?
“I do not think that the result I got in the ranking will reflect negatively on the parliamentary elections. I think it will reflect positively, because this success is not a coincidence. I have been in politics within the National Unity Party for years. I have been taking part in the authorized bodies of the party such as PM, MYK for years... I have served as Deputy Secretary General and I have always been intertwined with the party members. We organized various events with our elders, our generation and the younger generation of UBP members, we had discussions, we performed duties together. They saw me as one of their own, they voted for me without opposing anyone but because they saw me as secular. The votes I received or the success I achieved is not the failure of anyone. It is the will of our party members. We should all respect the will. I have always respected the will of the grassroots. Similarly, I am in a constant struggle for the Turkish Cypriot people. What I have done, especially in the fields of tourism, health and education, is not only related to the organizations I am involved with; it is for the entire TRNC people. I have represented my country in international tourism fairs all over the world for almost 20 years. While participating in these fairs, I always went with a feature, an innovation. I took many responsibilities at the university, gave lectures, made academic publications. I know higher education very closely. I think I have successfully fulfilled the duties I undertook at the Prime Ministry during the pandemic, as well as being a manager in the field of health. I did not do all this behind closed doors. I have always been in touch with the public and what I did was observed not only by my UBP friends, but by the whole public. For this reason, I believe that our people will also show the closeness, interest and solidarity shown by UBP members. I have been working for my party and my people for years. The stage I have reached in politics today is a natural result of this and I ask for votes from my people to continue working in this way; I believe I will get them.”
There is serious competition in Nicosia. Newcomers have come to the fore. Experienced names are following the new ones. What are your expectations?
“There is no such thing as newcomers and oldcomers; we are all UBP members and we are all UBP candidates. We have full respect and trust in our friends who served in parliament before. Of course, they can take office in the parliament again, and most probably they will. The UBP has always been able to add new ones to the experienced names. Thus, there is a transition between generations, a handover. It is also possible to blend dynamism and experience. In this process, UBP members and our people will determine who will be elected and who will not. The structure of our electoral system is clear; that mechanism works and the result emerges. Even if we have competition based on certain rules, we are not competitors, we are members of the same team. Of course I would like to be elected and I believe I will be elected, but I see this as the fulfillment of a duty and I try to do my part. This is my understanding and I will continue to serve with this understanding.”
If elected, what are the issues you will focus on?
“I studied engineering and have a good background in the IT sector. After university, I gained more than 20 years of experience in tourism, communication and health. I have a master's degree in communication and a doctorate in educational sciences. I was interested in all the problems of this country, especially the economy, and tried to learn the root causes of the problems. I experienced our political structure.
I have a multifaceted personality and background, but I mainly rely on my experience in the fields of tourism, education and health. Nevertheless, it is important to remember that the tasks we will carry out are political tasks. Politicians can work successfully in many different fields if they attach importance to expert support while fulfilling their duties. There are examples of this in the UBP. I can say this... Whether I am elected or not, I will continue to live and work focused on the problems of our country.”
