Solyalı: Arıklı’s Dismissal Cannot Cover Up the Disaster

Speaking on Kıbrıs Postası TV’s Sabah Postası programme hosted by Gökhan Altıner, Solyalı said the deaths and missing people following the sinking of the Filo Jet ferry had caused deep trauma across society. He called for the immediate establishment of a parliamentary inquiry committee.

Solyalı said the courts would determine who was criminally responsible, but politicians had questions that needed to be answered. He said his party had brought together maritime experts, maritime lawyers, captains and attorneys to examine the issue and had developed proposals on safety, oversight, institutional structures and accountability.

He stressed that the disaster should not be treated solely as a judicial matter and said political measures were also necessary. While the captain might bear responsibility, he argued that the political role in failures within the system must also be investigated.

“Political and criminal responsibility are separate”

Solyalı said political and criminal responsibility were often confused by officials in the TRNC.

“Our administrators have not yet been able to distinguish political responsibility from criminal responsibility. They seem to think that if they assume political responsibility and step down from their position, they will automatically be declared guilty in court. That is not how it works,” he said.

Solyalı said there had been maritime accidents in the past, but none had resulted in a loss of life on this scale.

He said some maritime regulations had been passed by Parliament in 1999-2000 but no longer met current needs, adding that developments in international maritime law should also be taken into account.

“Arıklı’s dismissal cannot cover this up”

Commenting on Arıklı’s dismissal, Solyalı said the problem could not be resolved simply by replacing one minister or officials working under the ministry.

“Removing Mr Erhan Arıklı from office, or dismissing people in the institutions under him and replacing them, cannot cover this up,” Solyalı said, stressing that political responsibility needed to be addressed more broadly.

He said questions had been raised over what more Prime Minister Ünal Üstel could have done after dismissing Arıklı.

“This is not how it works,” Solyalı said.

“The prime minister must ask who created the system — or failed to create it”

Solyalı said political responsibility should first be assessed at the government level and within the areas of responsibility of the administration itself.

While a minister was responsible for their own portfolio, he said, the prime minister was responsible for the government as a whole.

Solyalı said Üstel should be asking questions such as: “Who created the system, or failed to create it? Did I ask for a report? Did I provide feedback?”

Referring to the Constitution, Solyalı said it contained provisions establishing political responsibility, citing Article 107.

He said the prime minister had a responsibility to investigate, seek feedback and introduce regulations.

“Did you ask the Transport Minister about the state of safety at the ports? I would say you did not,” Solyalı said.

He also referred to Article 110, saying that while each minister was responsible for their own actions, ministers were also accountable to the prime minister.

Under Article 109, he said, the government had to be considered as a whole.

“In a disaster this serious, the government cannot say, ‘I removed my coalition partner from office, so that is that,’” Solyalı said.

He also referred to Article 113, which he said established state administration as a whole, meaning ministries could not be treated as entirely independent entities.

“Mr Ünal’s attempt to send the message that ‘I removed the minister, washed my hands of it and walked away from this matter’ is misplaced,” Solyalı said.

“The government initially took shelter behind the president”

Solyalı recalled that Üstel had visited Kyrenia Tourism Port on the first day of the disaster, but said the government subsequently “took shelter behind the president.”

He said Üstel had failed to provide sufficient and satisfactory information to the public for three days and that crisis management had also been inadequate.

Solyalı said they had called for psychological support to be provided from the first day of the disaster, but the Ministry of Health did not issue a call for psychological support until the third day.

“That cannot be considered crisis management,” he said.

“Political responsibility does not mean guilt before a court”

Solyalı said they had also examined similar incidents around the world, citing examples from Latvia and Romania.

He said 54 people were killed when the roof of a supermarket collapsed in Latvia and the government resigned by assuming political responsibility. In Romania, he said, the government resigned collectively after 65 people died in a nightclub fire.

“The fact that political responsibility is raised does not make them legally responsible before a court. We see political responsibility as creating the conditions for these matters to be investigated properly and transparently in the public interest,” Solyalı said.

“Inquiry committee must be established urgently”

Solyalı called for an inquiry committee to be established in Parliament without delay, saying they had submitted 13 questions as part of their application for the committee.

He said the aim was not to declare anyone guilty, but to identify shortcomings in the system and ensure that the necessary reforms were introduced.

“We want to create a safe environment. We want our people to be free of the question, ‘Could something happen to me?’ when they board a ship or get on a plane,” he said.

Solyalı said they had received indications that Parliament could convene next week, while noting that legislation had also accumulated on the parliamentary agenda.

He said the CTP had called on UBP MPs to postpone committee work and be present at Tourism Port, but the appeal had received no response.