Current Laws Sufficient To Guard Against Chaos

Turkey is vigorously discussing the new judicial package and security package drafted by the government, which according to many, aims to suppress every opposition voice. Basically, the judicial package that was submitted to Parliament on Tuesday is set to make it easier for judges to issue search warrants, permit wiretapping of phone calls and seize of individuals' assets. This is widely viewed as an attempt to suppress media outlets and businesspeople critical of the government. With regards to “security,” the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) plans to increase the powers of the police, authorizing officers to arrest suspects without a court order. The AK Party claims that this is a measure they are taking against incidents such as last week's armed protests, which were prompted by Turkey's inaction in the Kurdish city of Kobani in Syria which was attacked by radical Islamists. However, according to commentators, these measures are part of the government's plan to turn Turkey into a police state.
Zaman daily columnist Mustafa Ünal pointed out in his Friday piece that the new judicial package was not first mentioned by the government or the AK Party, but was announced by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who said: “The necessary measures will be taken on the 14th of this month. There will be a legislative amendment.” Ünal drew attention to the fact that the Turkish people heard about a new draft bill for the first time from the president. “The president is the one who makes the last touches on a draft bill. He ratifies it or sends it back to Parliament. Here, the process was reversed,” Ünal said. According to Ünal, the AK Party government is using the Kobani protests as a pretext in order to introduce stricter regulations. Ünal explained that the state showed weakness during the incidents but the reason does not lie in the present laws. “The problem is not the lack of efficient laws. There was no will by the state [to end the situation]. The terrorist organization [the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)] is allowed to dominate the Southeast,” Ünal said. The columnist also stressed that the chaos in the streets promptly ended because of a message from the imprisoned leader of the PKK, not because of government efforts. As for the current legislation, it is sufficient for counter-terrorism, Ünal said, adding that strict laws never ease problems like these but rather makes them worse.
In another Friday column, Bugün daily's Nuh Gönültaş wrote that leaders who come to power after a military coup usually draft new laws in order to legitimize their unlawful practices and evade being tried by a court. Gönültaş reminded his readers that Gen. Kenan Evren, Turkey's seventh president and leader of the Sept. 12, 1980 military coup, and his aides put an article in the new Constitution that granted impunity to them for their acts during the coup era. “However, after 30 years passed they have been put on trial,” Gönültaş added, saying that there would be no escape from being held accountable. According to Gönültaş, the new government-drafted bills seem to be designed for a similar reason.

GÜNAY HİLAL AYGÜN (Cihan/Today's Zaman)