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Old Turkey Sickness

20.09.2014 13:07

It was one of the bad habits of the old Turkey. Some illegal actions, including torture, assassination, pressure on the media and burning villages, which could not be reconciled with democracy, were committed, and then when international institutions such as the Council of Europe (CoE) and the Organization.

It was one of the bad habits of the old Turkey. Some illegal actions, including torture, assassination, pressure on the media and burning villages, which could not be reconciled with democracy, were committed, and then when international institutions such as the Council of Europe (CoE) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) made criticisms, they were all declared enemies of Turkey.

Of course, this defense meant nothing for those who had directly observed the cases. Only Turkey's image and prestige were damaged. This method of discrediting those who make constructive criticisms was used to deceive the people.
The Justice and Development Party (AK Party) administration abandoned this method and approach in its first two terms in office. They did not criticize others; instead, they admitted to their mistakes and deficiencies, and instead of attacking the relevant actors, they asked for their help and assistance to deal with the problems in Turkish democracy. For instance, in the 2010 judicial reforms, the Venice Commission of the CoE was asked to extend its help to the efforts. The government worked together with the EU Commission in an effort to find solutions for the state of civilian-military relations.
The results of this approach were observed immediately. The international organizations and institutions no longer criticized Turkey; instead, they praised Turkey's achievements and referred to them as a model for others. So this meant that not everybody was an enemy of Turkey. The international media and the EU had been great supporters of the administration at a time when it was being squeezed by pro-status quo forces. For instance, when the military issued an online memorandum on April 27, 2007, the Guardian asked whether there was sufficient grounds for the concerns of the seculars, further concluding that theirs was an exaggerated fear and that Erdoğan had been one of the leaders taking Turkey towards European standards in terms of human rights and democratization.
Around the same time, the Washington Post, in an editorial, noted that Turkey had reached a turning point in terms of its efforts for the consolidation of liberal democracy and that Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was leading the most successful government in Turkey's near past. The editorial, which cited the military memo as an unfortunate statement, stressed that Abdullah Gül was a respected figure. The paper further said that Erdoğan did not have an Islamic agenda, and instead he was leading the EU membership process by introducing bold reforms; the paper concluded that not the Justice and Development Party (AKP) but its opponents were the greatest threat to democracy in Turkey.
Now the whole case is pretty different. Despite its "new Turkey" slogan, the political administration is returning to old Turkey habits. It is commiting grave mistakes in the fields of democracy and law. Naturally, the world has strongly criticized these mistakes. But instead of correcting these mistakes, the government is waging a war against the critics. Arguing that there is a link between Israel and Freedom House, which reported that the press is not free in Turkey, insulting Turkish-German politician Cem Özdemir for stating their mistakes and accusing a businessman who referred to the law for treason… The synergy once established between Turkey and the world is no longer there; Erdoğan and his aides have accused Çarşı (a Beşiktaş football fan club) and police investigating corruption of staging a coup, while leading Turkey expert Henry Barkey says that everybody is laughing at these allegations.
It is now possible that Ankara will maintain contact with armed groups in Syria due to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant's (ISIL) atrocities. The Wall Street Journal says Turkey is no longer an ally of the US, while The New York Times has reported on Ankara's role in the oil trade that constitutes the basis of ISIL's revenue. The deterioration of the economy is being covered by rating agencies, while the decline in democracy is being criticized by the EU, the OSCE, the CoE and Human Rights Watch.
There are now objections to these antidemocratic moves and measures, including the regulation authorizing the Telecommunications Directorate (TİB) to block access to Internet sites and collect information on Internet traffic without a court ruling. For instance, Human Rights Watch stresses that Internet censorship has become even more serious and that the TİB has been authorized to inspect everything. The international media, which had previously praised the reforms of the administration, now strongly criticize these regulations, which take Turkey to the world of George Orwell. Is it not a scandalous, inconsistent fact that a political administration that pays so much attention to privacy and illegal wiretapping has taken such a grave measure, by which all citizens will be monitored.
The answers to these criticisms will determine whether we are new or old Turkey. Those who, instead of correcting the error, wage a war against the critics will become the companions of the old Turkey.

ABDÜLHAMİT BİLİCİ (Cihan/Today's Zaman)



 
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