Silence

Higher Education Board (YÖK) President Gökhan Çetinsaya said, "It is part of freedom of thought for people to make comments and disclose their opinions about social incidents." Looking at the bylaws prepared and implemented by YÖK during the past year, we can safely assume that this statement does not contain an ounce of sincerity.
The sanctions against academics who make remarks about political developments have increased during this period. The legal arrangements were introduced to pave the way for the state to appoint the executives of private universities. The YÖK president is either making a joke or wants to deceive the public. The responsibility for these repressive practices will be on the shoulders of the YÖK executives. The silence imposed on Turkey is not occurring solely in the academic sphere. The business community, too, is uneasy.
Under the bills freshly passed by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), the government can impound the assets, immovable property and receivables of any businessman at any time. The Foreign Economic Relations Council (DEİK), an autonomous body affiliated with the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges (TOBB), went under control of the government. With a legal amendment that runs counter to legal principles, businessmen will have to submit to the orders and instructions from government officials. After a pro-government bloc won the elections for the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK), new steps have been taken.
The freshly introduced bills are advertised as judicial and security reforms, but they actually intended to impose martial law on Turkey. These bills slash freedoms and restrict the right of defense. Neither attorneys nor suspects will be allowed to see the investigation file. All assets of the suspect or defendant can be seized in the case of constitutional crimes. Reasonable suspicion, instead of concrete evidence, will be sufficient for a judge to issue a search warrant. Judges of the criminal court of peace will be given super powers, allowing them to conduct operations in any jurisdictional region across Turkey. The new powers and authorities granted to the police empower them to detain people for crime prevention purposes. The police will also be authorized to make searches, surveillance and wiretapping without a court order. Such powers and authorities can be found only in martial law.
The silencing of Turkey will long be remembered as the politicians' cardinal sin. Every fair-minded person is concerned about the chaotic climate that such a move will create. We see that the ruling AK Party does not see that these bills, bans and practices are narrowing down the legitimate political sphere. Everyone knows that the AK Party turns a blind eye to censorship and puts pressure on the media sector. The “New Turkey” is nothing but a land where intellectuals, media outlets, the civil society and academics are silenced. The ruling AK Party believes that it can distract the attention of its voter base from the realities in the short term and win their support.
But truth will eventually come out. Let us remember what happened in the Middle East. The dictatorships silenced the opposition and turned a deaf ear to the society's legitimate demands, but it turned out that these pressures didn't pay off. Turkey has to return to the culture of conciliation. The ruling AK Party may understand that it cannot remain in power for long if rule of law and pluralism are undermined. You cannot control society with duress. Silence speaks louder than words. And the truth will emerge in the end.

ORHAN OĞUZ GÜRBÜZ (Cihan/Today's Zaman)