TURKEY REFERENDUM CAMPAIGN TAKES NASTY TURN

EurActiv

Aug 19 2010

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan has warned Turkey’s largest
business organisation, TÜSÝAD, that it risks “elimination” if it
fails to take a stance on the country’s referendum on constitutional
change, to be held on 12 September. EurActiv Turkey contributed to
this article.

In a TV debate while on a campaign tour on 17 August, Erdoðan called
on TÜSÝAD, the Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen’s Association,
to say whether it is for or against the government’s proposed
constitutional amendments.

“Declare your stance. If it is no, say ‘no.’ If it is yes, say ‘yes’
[…] He who is neutral will be eliminated,” Erdoðan said.

Other statements made in recent days also appear questionable.
Turkey’s chief negotiator with the EU, Egemen Baðýþ, reportedly
said that he would question “the mental health and patriotism of
anyone intending to vote against” the constitutional amendments in
the referendum.

TÜSÝAD rejected any kind of pressure and tutorship over the free will
of individuals and stated that Erdoðan’s pressure on the business
world had no place in modern democracies.

“The warning was an unfortunate act and will certainly not serve the
cause of strengthening the role of civil society in modern societies,”
TÜSÝAD said in a statement.

Speaking to EurActiv, Bahadir Kaleagasi, international coordinator
at TÜSÝAD, described the misplaced statements as “disastrous”.

“This wording about TÜSÝAD to be eliminated is going too far. The
government constitutionally has the power, it controls the military,
it controls the security forces, the Ministry of Finance, the public
prosecution…having all these powers, if the government threatens a
legitimate organization, this is an abuse of constitutional power,”
Kaleagasi said.

Kaleagasi said he still hoped Erdoðan would “correct this very worrying
error”. He added that no matter what the result of the constitutional
referendum, Turkey would still need a new modern constitution.

“The present constitution, modified or not, does not correspond to the
requirements of the competitive Turkish society of the 21st century,”
he stressed.

Apparently AKP party had crossed certain lines by accusing Kemal
Kýlýçdaroðlu, leader of the CHP, the main opposition party, of not
having “legitimate” ethnic origins. His mother is Armenian and his
father is Kurdish, which they claim turns many Turks hostile to those
ethnic groups away from supporting the party.

The president reacts

Apparently concerned by the nasty turn the debate has taken ahead of
the referendum, Turkish President Abdullah Gül warned political leaders
to watch their manners while campaigning, the Turkish press reported.

“I have difficulty in bringing them together,” he said on Wednesday,
speaking to journalists travelling with him to Azerbaijan.

The president also criticised parties for urging citizens to vote ‘yes’
or ‘no’ without explaining the details of the constitutional amendment.

Positions Judges and prosecutors’ association YARSAV called on Erdoðan
to respect the law.

“We openly invite the prime minister to convene parliament and shut
Yarsav down if he has the power to do so,” Omer Faruk Eminaðaoðlu,
one of the association’s leaders, declared.

Eyüp Can of the Referans daily commented on the TÜSÝAD-Erdoðan row
over the constitutional amendment package referendum in the following
manner: “If we are talking about the culture of democracy at a minimum
level, no-one can be forced to reveal his/her vote.”

However, Can refers to an old saying, “one who is impartial will be
pushed aside,” stressing how difficult is to remain impartial.

Güngör Uras of the Milliyet daily believes that Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdoðan threatened TÜSÝAD ahead of the 12 September popular
vote because the organisation is very open to the United States and
the European Union.

From: A. Papazian