Star, Turkey
July 13 2013
Positive Agenda
by by Mensur Akgun
Several things that occurred inside Turkey and in its region in the
past few months have strained the societal fault lines, forced the
economy, and diminished the political arena. The problems pertaining
to the Gezi Park incidents, the repercussions for Turkey of the
unending civil war in Syria, and now the coup in Egypt have seriously
affected us all.
Turkey was presented by the world media as a collapsing economy and a
shaky democracy. Taksim was shown as a war zone. In the course of one
month, Turkey to a great extent lost the prestige it won in 10 years.
We must now speak of “good things” and reduce the tension in the
social sphere in order to dress our wounds domestically as well as
rectify our image abroad. The time has come for a “Positive Agenda”
for Turkey. It is time to take new initiatives and to deliver new
balcony speeches.
The politicians could leave the accounting of the past to historians.
As for the cause-effect relationship, social scientists and conspiracy
theorists will address this issue with great gusto and love for the
profession. Rather than focus on lobbies and foreign forces, the
politicians should turn their attention to the new constitution, the
solution process, and the overcoming of the problems with the
neighbours.
What transformed Turkey into Turkey in the past 10 years, what brought
the AKP [Justice and Development Party] to power again and again, and
what enabled Turkey to be shown as an example in the world is the
AKP’s agenda of finding solutions to problems. The AKP must revert to
its own agenda, conduct politics on the basis of justice, and be
all-embracing.
Every speech made with the aim of closing the ranks is further
polarizing the society and damaging Turkey as a whole. Today, we see
fissures not only along the social fault lines, but even in daily
life, and quarrels are breaking out between protesters and those who
sustain material and moral damage from the protests.
Fortunately, the speeches delivered by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan in the past few days leave the impression that there will be a
return to the old agenda. Especially his statement concerning the
drafting of a new constitution – the statement calling on the
political parties to reach an agreement to enact the provisions on
which there is consensus by working day and night – contains the core
of a constructive political mentality.
In fact, having a democratic constitution will assuage the society and
strengthen the Kurdish solution process. To avoid being affected by
the turbulence in its surrounding region, Turkey should express the
will to resolve its own internal problems more loudly, close its gaps
in democracy, and solve its human rights problems.
The exaggerated sensitivity that developed in the United States and
the EU during the Gezi Park events should also be carefully
interpreted, and it should not be dismissed as prejudice or the work
of this-and-that lobby. It must be realized that the source of the
selectiveness in Western perceptions is based on the debate concerning
the shift in axis and that the relations with Israel lie at the core
of this debate, and ways must be sought to cooperate with lobbies
rather than accuse them.
Thought must be given to the mode and content of the rapprochement
with Israel in the wake of the expected apology. The methods of
normalizing the relations with Armenia without offending Azerbaijan
must be discussed. It must be realized that the road from Ankara to
Brussels goes not only through Diyarbakir, but also through Cyprus.
The solution of the Cyprus problem in one way or another will help to
greatly surmount the impasse we are experiencing with the EU even if
Germany does not want it.
If Turkey readopts its solution finding approach of the early 2000’s,
it will become a side to solutions, not problems, and it will remain
above problems. The policy that must be adopted should be to shape the
future rather than criticize the mistakes of the past. The price for
Turkey of appearing to take sides in its region should be carefully
calculated.
No matter how difficult, as the party in power, the AKP must do all
this by itself. It should not expect miracles, not from the opposition
in parliament and not from the opposition in the street. The
government is alone when it drafts the constitution, when it advances
the solution process, and when it overcomes the problems with its
neighbours. The opposition will remain the opposition, be it in the
problems or in their solutions.
[Translated from Turkish]