All those problems existed before, but they were swept under the carpet. Now some problems, regarded as nonexistent in the past or swept under the carpet in the hope they would be forgotten, have surfaced and are awaiting solutions. If we look at the other side of the coin, the resurfacing of such problems is a healthy development that can open windows of opportunity for discussing thorny issues, perhaps shifting us toward a better future. If we have a quick look at recent press reports we can see events taking place as if they are isolated, but on the contrary they are all linked. Let’s take for example, reports of slow growth in the economy as announced this past Monday. Turkey’s economic growth slowed in the third quarter to its lowest level since a devastating financial crisis six years ago, and the economy is likely to expand at a slower rate next year than the government or investors had been expecting, as the official figures published last Monday revealed.
Economic growth in the third quarter of 2007 was 1.5 percent, well below the rate of 5 percent that the government had been anticipating, according to stories published in Monday’s papers. One of the main strengths of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has been the positive developments in the economy. However, negative signals have begun emerging from this sector too. A World Bank assessment over the linkage between growth and the state of public welfare should also give an idea of the importance of economic recoveries. World Bank Turkey Director Ulrich Zachau had said earlier this week that no country in the world can grow and develop by keeping its workers and middle class poor.
“Turkey should never try to grow by keeping its workers and middle class poor,” Zachau said, during a seminar organized jointly by the World Bank and the Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV). “If Turkey pursues a vision to generate more capital through the production of its goods and services by using more advanced technologies, more knowledge and a more educated workforce, I see a bright future for this country,” Zachau stated.
Another recent report on Turkey is also worth mentioning to stress the importance of analyzing events in their entirety. Transparency International’s 2007 report titled “Global Corruption,” released yesterday, urges Turkey not to politicize the justice system while both political and institutional support for a clean-up operation within the justice system has remained low. As has been observed in countries like Turkey, Pakistan and Nepal, allowing prosecutors to hide behind anachronistic immunities has caused problems in the implementation of a fair judicial system, the report said. “There needs to be the establishment of a careful link between independence [of the judiciary] and accountability,” the report noted, indicating the problems of practices within the judiciary, which hide behind the principle of independence from political influence at the expense of accountability.
Turkey ranks 16th out of 20 countries in terms of public perception of corruption in the judiciary, according to the Transparency International report. Public opinion polls have revealed that trust in the judiciary has been declining over the past 20 years. “The increased number of scandals that judges and prosecutors have been involved in as reported by the press have resulted in this public perception of the judicial system,” the report added.
Finally, I will touch upon a top Turkish general’s statement. During a speech he made in Ankara at a seminar on Dec. 11, Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Yaşar Büyükanıt complained once more about the problem of terrorism stemming from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). According to him domestic support for PKK terrorism has been triggering external support. He also stated that terrorism has not only been politicized but also legalized.
The aforementioned events and reports on Turkey are all linked to one another. Terrorism, for example, cannot be minimized if we fail to address serious deficiencies in our democracy. If we continue to analyze events in isolation we will not find a solution to our persisting problems.
