We can list the issues that may arise if the AK Party is closed down as follows:(1) The basic problem with democracy is its interruption every 10 years, leading to political parties' inability to develop an established tradition. The military coup of May 27, 1960, gave rise to a military tradition of meddling in civilian politics. In other words, the main political tradition in Turkey is not democracy, but direct or indirect intervention into politics. Our political system can be likened to a pyramid that tries to stand on its tip -- and naturally fails to do so -- and faces the risk of toppling down at any moment. Yet those who turned the s refrain from accepting their guilt, but place the blame on the nation and Islamists attempting to put the system on this bottom, as is expected with a pyramid.
The Republican People's Party (CHP) is the party with the longest history, but it is trapped in a reverie of nostalgia for the single-party regime and poses obstacles to every attempt at more democracy, acting like a flagship of the state ideology. The parties that promote greater democratization become short-lived and are unable to develop established traditions. There are two reasons for this: military coups and party closures. To date, we have seen five coups -- direct or indirect -- and 24 parties have been closed down. Now the closure of two parties that together represent about 18.5 million voters -- the AK Party and the Democratic Society Party (DTP) -- is intended.
(2) If two parties are shut down, this will not do the hierarchical nature of the "separation of powers" principle as it is implemented in Turkey any good. What's more, this will consolidate the judiciary's position as primus inter pares -- first among equals -- and at the same time usher in a couple of debates. Nothing would do greater damage to the reliability of the judiciary than this.
(3) If the AK Party is closed down, the "crime without action" the AK Party members are being accused of will become part of case-law and statements normally considered to fall under the scope of "freedom of thought" will be used as justification for party closures; the sphere of "freedom of religion and conscience" will be considerably narrowed; and secularists' lifestyles will come to be perceived as an alternative to Islam. It is not difficult to predict what heavy costs this will impose on social peace.
(4) The headscarf issue, which represents a big problem for an important part of society, will be hidden under the cover of party closure, and any references to this issue will come to be used as justification for future closures. This may lead to the treatment of any attempt for political solution to the headscarf issue as an offense, and eventually to some form of discrimination against women with headscarves, like the apartheid regime in South Africa or India's caste system, by introducing some "additional arrangements." Public services, statuses and advantages will be symbolized by the women without headscarves and these will be defined as the privileges or constitutional rights of certain groups. There have already been statements to this effect. "To ease the concerns that the AK Party may turn Turkey into Iran, Malaysia or Jordan, some measures may be taken, and the assurance that the headscarf ban will continue for civil servants and students under age may be put in the constitution." (Şahin Alpay, Zaman, July 19, 2008)
(5) The Kurdish problem will once again be relegated to the military bureaucracy and will continue to be perceived as a pure security issue. The Kurdish people will not be represented, even if they vote for the DTP or the AK Party, and they will await new developments. If some people intend to force Kurdish voters to vote for the CHP or the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), we must say that this is a false dream. Turkey has two profound problems: "protecting the freedom of religion and conscience" and "the Kurdish issue." Closing down parties does not solve these problems. Rather, it complicates them further, worsening the social condition.
(6) In foreign policy, Turkey will have to sit and wait for the decisions being made behind closed doors, and merely assume an observer role while its region is being designed.
In short, it will run everything to ruin.
