I seldom, however, go along with my peers. I consider myself a social liberal or a social democrat. There is, however, no such party in the country. I am, therefore, free to make the choices that make sense to me.Since this is a local election, the candidates' qualifications do matter. For mayor of İstanbul I shall vote in favor of the incumbent Kadir Topbaş from the Justice and Development Party (AKP). I believe, like the vast majority of those who live in this city, that he has done a good job during his five years in office. Five years ago, for mayor of Beşiktaş, the municipality where I live, I voted in favor of the CHP candidate, who won. This time, however, the AKP candidate, Ms. Sibel Çarmıklı, seems to me better qualified for the job.
I also need to decide which party list to prefer for the İstanbul municipal assembly. Voting in favor of the CHP is out of the question because the CHP under Deniz Baykal's leadership has turned its back to the party's reformist tradition and even to democratic principles by supporting military and judicial interventions. My political preferences do not allow me to vote either for the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) or the Democratic Society Party (DTP). I, then, have to decide whether to vote for the AKP or not vote at all since I do not take the remaining political parties seriously.
It is necessary, then, to weigh the good deeds of the AKP against its sins. Let me begin with the latter. I am convinced that the AKP has in no way threatened secularism. It has, however, not been able to convince otherwise people under the influence of circles who try to exploit their fears or who are sincerely worried about secularism being threatened by AKP rule. The failure to do so has pushed a considerable part of society to side with those who support military and bureaucratic interventions. The fact that the AKP has imparted the image of being a "Sunni party" has been a major failure in this context.
I disapprove of the AKP government's media policy. It has avoided passing legislation that would curb ownership concentration in the media and dissuade media owners from engaging in commercial affairs that conflict with the interest of a free and independent media. Instead, in order to control the media, it has tried to facilitate the taking over of media outlets by businessmen close to the AKP.
True, the AKP is the only party in the country that has the character of a mass party. It seems, however, no different than the other parties in terms of being dominated by the party leader. The accusations that recruitments to public positions by the AKP government are done in a highly partisan manner seem to be substantiated. It has not proved to me to be any less corrupt than other government parties. The AKP cares little about the environment. It waited for six years to sign the Kyoto Protocol. I am totally opposed to nuclear power plants, which the AKP is determined to build.
I protest the fact that the AKP government has so far refused to become party to the International Criminal Court. I find it absolutely unacceptable that the AKP government, with the excuse of protecting political and economic interests in Africa, has refused to condemn the atrocities of the Sudanese government against the people of Darfur.
The good deeds of the AKP are, however, also plenty. It pioneered the political reforms that led to the start of accession talks with the European Union in 2005. Turkey today is a far freer country than it used to be prior to the AKP. The long-denied Kurdish and Alevi identities are now recognized in practice if not yet officially. If talks with the EU are moving at a snail's pace and if the reforms have largely halted, the blame lies mostly with the ambivalent attitude of the EU towards Turkey and the resistance it triggered among the state elites and politicians opposed to the EU.
Due to the world financial crisis, negative growth is expected this year. Unemployment has already reached a record level. The Turkish economy grew, however, at an average annual rate of 7 percent between 2003 and 2007, leading to the tripling of per capita income to over $10,000. There is surely poverty and inequitable distribution of income, especially between regions, but Turkey under the AKP has become a far more prosperous country than what it was before.
The AKP has been truly successful in foreign policy. It avoided involvement in the invasion of Iraq, supported the UN plan for Cyprus, achieved negotiating status with the EU, established good relations with all neighboring countries and is about to normalize relations with Armenia. It has expended serious efforts to facilitate resolution of regional disputes and conflicts with diplomacy and dialogue, significantly improved Turkey's world image and increased its "soft power."
I judge that the AKP's good deeds weigh far heavier than its sins. I shall, therefore, vote in favor of the AKP on Sunday. I also hope the AKP receives a strong mandate from the people to continue with reforms that will help Turkey consolidate its democracy.
