14 November 2009 / ZAMAN MUSTAFA ÜNAL,
Today Parliament will set the stage for perhaps one of the most historically important sessions we have seen in the past few years. This session has been anticipated for months on end now.
All eyes will be on the speech that will be made by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Today, it is the Turkish public’s right to expect more balanced discussions and softer tones from everyone, from leaders to party heads. And Prime Minister Erdoğan must, when speaking about the content of the democratic initiative, explain in a persuasive manner why it is necessary. For while it is true that he has spoken with “everyone” on this topic, the fact remains that the topic itself has yet to be adequately explained. There has been no move beyond the words “Blood will stop flowing, mothers shall stop crying.” And it must be accepted that concerning this topic, the voice of the opposition has been greater and louder, and as such, it has had more of an effect on the “streets.” And so today is a historic date, for both the administration and the opposition. And now, what the people of Turkey want to hear is not more traded slurs or reciprocal insults but some real facts about the roadmap for the initiative in general and any handicaps that may arise along the way.
