Gov’t points to Parliament to solve all issues, recalls first assembly

 In a carefully choreographed speech delivered to a special session of Parliament, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan tried to frame the debate in an all-inclusive approach mentioning most ethnic groups represented in the country. He often made references to the first Turkish Parliament of 1920, in which many diverse groups were represented under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the modern Turkish Republic.

Quoting Atatürk, who he said was able to bring all kind of people under the roof of Parliament and united them with the common denominator of citizenship in the Turkish Republic, Erdoğan drew a comparison between today’s Parliament and the first Parliament. The prime minister tried to convey the message that the current Parliament has a special obligation at this critical historical juncture.

“For 89 years, this Parliament remained the people’s Parliament and will remain as such. The place to solve all of Turkey’s problems is here. This is the place where all issues will be debated with courage, sincerity and openly,” Erdoğan, in a high-pitched tone, told deputies. He stressed that Parliament cannot give concessions on freedoms and democracy, which constitute the basis and principles of this country. He urged deputies to take the first Parliament as a model of inspiration in which he said all issues were addressed with respect, politeness and tolerance.

The speech did not impress the two main opposition parties’ hardened ranks, which have fiercely opposed the democratization initiative since its start. Erdoğan’s speech received protests and shouts from deputies belonging to the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). Commenting on the speech after the deliberations, MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli said: “The prime minister delivered a very embarrassing speech. He is losing himself. I urge him to collect himself.” In his speech, Bahçeli accused the government of negotiating with terrorists.

The CHP parliamentary group, however, decided to protest Erdoğan’s speech by leaving the General Assembly floor halfway through his address.

Broader freedom for all

The man who broke the details of the democratization initiative to deputies was Interior Minister Besir Atalay, who was tasked by the Cabinet with coordinating the process. He told Parliament the government wants to remove all restrictions on the use of the once-banned Kurdish language, create a committee to fight discrimination, restore Kurdish names of villages and establish an independent body to deal with complaints against security forces.

Atalay stressed that the government’s democratization efforts aim to provide broader freedoms for the country’s citizens. The steps planned include the removal of all obstacles before the usage of languages other than Turkish in social and religious services. Atalay further argued that the initiative has two goals -- to end terror and to improve democracy. Both are intertwined, he said.

Some of the proposed measures would require legislative approval. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) enjoys a commanding majority in Parliament and can pass the required laws despite opposition from other parties.

The details, disclosed in a special session of Parliament, would provide more freedoms for everyone, Interior Minister Atalay informed deputies. The plan drew strong criticism from the main opposition CHP and MHP, whose leaders criticized the government’s efforts for peace with harsh remarks yesterday.

Atalay underlined that the Constitution has to be changed, as it is out of touch with the people. “Our people do not deserve such a constitution. A new pluralistic constitution must be drafted, with the broadest participation,” Atalay stressed. Constitutional change, however, requires at least a two-thirds majority in Parliament, which the current government lacks.

“We aim to expand all our citizens’ political rights and freedoms,” Atalay said. “The democratic overture does not harm our unitary state and national unity, but strengthens it.” He said Kurdish politicians would be allowed to speak their language during election campaigns, reversing a policy that exposed pro-Kurdish politicians to prosecution if they spoke Kurdish in public settings.

Ahmet Turk, the leader of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP), said: “The government’s insistence on military operations has not stopped the deaths. We hope that the issue will no longer be relegated to the army.” The government reform initiative is aimed to put a stop to a conflict that has taken more than 40,000 lives.

Kurds do not have any problem with the country’s flag and border, he said, adding that there are many common values which keep society united. “Our common language is Turkish. Even those who will be educated in their mother tongue will use Turkish as a common language of communication.”

As part of the democratization process, independent bodies will be established to promote and ensure human rights. For example, a law seeking to establish an independent body to work to eliminate discrimination will soon be brought before Parliament. Obstacles before using languages other than Turkish in “social and religious” services will be removed, former Kurdish names of settlements and geographic places will be restored and political campaigns in languages other than Turkish will be allowed.

The structure of the Prime Ministry’s Human Rights Directorate will be changed; it will be made independent. As a follow-up to the approval of United Nations protocols on the prevention of torture, a national mechanism will be established to implement them. Another independent body will be set up to monitor all complaints about security forces, especially as concerns violations of human rights.

The government, however, has no plans to change the basic principles of the state, which are listed in the first three articles of the Constitution -- namely, that Turkey is a secular, democratic and social state based on the principles of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the republic, and that its language is Turkish.