10 March 2010 / NUH GÖNÜLTAŞ BUGÜN,
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has been in power for two successive terms, but why didn’t it undertake all these reforms that are said to be needed by the country?
Because it could not. The government has just started to assert its power. This is not an easy thing in Turkey’s pro-status quo, change-resistant and ideological state structure. The processes that started with the coming to power of the AK Party for a second term are under way. And the AK Party needs time for these processes to be completed. Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç once said: “Personally, I was thinking that it would be sufficient to secure popular support and enter Parliament. I thought that when we assumed office, we would be able to implement a political program in line with our views. We found out that the reality was not as we imagined. Everything is a process, and this is particularly so for politics. Even a tree can bear fruit in at least 10 years.”
