Alaton: I would say ‘yes’ twice on referendum if I could

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan criticized the elite business club during a live TV program, saying, “He who stays neutral is cast aside.” TÜSİAD’s statement also drew reactions from one of its members. İshak Alaton, co-founder and chairman of Alarko Holding, said the quest for more democracy requires taking a stance on the referendum rather than staying neutral and avoiding responsibility.

Speaking to Sunday’s Zaman, Alaton shared his opinions on the constitutional amendment process and the possible implications of the amendments for Turkey. Unlike TÜSİAD’s hesitant stance, Alaton puts forth his cause quite clearly, saying a single “yes” does not sufficiently reflect his feelings about the amendments and, hence, he would say “yes” twice.

Accusing the business world of having very little courage, Alaton insisted that it is a virtue to stand up and openly express one’s thoughts when necessary. Remaining silent about threats to democracy does the most damage to the business world, said the tycoon. “Therefore, to protect ourselves from having our rights infringed on, we have to make a stand for democracy,” he said.

He underlines that he has two reasons for saying “yes” twice. The first reason is the double-headed administration that has created much confusion during the last eight years. “This exhausted both me and Turkey,” says Alaton, explaining that on the one hand there is a major party that won the general elections and 65 percent of the seats in Parliament and opposition parties against it. On the other hand, there is the state, which acts in complete opposition to the government. For Alaton, the most obvious example of this abnormal situation was seen in the voting in Parliament for the law allowing the wearing of headscarves at universities, in which 411 of 550 deputies -- almost 80 percent -- raised their hands in favor of lifting the ban. The law was later abolished by the Constitutional Court.

 “What was the rationale behind their decision? Nothing. They have their own logic. A law that received Parliament’s approval was scrapped based on the logic of the anti-government state. This is a most obvious indicator of the existence of a double-headed administration. This has to end, and the only way to finish it is the possibility of pushing the judiciary into the sphere of impartiality in the upcoming referendum. I see it as a prospect since the ambiguities still persist. But it is a hope, and I say “yes” by relying on this hope. I think it is indispensable and unavoidable for governments, which are elected by the nation, to be a strong voice,” Alaton argued.

The second reason for Alaton’s choice is the possibility of replacing the existing constitution, which was devised in the undemocratic environment following the September 1980 coup, with a brand-new constitution in line with modern, Western standards. “I aspire for a strong government to take over and lead the way towards a completely new constitution. This is our primary expectation from the new government, regardless of the party.” Alaton wants the political power to heed, discuss, improve where necessary and adopt the constitution proposal hammered out by Professor Ergun Özbudun at the request of the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV), which was founded by Alaton.

A new constitution must be the first topic to deal with following the 2011 general elections, said the businessmen, adding: “Therefore, we will bury the September 1980 coup in history at last and forget it forever. This will also mark the end of the era of ousting legally elected governments by coups. Constant coups, threats sent via the Internet, forcing people to toe the line of the military and coup preparations by high-ranking military officers are coming to an end, never to come back again. But they will not be forgotten because now is the time to open the cases of thousands of unsolved murders and to pay heed to the woes of thousands of citizens. The nation has to offer apologies to them. I expect the state to admit its crimes and apologize.”

Alaton also noted that the Jewish community in Turkey had remained silent regarding the referendum. He said he is trying to understand their situation but fails to see what they really think.

TÜSİAD doesn’t heed realities

The tycoon criticized TÜSİAD President Ümit Boyner for declaring that they would be impartial in the referendum. He says he does not attend TÜSİAD meetings. Alaton explained the reason for his criticism by saying: “For a very long time I have felt that TÜSİAD’s attitude conflicts with Turkey’s realities, and I have openly expressed this to the association. It is for this reason that I have kept my distance. My opinion remains the same today. TÜSİAD has its own logic, which I don’t share.”

When reminded that TÜSİAD had demanded a new constitution in the past and that the prime minister had said they were trying to open the way leading up to such a development, Alaton said: “ The prime minister has a very logical explanation. My logic is the same, and I say that this referendum is the first step. It is not the final goal. Everyone knows this. On the one hand, we are shackling the administration’s hands and on the other hand we are demanding a new constitution. Where is the logic behind this? Being in search of democracy requires one to take a stance. How can you be impartial in the quest for democracy? It is a very invalid and unreasonable approach.” İstanbul Sunday’s Zaman

Why does the business world lack courage? 

In addition to TÜSİAD, Alarko Holding Board Chairman Alaton also criticized the business world for the lack of bold attempts to support democracy.  Explaining that he has a hard time understanding the mentality of the business world Alaton said “Why are we such a courage poor society? Why are we not aware of the significance of the virtue called courage? How come we think we can solve problems by hiding our colors and not taking a side?” Alaton notes that people need to be able to take a side and say “this is how I feel” when the time comes. Underlining that remaining silence in the face of threats to democracy hurts the business world the most, the businessman said “in order to not become a victim you have to adopt a stance in favor of democracy. I feel like businessmen are trying to prevent danger by hiding their true color. I can’t understand what this danger is about?” 

‘I can’t understand why the opposition says “no” to everything’ 

Alaton also criticizes the opposition’s attitude regarding the referendum. Noting that he does not believe the Republican People’s Party (CHP) which started a “no” campaign is a social democrat party Alaton said “ I don’t understand the mentality in CHP’s advocacy to saying no, let alone its claim of being a social democrat. That is because they don’t have a satisfying logic. I have reached the conclusion that they opposing it for the sake of opposing it. Perhaps this is a result of their political expectations.”  Questioning just how “rational” it is for  this kind of opposition to have a role in the country’s governance the businessmen disapproved of the opposition’s stance and said the opposition should support a decision if it is in the interest of the nation.

He notes that Turkey is a strange country where the opposition says no to everything and underlined that he never understood the reasoning behind rejecting everything. Referring to Gen. Tunçer Kılınç, former secretary-general of the National Security Council (MGK), Alaton underlined that it was unreasonable for a general with four stars to go on television and say  he would issue money and said “How can the issuing money incident be taken seriously in Turkey and be debated? He says this on television and his statements are written in newspapers and no one asks this man ‘have you gone mad?’ Where is the logic? This is sort of like disseminating propaganda that counterfeiting is permissible by way of television.”