ID :
109544
Wed, 03/03/2010 - 15:08
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/109544
The shortlink copeid
Tension between army, AKP hurts Turkey’s image: scholar
TEHRAN, March 2 (MNA) - A Turkish scholar says the army’s move against the ruling AKP party “weakens Turkey’s image and prestige in international politics” and creates difficulties for the government in its relations with “the West and the East”.
Ramazan Gözen, head of the Political Science and International Relations Department at Çankaya University, also rejected claims by some Turkish organizations that the AKP party is seeking to undermine the secular system.
In an interview with the Mehr News Agency, Gözen said a government which is seriously seeking European integration cannot “violate secularism”.
Following is the text of the interview:
Q: What were the reasons that certain high-ranking Turkish military officers had moved to topple the AKP-ruled government?
A: It is mainly due to problems of democratic culture in Turkey. Unfortunately, for long time the Turkish army has had an overwhelming influence over the political developments by interfering in the civilian political process, and even in the past executed some military coups toppling democratic governments. One of the reasons for its interventions shown was supposed to save or defend secularism in Turkey. However, this argument has recently been rather odd because the current government is working hard to make Turkey a full member of the European Union by undertaking substantial reforms to this end. How can such a government violate secularism in Turkey? Then, the real reason seems to be the fact that some people including the military do not want to change the status quo in the county which was set up by the military-led Turkish constitution made after the 1980 military coup. It is to do with the power politics played by these groups.
Q: What are the consequences of tension between the government and the army?
A: The most important consequence is the development of poor or lower standard democracy with its economic, social and political ramifications over Turkish politics. As result of that, the country is unable to find good solutions for its problems, such as making a new constitution, a more modern social contract, based on rule of law, genuine democracy, respecting human rights and freedoms and in line with Turkey’s objective of being a respectful country in the world. And this problem weakens Turkey’s image and prestige in international politics, causing difficulties in its foreign policy towards the West and the East.
Q: What will be the status of parties in the case of early elections? Who will be the winner?
A: Nobody can answer this question for sure and fully because there are different opinion polls showing different results. After all, there have been widespread developments in political, economic, democratic, judicial, social life of Turkey during the incumbent government. Some of them were very deep-seated as they tried to make radical changes in the Turkish system. Most people are confused about the future of these developments. I am of the opinion that the current AK Party government will be the number one/winner party, but with a declining number and rate of votes compared with the 47 percent in the last elections in 2007. In the lack of strong, reasonable and visionary opposition parties with viable solutions and policies for resolving Turkey’s problems, the AK Party seems to be continuing the best alternative for many people, especially for conservative, liberal and moderate Islamic groups. Both the center left CHP (Republican People’s Party) and MHP (Nationalist Action Party) could not produce attractive alternatives for the solution of Turkey’s problems. They just react to and dispute with the government policies. This is my prediction under the current conditions, i.e. no big crisis or changes in Turkish domestic political process and international environment especially in the Middle East including the crisis over Iran’s nuclear program.
Q: Despite the success of the incumbent government in different fields, why the army was seeking to unseat it?
A: I am of the opinion that the AK Party government has been very successful in some social (e.g. health reform), democratic (e.g. civilization reforms) and foreign policy areas (e.g. the start of the negotiation process for EU membership), but not so good in economic and administrative areas, especially in the just distribution of the wealth, unemployment, and some perennial problems in local and national administration system. In other words, we cannot say that the government has been satisfying all segments of the people. One of these is the civilian-military bureaucrats, who, as said above in the first question, are not happy with their declining power and influence over the country’s political process. Some of them are even against Turkey’s full membership into the EU, and Turkey’s growing relations with the United States of America. Some of them have the unproved argument that Turkey is losing its secular character. Indeed, the Constitutional Court has already blamed the AK Party as the center of activities against secularism, and warned it in this respect. But the Court is also part of the status quo-minded bureaucrats of Turkey anyway.
(By By Masoumeh Zaare')
Ramazan Gözen, head of the Political Science and International Relations Department at Çankaya University, also rejected claims by some Turkish organizations that the AKP party is seeking to undermine the secular system.
In an interview with the Mehr News Agency, Gözen said a government which is seriously seeking European integration cannot “violate secularism”.
Following is the text of the interview:
Q: What were the reasons that certain high-ranking Turkish military officers had moved to topple the AKP-ruled government?
A: It is mainly due to problems of democratic culture in Turkey. Unfortunately, for long time the Turkish army has had an overwhelming influence over the political developments by interfering in the civilian political process, and even in the past executed some military coups toppling democratic governments. One of the reasons for its interventions shown was supposed to save or defend secularism in Turkey. However, this argument has recently been rather odd because the current government is working hard to make Turkey a full member of the European Union by undertaking substantial reforms to this end. How can such a government violate secularism in Turkey? Then, the real reason seems to be the fact that some people including the military do not want to change the status quo in the county which was set up by the military-led Turkish constitution made after the 1980 military coup. It is to do with the power politics played by these groups.
Q: What are the consequences of tension between the government and the army?
A: The most important consequence is the development of poor or lower standard democracy with its economic, social and political ramifications over Turkish politics. As result of that, the country is unable to find good solutions for its problems, such as making a new constitution, a more modern social contract, based on rule of law, genuine democracy, respecting human rights and freedoms and in line with Turkey’s objective of being a respectful country in the world. And this problem weakens Turkey’s image and prestige in international politics, causing difficulties in its foreign policy towards the West and the East.
Q: What will be the status of parties in the case of early elections? Who will be the winner?
A: Nobody can answer this question for sure and fully because there are different opinion polls showing different results. After all, there have been widespread developments in political, economic, democratic, judicial, social life of Turkey during the incumbent government. Some of them were very deep-seated as they tried to make radical changes in the Turkish system. Most people are confused about the future of these developments. I am of the opinion that the current AK Party government will be the number one/winner party, but with a declining number and rate of votes compared with the 47 percent in the last elections in 2007. In the lack of strong, reasonable and visionary opposition parties with viable solutions and policies for resolving Turkey’s problems, the AK Party seems to be continuing the best alternative for many people, especially for conservative, liberal and moderate Islamic groups. Both the center left CHP (Republican People’s Party) and MHP (Nationalist Action Party) could not produce attractive alternatives for the solution of Turkey’s problems. They just react to and dispute with the government policies. This is my prediction under the current conditions, i.e. no big crisis or changes in Turkish domestic political process and international environment especially in the Middle East including the crisis over Iran’s nuclear program.
Q: Despite the success of the incumbent government in different fields, why the army was seeking to unseat it?
A: I am of the opinion that the AK Party government has been very successful in some social (e.g. health reform), democratic (e.g. civilization reforms) and foreign policy areas (e.g. the start of the negotiation process for EU membership), but not so good in economic and administrative areas, especially in the just distribution of the wealth, unemployment, and some perennial problems in local and national administration system. In other words, we cannot say that the government has been satisfying all segments of the people. One of these is the civilian-military bureaucrats, who, as said above in the first question, are not happy with their declining power and influence over the country’s political process. Some of them are even against Turkey’s full membership into the EU, and Turkey’s growing relations with the United States of America. Some of them have the unproved argument that Turkey is losing its secular character. Indeed, the Constitutional Court has already blamed the AK Party as the center of activities against secularism, and warned it in this respect. But the Court is also part of the status quo-minded bureaucrats of Turkey anyway.
(By By Masoumeh Zaare')
