40 years of politics defined by
Ecevit, Demirel, Erbakan and Turkes comes to an end
- They were foes in disguise. They always
supported one another. Only death, imprisonment or their own decision
could have caused them leave political life
Kemal Balci
ANKARA - TDN Parliament Bureau
Four leaders who defined 40 years of Turkish
politics have finally departed the political scene. They resisted leaving
but finally acquiesced when the end of the road drew near.
Death separated Alparslan Turkes from politics.
Necmettin Erbakan was barred from politics due to a jail sentence.
Suleyman Demirel had to leave the scene when his constitutional tenure as
president expired. And most recently, Bulent Ecevit officially announced
that he would soon step down as leader of his party.
Although they were on enemy lines, the four shared
the same fate. The old foes never hesitated to act as if they were the
closest of allies during hard times.
Ecevit ends his political life of his own accord
Bulent Ecevit was the veteran of the three. He was
the person who introduced the "left" concept into Turkish political life.
But he didn't hesitate to support his most powerful rival in the "right"
wing, Suleyman Demirel, in efforts to prolong the term of the president.
He evinced a strictly secular manner. He was the person who dismissed
turbaned deputy Merve Kavakci, elected to Parliament as a member to the
now-defunct Virtue Party (FP), from the assembly hall and even recommended
stripping her of her Turkish citizenship. But he was also the person who
formed a coalition with the leader of political Islam, Necmettin Erbakan,
and allowed Islamists to be appointed to important state positions.
His "honest" personality was a characteristic that
was admired by everyone, including his long-time rivals. But his last term
as prime minister of Turkey would be remembered by history as an era
during which corruption reached a peak.
Ecevit was the person who made bold political
decisions throughout his political life. He displayed an adamant manner,
challenging a U.S. resolution when he freed up opium production. Ecevit
ignored all manner of threat including the possible bombing of Turkish
villages that produced opium as well as the symbol of Istanbul,
Sultanahmet Mosque. He didn't hesitate to intervene in Cyprus in 1974
after a coup on the island. The price paid for his actions was an economic
and military embargo implemented by the United States.
Ecevit's name in the political arena was identified
with the word "freedom." He witnessed two military coups and paid the
price for his outcry against them with imprisonment in military jails.
Despite all this, he is among those who embrace the sensitivities of the
Turkish Armed Forces.
Ecevit made his toughest political decision when
forming a coalition government with the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).
His wife, Rasan, recommended against this decision and never approved her
husband's cooperation with members of the MHP, whom she called "killers."
Ecevit enjoyed his last prime ministry as the head of this coalition
government. Despite assassination attempts, military coups and failing
health, he ended his 40-year-long political life of his own volition.
Apart from his political career, Ecevit is a person
who is involved in poetry. His translations from Elliot reveal that he
loves modern literature, and those from Tagor show he is conversant with
the classics. Although his political rivals ignore it, his own poetry is
appreciated by literary circles.
Upon announcing that he would end his active
political life, he declared that he would return to the world of poetry
rather than write the biography of his life as a politician.
Demirel rises from his own ashes after every
defeat
Suleyman Demirel's political life began in the
environment of freedom that emerged in the aftermath of the May 27, 1960
military coup. But his first act was to limit the Constitution that had
fostered the development of this environment. As soon as he entered
politics, he became leader of the Justice Party (AP) and shortly
thereafter was named deputy prime minister. In his first elections, he was
elected prime minister of the country. It was during his first term that
Turkey enjoyed its lowest inflation and highest economic development.
He and political rival Ecevit were involved in
never-ending political fights, but their fate was joined in the Sept. 12
military coup. Both were banned from politics.
During the years that Demirel was under strict
observation, he conducted his political activities in secret. After the
political ban was lifted, he returned to active politics.
He became coalition partners with his biggest
rival, the Social Democratic People's Party (SHP) led by Erdal Inonu,
after the 1992 elections. This partnership opened the way for him to
become president after the untimely death of Turgut Ozal. In the last
years of Demirel's seven-year presidential term, Ecevit was poised to
become prime minister. Ostensibly enemies but in reality political
partners, they developed a surprisingly strong relationship.
Ecevit was the strongest supporter of a proposal to
change a single seven-year presidential term into two five-year terms.
Ecevit twice pushed a parliamentary vote on the issue, even though he knew
it was impossible to pass the law in a coalition government. Even the
inclusion of an amendment that would have prevented the closure of
Erbakan's opposition party and a special clause that would have increased
the salaries of parliamentary deputies contained in the presidential term
amendment proposal failed to produce the desired outcome. Changes that
would have secured Demirel another five years as president did not pass.
Demirel retired from politics after serving the constitutionally mandated
seven years as president. The Demirel era, which had lasted almost four
decades, ended and a new Demirel-less era began.
Necmettin Erbakan entered politics after getting
angry at Suleyman Demirel. He had to resign from his post as general
secretary of the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges
(TOBB) after Demirel sent policemen to evict him. Erbakan was elected to
Parliament as an independent deputy from Konya and opposed Demirel from
the start. He attracted the support of the Islamic movements, which had
been Demirel's strongest supporters in the past. He formed the National
Order Party (MNP), but it was closed after the March 12, 1970 military
coup. He then formed the National Salvation Party (MSP) and in the next
elections formed a coalition government with Ecevit. Ecevit, who would
later say that the formation of this coalition government was a historic
mistake, appointed Erbakan as deputy prime minister.
In later years, Erbakan also managed to take part
in succesive "Nationalist Front" governments formed by Demirel; however,
he had to take a leave of absence from politics after the military coup of
Sept. 12, 1980. He replaced the closed MSP with the Welfare Party (RP)
and, after his ban from politics expired, became party leader. He formed
an election partnership with nationalist Alparslan Turkes and his
associates in order to pass the 10 percent election threshold. As a
result, Turkes became a parliamentary deputy. Erbakan also could not
resist a chance to become prime minister with the support of True Path
Party (DYP) leader Tansu Ciller and was head of the coalition government
until the period ended in what is commonly referred to as the Feb. 28
"post-modern coup." Sevket Kazan, who accompanied Erbakan throughout his
political career and was at the end justice minister, used these words to
describe this period and their aims in the Jan. 25, 1998 edition of
Turkish Daily News' Probe.
"The National Order Party (MNP) started a movement.
That party was very important. They then closed it. The National Salvation
Party (MSP) that replaced it, took us to government and Deputy-Prime
Ministry. They also closed the MSP, but the party that replaced it, the
Welfare Party (RP), took us to the Prime Ministry. This time they closed
the RP. The party that will replace it will lead us to the presidency. No
one should doubt this."
Political Islamists first formed the Saadet
(Happiness) Party (SP), and when that was closed, formed the Virtue Party
(FP). However, progressives within the Islamist movement parted ways with
Erbakan and formed the governing Justice and Development (AK Party).
Political Islam at last has a chance to achieve its longstanding goal to
assume the presidential office, but without Necmettin Erbakan. It would be
very difficult for Recep Tayyip Erdogan to get the post, but not
impossible. On the other hand, Erbakan is paying the price of having
retired from politics. He has received a two-year, two-month prison
sentence for embezzling close to TL 1 trillion from RP accounts. The
Supreme Court of Appeals approved the sentence and, as a result, Erbakan
will have to serve at least 12 months in prison and will be banned from
active politics for life. Perhaps Erbakan, out of all four leaders, was
the one who paid the highest price at the end of his political career.
Alparslan Turkes entered politics after the May 27,
1960 military coup. It was he who first broadcast news of the coup on the
radio. Conflict between the coup leaders resulted him in being sent into
exile with a group known as "The Fourteens." Turkes introduced Turkish
nationalism, bordering on racism, into Turkish politics. He did not shy
away from violence against "leftist" politics with the help of the Grey
Wolves organization he had recruited from among the young generation. He
even became a deputy prime minister in one of Demirel's "Nationalist
Movement" governments. He was interned at a military camp on the Aegean
coast with Erbakan after the Sept. 12, 1980 military coup. He and his
party had to endure many years of trials in military courts. Eventually,
in 1997, he died from a heart attack.
The story of Turkish politics over the last four
decades cannot be told without mentioning each one of these four leaders.
Now they are no more. Today there is no other leader, apart from Fidel
Castro, who has been involved in politics for as long as these four.
Saddam Hussein is gone, as is Hafez al-Assad. Even the longest-serving
democratically elected politician, former French President Francois
Mitterand, has died. Only ours have remained. But now they are also
retiring from the political arena. Even the generation that has spent
almost all of their lives under the leadership of these politicians, such
as myself, has grandchildren. They have succeeded in accomplishing the
unlikely feat of governing an entire generation from birth to death. I
cannot fathom how political life will go on without them. Nothing like it
has been seen before.
- Political observers believe that the upcoming
local elections will mark another victory for the AK Party that won an
overwhelming majority of seats in the general elections held in November
2002
ANKARA - Turkish Daily News
The Justice and Development (AK) Party and main
opposition the Republican People's Party (CHP) started their campaigns for
the local elections set for March 28.
The legal start of the AK Party's campaign will be
Dec. 15 but there is speculation that party leader, and prime minister,
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has already determined the AK Party's strategy and
candidates.
AK Party Deputy Chairman Hayati Yazici told
reporters over the weekend that Erdogan has not approved any of the
candidates.
Political observers believe that the upcoming local
elections will mark another victory for the AK Party that won an
overwhelming majority of seats in the last general elections.
Public opinion polls reveal that support for the AK
Party has increased since it came to power more than a year ago.
Meanwhile, center right and left parties are
seeking an alliance for the elections in an effort to prevent a possible
landslide victory.
CHP leader Deniz Baykal underlined the importance
of local elections and called on people to come together under the
umbrella of his party.
He said that regardless of which party they belong
to, all people should join forces in his party.
"Former CHP party members, all center right and
left parties. We are together. I call you all to the CHP," said Baykal.
ANKARA - Turkish Daily News
The True Path Party (DYP) was still in shock on
Sunday when the death toll of a traffic accident reached seven.
A group of DYP members in the Black Sea city of
Sinop (Dikmen province) had a car accident on Saturday. They were on their
way to meet DYP leader Mehmet Agar, who was visiting the province.
Seven DYP members, including former Sinop deputy
Kadir Bozkurt, died.
"We are deeply saddened by these losses," said DYP
leader Agar. The DYP has four seats in Parliament. Party leaders sent
their condolences to Agar.
Turkey has finally found the young
and charismatic leader for whom it has been longing for years, but it is
still looking for a leader who can assume the role of a healthy opposition
- Turkey strongly feels the need of an opposition
leader and party for healthy, democratic politics, especially as the
local elections draw near. In the absence of other powerful political
parties and leaders, the results of the elections are a foregone
conclusion
Esra Erduran
ANKARA - Turkish Daily News
Early signs of it manifested itself in the 1999
elections: The electorate was searching for new political figures and
clean political parties. The leaders of the time turned a deaf ear to this
demand and buried it at the ballot boxes in the 2003 elections.
None of the former leaders of the once-powerful
center-right parties was able to pass the 10 percent national threshold,
and Turkey's newly founded conservative democrat party that had Islamist
roots, the Justice and Development Party (AK Party), easily came to power.
Early signs of it were obvious at political rallies
for the 1999 elections: People attending the rallies of the now-defunct
Virtue Party (FP) were carrying posters bearing the image of current Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. While the FP's chairman, Recai Kutan, was
addressing the crowds, people were chanting, "Prime Minister Erdogan,"
even though he had been banned. The 2003 elections paved his way to the
Prime Ministry, emphasizing the fact that his long-term goal was about to
come true.
After his political ban had been lifted and he was
elected deputy to Parliament in the Siirt by-elections, Erdogan received a
mandate from President Ahmet Necdet Sezer.
He was banned due to a speech speech he had made in
the past. He was convicted on charges of violating Article 312 of the
Turkish Penal Code (TCK), which for the most part covers crimes relating
to freedom of speech and expression.
Since coming to power, he has successfully served
as prime minister while Turkey has made important U-turns and enacted
crucial resolutions. Due to his and the AK Party's performance, the party
has increased its already significant percentage of the electorate.
PM is here, where is the opposition?
One year of AK Party governance has also
highlighted the importance of the lack of a powerful opposition.
Turkey strongly feels the need of a new opposition
leader and party as well as healthy, democratic politics, especially as
the local elections draw near. In the absence of other powerful political
parties and leaders, the results of the elections are a foregone
conclusion.
Public opinion polls reveal that the AK Party will
take almost all big-city municipalities. This shows that Turkey has
finally found the young and charismatic leader that it has been longing
for, but it is still looking for a leader who can assume the role of a
healthy opposition.
CHP disappoints electors
The Turks elected Turkey's oldest party, the
Republican People's Party (CHP), as the opposition. This result also
marked the return of the CHP to Parliament.
In the 1999 elections, the CHP was left outside
Parliament due to its failure to pass the 10 percent national threshold.
This caused a number of people to vote for the party in the next elections
with the feeling that the party established by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the
founder of modern Turkey, should not be left outside the decision-making
mechanism.
CHP leader Deniz Baykal claimed that he had altered
his formerly aggressive manner and coined a new phrase, the "Anatolian
Left," which blends the values of left and right according to Turkey's
special circumstances.
A majority of people voted for Baykal's CHP since
they felt they had no better choices available. They did not want to vote
for the AK Party and they did not want to vote for the other leaders, a
majority whose names were mentioned in conjunction with corruption
allegations.
As a result of this mood, the CHP undertook the
important mission of playing the role of the sole opposition against the
AK Party. Yet it has failed, according to public opinion polls.
But which party?
The same public opinion polls reveal that the
Turkish electorate sees no alternatives. Despite the change of the guard
in the center-right parties, namely, the Motherland Party (ANAP) and the
True Path Party (DYP), Turkish voters are still hesitant to support these
two parties.
ANAP's Mesut Yilmaz and the DYP's Tansu Ciller
stepped down in the aftermath of their failures in the 2003 elections.
Former DYP member Mehmet Agar, who was elected to
Parliament in the elections, became the new DYP leader. After two other
independent lawmakers joined the party ranks, the DYP was able to secure
seats in Parliament.
Despite his strong personality, Agar suffers some
shortcomings since he was implicated in the Susurluk scandal, which
exposed illegal state-mafia-politics ties.
ANAP is suffering from the lack of a leader. As its
convention approaches, ANAP has only one candidate running for party
leadership, Nesrin Nas. She is trying to convince members that claims that
she will serve as only as a caretaker leader until Yilmaz returns to the
party are unfounded.
The Young Party (GP) and its leader, Cem Uzan, lost
its rising popularity following a banking scandal that involved the Uzan
family.
In light of this and in line with the demands of
Turkish voters, Turkey needs a brand-new leader to run a powerful
opposition party.
- New law replaces non-civilian with civilian
members.
ANKARA - Turkish Daily News
Turkey has quietly passed a critical piece of
legislation on the establishment and duties of provincial and
sub-provincial Human Rights Boards (HRBs) to improve the investigation of
human rights violations.
"This is a giant step in launching what we hope
will be an efficient examination and investigation mechanism for rights
violation nationwide," a senior Prime Ministry official told the Turkish
Daily News. "The new law replaces non-civilian HRB members with civilian
members."
The law, published in the Official Gazette on Nov.
23, said the provincial HRBs will be made up of the mayor or deputy mayor,
the provincial head or a selected representative of the political parties
represented, university rectors or a lecturer, a lawyer or a public
official who is a law school graduate, as well as representatives from the
bar association, Turkish Medical Association, the chamber of industry or
commerce, the provincial general assembly, other professional
organizations, trade unions, local TV channels, newspapers and radio
stations, village headmen, school-parent unions and local NGOs.
The HRBs will evaluate the issues brought to their
attention by local authorities, examine and investigate rights violations
and obstacles to the protection of human rights and liberties as well as
the social, political and administrative reasons causing these violations
and recommend solutions.
They will also prevent all kinds of discrimination
and ensure that the administration treats the citizens in a tolerant and
polite manner. Finally, the HBRs will submit a monthly summary of the work
done.
The president of the provincial HRBs may invite
individuals or the representatives of related public or private
institutions to a meeting when necessary.
Under the new law, easily accessible information
and application desks will be set up at the governors' offices in
provinces and sub-provinces. A full-time employee with a legal background,
appointed by the governor, will deal with rights complaints.
The HBRs will convene once a month, according to
the law. However, a board may convene more often at the discretion of its
chairman. The chairman and board members cannot participate in meetings
where issues relating to themselves, their parents, offspring or spouses
are being deliberated. No fees will be paid to the members.
To make the application process easier, the law
allows authorities to lodge applications by petition, telephone, e-mail or
via the applications boxes to be installed in different locations.
All HBR decisions will be taken up and finalized by
the relevant public bodies and institutions without delay.
- Foreign Minister Gul says Turkey has initiated
procedures for extradition of two fugitive members of the controversial
Uzan Family who were discovered to be hiding in the United States
ANKARA - Turkish Daily News
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said yesterday that
Turkey had iniatiated the necessary procedures for extradition of two
fugitive members of the controversial Uzan family who were found to be
hiding in the United States.
U.S. authorities officially informed the Turkish
government through Interpol that Kemal Uzan and Yavuz Uzan were determined
to have been residing in the United States. Turkey immediately requested
extradition of the two Uzans, and Gul announced at a press conference that
Turkish authorities have begun the necessary procedures.
Kemal Uzan was found in San Francisco, and Yavuz
Uzan was staying at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York under an alias,
daily Hurriyet reported.
The family previously owned the now-defunct Imar
Bank. Turkey's banking watchdog, the Banking Regulation and Supervision
Agency (BDDK), seized the bank after financial irregularities were
discovered.
Police have been searching for members of the
family for 113 days as part of an investigation into the bank's collapse.
An Istanbul court issued an arrest warrant for the Uzans on Aug. 17.
The Uzan Group was using a double account
registration accounting system that allowed them to embezzle funds
equivalent to 3 percent of Turkey's gross national product (GNP).
Ashcroft guarantees Uzans return to Cicek
The case of the fugitive Uzans appeared on the
agenda during Turkish Justice Minister Cemil Cicek's visit to Washington
last week.
U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft underlined
during meetings with Cicek that the Justice Department was aware that the
Uzans were being sought by Interpol. Ashcroft guaranteed Cicek that the
U.S. administration would exert efforts to apprehend and extradite the
fugitive Uzans to Turkey immediately if they were located within U.S.
borders.
- The Prosecutor's Office files its first
corruption case as a result of Parliamentary Corruption Commission
reports on former Halk Bank executives
ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency
The Ankara Public Prosecutor's Office has filed its
first corruption charges following Parliamentary Corruption Commission
investigations into former Halk Bank executives, including the former CEO
of the bank, Yenal Ansen. The Prosecutor's Office has also determined that
four other cases fell outside its jurisdiction.
As the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK
Party) and the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) begin to discuss
inquiries into former Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz and some ministers,
investigations conducted by the Prosecutor's Office as a result of reports
sent by the Corruption Commission have started to be concluded.
Charges filed by Prosecutor Abdullah Ayhan include
the illegal loans granted by the former CEO of Halk Bank and 10 other
executives. They are charged with misuse of power and abuse of trust. If
found guilty, the accused could be sentenced to a maximum of seven years
and six months in prison.
Meanwhile, the Public Prosecutor's Office has also
decided not to file charges in four cases because no criminal activity was
determined to have taken place.
The Prosecutor's Office is continuing to
investigate other cases noted in the Parliamentary Corruption Commission
reports.
Visit to
our
page | 
