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December 2003
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December 2003
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Bicak: Improvement in human rights necessary for EU entry
ANKARA - Turkish Daily NewsVahit Bicak, the head of the Prime Ministry's human rights department, said on Monday that improvements in human rights were needed in order to successfully conclude Turkey's European Union harmonization process. Local government officials and members of human rights commissions from Kayseri and Nevsehir, after completing an educational seminar on human rights held by the Turkish Democracy Foundation and the parliamentary Human Rights Commission, visited Bicak. Bicak noted that they were trying to make these local human rights commissions more active, adding that local government officials working for these councils bore a significant responsibility since they witnessed problems experienced by the people and were constantly in contact with them. Bicak said that the promotion of human rights was state policy and that it did not change when a government was replaced. Turkey's population will grow by one-million in new year
ANKARA - Turkish Daily NewsTurkey's population will grow by 1,065,000 in the new year, according to the State Institute of Statistics (DIE). Turkey now has an estimated population of 71,251,000 and this number will be 72,316,000 by the end of 2004, as DIE statistics reveal. The population of Turkey was 70,171,000 at the beginning of 2003 and in that year, the population rose by 1,080,000, resulting in an estimated population of 71,251,000. Third most crowded country in EuropeTurkey is the 16th most crowded state in the world after Egypt and the third most crowded country among European countries. In the European continent, Russia is first with a population of 145.5 million and Germany second with 82.6 million. Turkey's population is expected to rise to 98 million in 2050, coming after Japan as the 17th most crowded country in the world. In the European continent, Turkey is expected to rank second after Russia and before Germany in 2050. 96,000 migrants to arrive in TurkeyTurkey is expected to receive 96,000 migrants in 2004. Currently, around 2.5 million foreigners are living in Turkey and around one million fugitives are working in Turkey. Over 20.87 million of the population is aged between 0-14, 46.349 million between 15-64 and 4.026 million is above 65 years of age. The population in Turkey is getting older year by year. In 2001, 5.4 percent of the population was above the age of 65 whereas this rate will increase to 5.7 percent in 2004. President vetoes two laws
ANKARA - Turkish Daily NewsPresident Ahmet Necdet Sezer vetoed two laws on Monday, sending them back to Parliament for reassessment. According to a statement released by the Presidential Press Office, Sezer vetoed the bill adding an article to the emergency rule law allowing a further six months for individuals with licenses permitting them to carry weapons to change them to holder's licenses. The current law demands the change to be made within 45 days after the emergency rule is lifted. The bill passed by Parliament also allowed people currently being prosecuted for violating the law to be pardoned. Sezer also vetoed a bill on horse races due to his reservations about a single article. The article in question annuls all the disciplinary and legal procedures made before the law is put into practice. Court of Appeals ends politics for ErbakanANKARA - Turkish Daily NewsThe Public Prosecutors' Office affiliated to the Court of Appeals on Monday rejected demands from veteran politician Necmettin Erbakan to correct the verdict against himself. The Court of Appeals sent an official letter to the Saadet [happiness or contentment] Party to end the membership of Erbakan who also served as one of the former prime ministers of Turkey and dismiss him from his post as the leader of the party. The Court of Appeals earlier this month approved a jail term against Erbakan, the mentor of Political Islam in Turkey. Erbakan was sentenced to two-years-and-four-months imprisonment for embezzling funds from the defunct Welfare Party. The case began in 1998 when the Finance Ministry asked prosecutors to investigate the finances of RP, saying that the party had falsified records and hid cash reserves. Finance Ministry inspectors said that $3.6 million was missing from RP party accounts. Born in 1926 in the Blacksea city of Sinop, Erbakan was educated in engineering, but preferred one of the most difficult professions in Turkey and became a politician. Despite the pressures and bans, he was successful in becoming the prime minister of Turkey, which is overwhelmingly Muslim, but also a very strict secular country. He and the parties he had formed were banned as part of efforts to prevent the rise of fundamentalism. He has led Turkey's Islamic movement for the past three decades, and has mostly been regarded as a threat to Turkey's secular order. The parties were closed and he was barred from politics several times. His last political ban was imposed in 2000, for "inciting hatred" in a speech he gave in 1994. This decision means, the end of Erbakan's political life, banned from becoming a member of a political party and loses his right to be elected as a deputy in Parliament. According to the Lawmakers Law a person convicted of crimes such as embezzlement, abuse of religion and bribery, cannot be elected as a deputy in Turkey. The Political Party Law also bars those who have been convicted of these crimes. Last day for resignation from official duties for candidacy in local electionsISTANBUL - Cihan NewsToday is the deadline for resignations from official duties for those who wish to be candidates in the Turkish local elections on March 28, 2004. The Turkish Higher Board of Elections has announced that people, who wish to present their candidacy for the upcoming local elections and who also hold an official position in the civil service or army, must resign their positions by December 30. The heads of city or district branches of political parties must also resign from these positions if they wish to be candidates. Public administration reform package in Parliament
ANKARA - Turkish Daily NewsA Public administration reform package, aiming at a dynamic, inclusive, transparent and accountable public administration that respects human rights, was submitted to Parliament on Monday. The bill has 51-articles that clearly outlines the links between central and local governments and intend to provide a high quality and helpful service to the people. Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin, speaking at a joint press conference with Prime Ministry Undersecretary Omer Dincer on Monday, said that the cabinet had made 11 amendments to the proposal, adding that the bill for local governments would be submitted in February. Sahin said that the bill vetoed by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, dealing with large cities, had not been examined by relevant departments yet. When asked about the elimination of investigation commissions, he said important ministries had the capability to perform the same tasks, adding that he believed the change would prevent corruption. Dincer, when asked about opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Deniz Baykal asking for his resignation, claiming that he supported a religious government, said that he would hold a press conference about the matter later. Sahin said that while the economy was liberalizing, no one could expect public administration to remain unchanged, adding that the reforms would make all institutions accountable for their actions. Services provided by public institutions would be more effective, red tape would disappear and that there would be a move from a vertical to horizontal management model. This bill was the first step in restructuring the public administration, said Sahin, noting that local governments were not free to do everything they wished and that both the bill and the constitution protected the people against local corruption. The Education Ministry will retain control over local education institutions, while local governments would be given the duty to protect or construct buildings for educational use. He said laws governing the Audit Office would be changed, tying principles of external inspections to legal principles, instead of the Audit Office decisions. "People's Inspectors" issue was also addressed in the package, said Sahin, adding that the inspectors would be intermediaries in disputes between local governments and individuals. The employment of these inspectors can be terminated by a decision taken by the majority of the city council, the governor or the Council of State, said Sahin. Dincer said that three separate groups would be established in 2004 concerning the public administration reform process. First being a consultation council with twenty members, meeting every one to two months, will be briefed on operations, said Dincer. Second would be a coordination council, whose members would be coming from the Prime Ministry, Finance and Interior Ministry and State Planning Agency (DPT), said Dincer, adding that this council would be charged with examining if any of the articles in the reform packages violated the constitution or the Public Administration law. The older Prime Ministry Administrative Development Center would be reformed to conduct team-studies in various ministries. The reform package will decrease the number of state ministers from 20 to eight, and will limit the maximum number of deputy prime ministers to three. Foreign, industry, infrastructure and housing, health, transportation, farming, energy, culture and tourism and environment ministries will not be able to establish local branches, while justice, defense, interior, finance, education and labor are allowed to establish local branches, according to the reform package. Bureaucratic hierarchy is re-modeled in the proposal. The bill underlines that ministers are the top officials of a ministry and are responsible for what takes place under their leadership. The undersecretary is the ministers' assistant, says the bill, adding that individuals holding this position are responsible for implementing the policies of the ministry and ultimately responsible to their ministers. Central government will be authorized to set up general principles, guidelines, policies, purpose, targets and standards, will inspect local government services and coordinate relations between central and local governments. Local governments will be responsible for providing all services and policies outside the jurisdiction of the central government. Visit to
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