Will Erdogan Be The New Morsi?
An editorial by Sinan Ciddi points out the implications of the government’s attempt to change Turkey from a parliamentary system to one led by a powerful presidency. Any effect will be exacerbated by the Turkish tendency to follow powerful individuals, rather than parties. One implication Ciddi doesn’t mention is the Morsi effect: once a powerful individual inhabits a powerful leadership position and all the tools for change are in his hands, will he wield them — and share them — to bring peace and prosperity to the nation, or will he use the office to gain even more power and become unassailable?
Here is Ciddi’s oped. An excerpt:
…The 2013 deliberations on Turkey’s new constitution will be less focused on streamlining Turkey’s democratic governance structures, than it will be on defining who will govern Turkey and what powers they will be equipped with. Once negotiations have been completed and the final document is prepared for a parliamentary vote, followed by a public referendum, the type of presidential system which Turkey adopts will become apparent. As the constitution defines the scope of increased executive presidential competencies, it is likely that Erdoğan will not be the only contender for the newly empowered office, even though he is currently favored to be the likely winner. The presidency will be a five year post, renewable two times and the office holder directly elected by the voting population. Its framers aspire to create an office reminiscent of the grandeur and respect which the American presidency commands, and the efficiency and broad sweeping executive freedoms which the Russian model embraces. The creation of a presidency with increased executive powers will make this a much coveted position, one which Abdullah Gul may be willing to challenge Erdoğan for…
Erdogan’s formal imposition of his personal dislikes as legislative and legal bans (he has disapproved of museums, statues, plays, books, cartoons, women’s lifestyles, abortions, Caesarian sections, now TV shows) points toward a likely ‘yes’ to my question above, and also to what that period of ultimate power might look like in the hands of a man with no tolerance and no sense of humor, a man who thinks the law is nothing more than a whip shaped to his hand. Click here for an article by Lisel Hintz in Foreign Policy.
a similar take on the issue:
http://www.todayszaman.com/columnist-300552-are-all-turks-kemalists.html
http://haber.sol.org.tr/medya/leman-cansiz-manken-sansurunu-kapagina-tasidi-haberi-64039
also see this very interesting analysis: http://www.todayszaman.com/columnistDetail_getNewsById.action?newsId=300666&columnistId=73
Oh, how nice that even liberals start waking up to the reality! But gosh, it has taken looooong time! Who was supporting Erdogan and his party since the very beginning? Who was positively gushing about Turkey’s ‘moderate Islamists’? A bunch of useless liberals. Now even Ahmet Altan and Yasemin Congar are resigning from Taraf. But the damage is done. And yet, the same ‘liberals’ who were willing to give all the benefit of doubt to the AKP, despite all evidence, are dismissing the CHP as hopeless. Really, liberals never learn.
I agree with Sattar, in adition look at this one :
http://haber.gazetevatan.com/basbakandan-cok-tartisilacak-aciklama/500091/9/Siyaset
Regards,
Hasan
I still prefer Liberals to Islamists, Kemalists, Communists, and Fascists who believe in “frozen” truths.
Anka, liberals are useless, cowardly, arrogant and stupid.
Liberals are all very ‘brave’ when it comes to vicious vitriol against Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, but they suck up to the religious. In the end, of course, they are discarded by the Islamists. What a surprise! And yet, when Ahmet Altan, Yasemin Congar and others were warned about the fate reserved for them, they angrily dismissed the warnings. Now they’ve got what they deserved. I have no pity for them.