Nine commission members from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) disposed of their morality and consciences by saving the former ministers from litigation -- at least for the time being. However, there is still a possibility that they will face the Yüce Divan due to demands by the opposition for a parliamentary vote, which would take place in January.
Showing posts with label Turkey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Turkey. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Banality of evil or institutionalization of decadence by Bulent Kenes
The concept of "banality of evil" came to mind as soon as I heard that the parliamentary Corruption Investigation Commission refused to refer four former ministers to the Supreme State Council (Yüce Divan) despite the fact that a graft and bribery investigation that went public on Dec. 17 and 25, 2013 had brought their corrupt practices to light.
The meaning of this crisis by Ali Bulac
by Ali Bulac - In the wake of the Dec. 17 and 25 bribery and corruption operations, the faction led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has directed two main accusations at the Hizmet movement: a) that the Hizmet movement has become involved in a plot constructed by foreign powers -- notably, the US and Israel -- with the aim of overthrowing the elected government of Turkey, and b) that the Hizmet movement has gone all the way into people's bedrooms with its wiretaps.
AKP’s criminal coalition by Emre Uslu
Monday, December 22, 2014
Washington Post: "The news media crackdown in Turkey threatens democracy"
AUTOCRATS OFTEN feel compelled to invent pretexts, no matter how unconvincing, for crushing their opponents. In the latest round of attacks on the news media in Turkey, warrants were issued for the arrest of journalists in which it was stated they are suspected of nefarious deeds, such as plotting “to seize state power” or forming an armed organization to support terrorists. These trumped-up claims are intended to divert attention from a crackdown by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his critics and rivals. At stake is Turkey’s democracy.
On Dec. 14, Turkish police arrested the editor of the daily Zaman newspaper, the head of the Samanyolu broadcasting group and others. Crowds thronged outside the newspaper headquarters in Istanbul when police arrived, and newspaper workers hoisted banners declaring that a “free press cannot be silenced.” All told, about two dozen people were detained, including journalists, producers, scriptwriters and a police chief in eastern Turkey. Eight journalists were released Friday, but others remain in custody.
They have all been swept up into the vortex of Mr. Erdogan’s paranoia about a Sunni cleric, Fethullah Gulen. Once an ally of Mr. Erdogan, he is now branded by the president as a foe bent on toppling him from power. The journalists’ arrests are just the most recent attempt by Mr. Erdogan to wipe out the influence that Mr. Gulen, who lives in Pennsylvania, still commands in Turkey.Mr. Erdogan appears to be hurtling toward the kind of autocracy evident today in Russia.
Mr. Erdogan declared two days before the arrests that he had uncovered evidence of a planned coup last year inspired by Mr. Gulen and his supporters. Mr. Erdogan talked darkly about a “parallel network that is commiting [sic] treason” and he has been threatening to root out the Gulen forces for much of this year. “We have gone into their lairs, and we will go into them again,” the Turkish president declared. In a related effort, an arrest warrant for Mr. Gulen was issued last week in Turkey.
The crisis was intensified by a corruption scandal that broke a year ago — again, Mr. Erdogan claims, inspired by his foes — that implicated many of those close to Mr. Erdogan, then prime minister. In the summer, he was elected president in the nation’s first popular vote for the office. Mr. Erdogan wants more power for the presidency, yet his bellicose behavior in the past year suggests he is taking Turkey in the wrong direction.
The rivalry with Mr. Gulen aside, Mr. Erdogan ignores a central premise of democracy: that it is strengthened, not weakened, by competition. The noisy news media are not carrying out some dark conspiracy and not participating in a palace coup, but they rather are a critical part of a functioning, healthy political system. Suffocate the news media, and Mr. Erdogan risks destroying all that Turkey should aspire to. Mr. Erdogan ought to reverse direction before driving off the cliff.
Source - Washington Post Editorial Board: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-news-media-crackdown-in-turkey-threatens-democracy/2014/12/21/55a0e4ee-84a3-11e4-a702-fa31ff4ae98e_story.html?postshare=5111419260376198
On Dec. 14, Turkish police arrested the editor of the daily Zaman newspaper, the head of the Samanyolu broadcasting group and others. Crowds thronged outside the newspaper headquarters in Istanbul when police arrived, and newspaper workers hoisted banners declaring that a “free press cannot be silenced.” All told, about two dozen people were detained, including journalists, producers, scriptwriters and a police chief in eastern Turkey. Eight journalists were released Friday, but others remain in custody.
They have all been swept up into the vortex of Mr. Erdogan’s paranoia about a Sunni cleric, Fethullah Gulen. Once an ally of Mr. Erdogan, he is now branded by the president as a foe bent on toppling him from power. The journalists’ arrests are just the most recent attempt by Mr. Erdogan to wipe out the influence that Mr. Gulen, who lives in Pennsylvania, still commands in Turkey.Mr. Erdogan appears to be hurtling toward the kind of autocracy evident today in Russia.
Mr. Erdogan declared two days before the arrests that he had uncovered evidence of a planned coup last year inspired by Mr. Gulen and his supporters. Mr. Erdogan talked darkly about a “parallel network that is commiting [sic] treason” and he has been threatening to root out the Gulen forces for much of this year. “We have gone into their lairs, and we will go into them again,” the Turkish president declared. In a related effort, an arrest warrant for Mr. Gulen was issued last week in Turkey.
The crisis was intensified by a corruption scandal that broke a year ago — again, Mr. Erdogan claims, inspired by his foes — that implicated many of those close to Mr. Erdogan, then prime minister. In the summer, he was elected president in the nation’s first popular vote for the office. Mr. Erdogan wants more power for the presidency, yet his bellicose behavior in the past year suggests he is taking Turkey in the wrong direction.
The rivalry with Mr. Gulen aside, Mr. Erdogan ignores a central premise of democracy: that it is strengthened, not weakened, by competition. The noisy news media are not carrying out some dark conspiracy and not participating in a palace coup, but they rather are a critical part of a functioning, healthy political system. Suffocate the news media, and Mr. Erdogan risks destroying all that Turkey should aspire to. Mr. Erdogan ought to reverse direction before driving off the cliff.
Source - Washington Post Editorial Board: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-news-media-crackdown-in-turkey-threatens-democracy/2014/12/21/55a0e4ee-84a3-11e4-a702-fa31ff4ae98e_story.html?postshare=5111419260376198
How Turkey Sabotaged Its Future by Mustafa Akyol
by Mustafa Akyol, ISTANBUL — President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey keeps making global headlines. First it was for claiming that Muslims discovered the New World. Then it was for asserting that you “cannot put women and men on an equal footing.” Last week, it was for supporting the arrest, by Turkish police, of a number of journalists. But in the long run, it is his reforms of the Turkish education system that will likely be the most influential — and detrimental — to the global competitiveness of the country’s next generation.
Earlier this month, Mr. Erdogan backed a proposal by Turkey’s National Education Council to make Ottoman Turkish — an older version of the language, written in Arabic letters — mandatory in religious high schools, and available as an elective in secular high schools. Flouting earlier rulings by the European Court of Human Rights, the council also proposed that religious education be compulsory from age six. The president’s response to sharp criticism of these initiatives from Turkish politicians and civil groups was characteristic: The changes would take place “whether they like it or not,” Mr. Erdogan said.
In other words, as is often the case in Turkey, a war over ideology dominated the agenda, while the practical needs of Turkey’s future generations were overlooked. The National Education Council did not put any emphasis on foreign language instruction, for example, despite the fact that Turks generally fare poorly when it comes to speaking any language other than their own — particularly languages like English, Chinese or Arabic that could help Turkish businesses grow, both in the region and globally. Nor was there any emphasis on critical thinking or democratic values — the very qualities that could help transform Turkey’s insular, rigid and intolerant political culture.
Earlier this month, Mr. Erdogan backed a proposal by Turkey’s National Education Council to make Ottoman Turkish — an older version of the language, written in Arabic letters — mandatory in religious high schools, and available as an elective in secular high schools. Flouting earlier rulings by the European Court of Human Rights, the council also proposed that religious education be compulsory from age six. The president’s response to sharp criticism of these initiatives from Turkish politicians and civil groups was characteristic: The changes would take place “whether they like it or not,” Mr. Erdogan said.
In other words, as is often the case in Turkey, a war over ideology dominated the agenda, while the practical needs of Turkey’s future generations were overlooked. The National Education Council did not put any emphasis on foreign language instruction, for example, despite the fact that Turks generally fare poorly when it comes to speaking any language other than their own — particularly languages like English, Chinese or Arabic that could help Turkish businesses grow, both in the region and globally. Nor was there any emphasis on critical thinking or democratic values — the very qualities that could help transform Turkey’s insular, rigid and intolerant political culture.
Saturday, December 20, 2014
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Weak Demand Hits Turkey's Second-Quarter GDP
by Yeliz Candemir - Turkey's economy grew less than expected in the second quarter because of weak domestic demand.
The news, announced by the Turkish Statistical Institute on Wednesday, suggests the government may miss its 4% economic growth target this year. The currency and stocks fell on the news while bond yields rose.
Gross domestic product rose by an annualized 2.1% in the second quarter, according to the institute, below the 2.5% rise forecast by economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal. That reflects a setback from a 4.7% growth rate, revised up from 4.3%, in the first quarter. The statistics agency revised Turkey's 2013 economic growth to 4.1% from 4%.
The news, announced by the Turkish Statistical Institute on Wednesday, suggests the government may miss its 4% economic growth target this year. The currency and stocks fell on the news while bond yields rose.
Gross domestic product rose by an annualized 2.1% in the second quarter, according to the institute, below the 2.5% rise forecast by economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal. That reflects a setback from a 4.7% growth rate, revised up from 4.3%, in the first quarter. The statistics agency revised Turkey's 2013 economic growth to 4.1% from 4%.
Yet another 'coup attempt' in Turkey
by Mustafa Akyol - On Sept. 9, an Istanbul court approved an indictment requesting “aggravated life imprisonment” for 35 soccer fans who support Besiktas, Turkey’s oldest soccer team, and who call themselves the Carsi group (the Bazaar group, in English). Their alleged crime does not, however, involve sports, but the Gezi Park protests they joined in July 2013. Prosecutors argued that the protests were not an ordinary affair, but a “coup attempt” a Article 312: “Any person who attempts to dissolve [the] Government of [the] Turkish Republic, or [takes advantage of the government while it is under threat] is punished with … life imprisonment.”Sunday, August 24, 2014
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN TURKEY: ASCERTAINMENT OF DAMAGE AFTER POLL
By Ugur Tezcan
After months of political turmoil and corruption scandals, Turkey's most controversial local elections are finally over. These local elections have been the toughest, the most polarizing and dividing in the country's political history. PM Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) declared a 46-percent win, but ensuing results indicated that AKP won 43-percent of the vote. Erdogan didn't wait to make his balcony speech until results have been verified by the Supreme Electoral Council of Turkey (aka YSK) and stated that the opponents "will pay!"
Not so surprisingly, Erdogan's ruling party wasn't the only one to call election results a victory. Three other opposition parties; Republican People's Party (CHP), Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) also declared the local elections a success based on their gains and overall performance. These four parties won about 95-percent of the vote. Other political parties lost voters to major players of the game due mainly to the nature of this highly polarized election.
The 2014 local elections have been peculiar in many regards. So unique that I believe an analysis and ascertainment of damage is indispensable for various reasons. Such an analysis will shed light on the fate of upcoming elections in Turkey.
After months of political turmoil and corruption scandals, Turkey's most controversial local elections are finally over. These local elections have been the toughest, the most polarizing and dividing in the country's political history. PM Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) declared a 46-percent win, but ensuing results indicated that AKP won 43-percent of the vote. Erdogan didn't wait to make his balcony speech until results have been verified by the Supreme Electoral Council of Turkey (aka YSK) and stated that the opponents "will pay!"
Not so surprisingly, Erdogan's ruling party wasn't the only one to call election results a victory. Three other opposition parties; Republican People's Party (CHP), Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) also declared the local elections a success based on their gains and overall performance. These four parties won about 95-percent of the vote. Other political parties lost voters to major players of the game due mainly to the nature of this highly polarized election.
The 2014 local elections have been peculiar in many regards. So unique that I believe an analysis and ascertainment of damage is indispensable for various reasons. Such an analysis will shed light on the fate of upcoming elections in Turkey.
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Why does Berlin admit to wiretapping Ankara?
by Savas Genc*, Today's Zaman | The reports German media published suggesting Germany was
wiretapping Turkey were important; but the details on these reports are
also crucial because they offer some insights into the course of
bilateral relations between Turkey and Germany. Recent reports indicated
that American intelligence was wiretapping German Chancellor Merkel.
This raised issues in bilateral relations between Washington and Berlin.
The allegations claiming Germany also wiretapped Turkey caused similar
problems and questions.Did American intelligence leak this information to take revenge on Berlin? Or did the German state deliberately leak this information to deliver a message to Ankara? This is a possibility given that Germany might have dismissed the allegations and sorted this out with the Turkish authorities behind closed doors; they could have even apologized for it. However, neither Merkel nor German bureaucrats denied the allegations. They even specifically commented on it. Speaking to the Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper, German authorities did not offer an apology to Turkey and further justified what they had done by offering their reasons. Noting that Turkey cannot be compared to Britain, France or other advanced democracies, German government officials argued that wiretapping was an inevitable action for their own domestic security.
Ankara keeps silent about German spying on Turkey
Despite initially demanding an explanation, Ankara has since
decided to remain publicly silent over the allegations that Germany has
been spying on Turkey for five years, while reports circulating in the
German media allege that Turkey's silence is due to the information in
the hands of the German intelligence service.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
AK Party's Islamism
By Mumtazer Turkone
It is wrong to link the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) to al-Qaeda. Rather, the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) of Egypt and Jamaat-e-Islami of Pakistan served as a role model for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and the National View (Milli Görüş) movement from which it had sprung. Yet the AK Party has always distanced itself from radical Islamist movements that resort to violence.
It is wrong to link the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) to al-Qaeda. Rather, the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) of Egypt and Jamaat-e-Islami of Pakistan served as a role model for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and the National View (Milli Görüş) movement from which it had sprung. Yet the AK Party has always distanced itself from radical Islamist movements that resort to violence.
Are ambassadors propaganda officials for the ruling party?
After Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ordered Turkish ambassadors to explain to foreign diplomats the recent graft and bribery scandal from a conspiracy-oriented and partisan perspective, the Turkish ambassador to Washington will certainly have the hardest time complying with this instruction.
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