Abant Platform: Coups are Greatest Obstacle to Democratization
Military coups have been the greatest obstacle to Turkey's aspirations for a stronger democracy, the Abant Platform underscored in its closing evaluation of a two-day meeting that ended this weekend.
The evaluation mentioned the inverse relationship between anti-democratic interference in politics and the pace of democratization as well as Turkey's urgent need for a new and civilian constitution to replace the current one, which was drafted under military rule after the Sept. 12, 1980 coup.
The Abant Platform, a prominent discussion forum known for dealing with the pressing issues that face Turkey, convened on Friday for a two-day meeting. Supported by the Journalists and Writers Foundation (JWF), a civic organization championing the principles of diversity, multiculturalism and dialogue, the meeting brought together scholars, writers, intellectuals and community leaders to discuss the subject of "Democratization: Political Parties from Sept. 12 to the European Union."
In the two-day meeting, it was strongly emphasized that all factors preventing the development of democracy in Turkey should be eliminated and that all parties should be urged to contribute to its growth.
Participants of the platform agreed that the Constitution should immediately be replaced with a more civilian one so that the atmosphere of democratization could prosper in the country.
The Abant Platform announced the following points as a text jointly approved by all participants:
Military coups and anti-democratic initiatives have damaged Turkey's development in the field of politics, society and economy. The greatest obstacle to the development of our democracy is the "military tutelage" over politics. One of the other great obstacles is the Sept. 12 Constitution, which does not embrace the majority of society. Though it has been amended partially since 1987, it still represents an era of censorship. The right of Parliament to monitor and control all administrative and bureaucratic institutions should be reinforced. Turkey should prepare a new constitution with the greatest societal compromise possible, heighten the standards of its democracy and pursue its perspective European Union membership by fulfilling its duties under international treaties. A new law on political parties that strengthens political freedoms in accordance with universal standards should be prepared. Intra-party democracies should be improved. Political party candidates should be named in accordance with the results of a pre-election. The financing of politics should be more transparent and open to controls in terms of the income and expenditures of and procedures followed by political parties. The Venice Criteria should be adopted in the closure of political parties. Political monitoring mechanisms should be activated so as to balance the authority of the chief prosecutor of the Supreme Court of Appeals to file closure cases against parties. Laws should be enforced in a way to comply with international law, fundamental rights and freedoms, democracy and the rule of law. All these issues should be handled in cooperation with all political parties.
Strong determination against coups
All participants of the Abant Platform stood against military coups and all sorts of anti-democratic initiatives that would deny the public their rights and freedoms.
The main target of criticism against coups was a recently exposed document, allegedly put together by a colonel on active duty, with the ultimate objective of undermining the power of the governing Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government.
According to the document, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) had a systematic plan to damage the image of the AK Party and the highly respected Gülen movement in the eyes of the public.
It also aimed to play down the investigation into Ergenekon ― a clandestine terrorist organization allegedly plotting to overthrown the government ― and to gather support for members of the military arrested as part of the Ergenekon case. The military is currently investigating the document detailing the suspected plot to ascertain whether it is genuine.
"The main problem for Turkish democracy is the Sept. 12 Constitution, prepared with a repressive and prohibitive mindset. Partial amendment of this Constitution will not help. This Constitution has prohibited political parties from engaging in politics. It has allowed institutions that should stay out of politics to be engaged in politics. Among those institutions are the TSK and judicial bodies. These institutions are allowed to be involved in politics in Turkey while political parties are prohibited [from doing so]," stated Serap Yazici, a professor of law.
Political science Professor Mümtaz'er Türköne stressed that military coups are staged against the military itself. "The junta stages a coup first against the military and then seizes political power. A lieutenant kicks out a chief of general staff. How come? This is the work of a junta, the work of a gang. They get organized and seize power. We legitimize it when we say, ‘The military has seized power'," Türköne said.
Ali Bulaç, a sociologist and columnist for Today's Zaman, said six groups ― namely the military, the civilian bureaucracy, the judiciary, the rich, universities and intellectuals ―are reluctant to let go of their power and influence over society.
Professor Niyazi Öktem, who teaches the philosophy and sociology of law at İstanbul Bilgi University's faculty of law, agreed, saying the power of individuals is above the power of law in Turkey. "Where is the rule of law? The power of individuals is above the power of law. If the jurists at the Constitutional Court had been appointed by presidents Turgut Özal and Abdullah Gül instead of Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Süleyman Demirel, then we would not have experienced what we did in the past two years," he noted.
Participants at the Abant Platform meeting also touched on the ongoing Ergenekon investigation, which is widely termed the case of the century for Turkey. Ergenekon suspects are accusing of with setting up a terrorist organization with the ultimate aim of overthrowing the democratically elected government. Dozens of its members, including members of the military, journalists and businessmen are currently in prison, standing trial.
Etyen Mahçupyan, editor-in-chief of Agos and a Today's Zaman columnist, said Ergenekon was the result of the fear of some circles who don't wish to bow to the power of the public. "People who are afraid of election results established Ergenekon. … The AK Party favors the idea of membership in the European Union. If not, it would be pretty easy to overthrow it," the columnist added.
Launched in 1998 with the aim of organizing a platform in which people representing different schools of thought could come together and debate problems of common concern in open discussions, the Abant Platform has held more than a dozen workshops discussing a variety of topics that concern Turkey, including secularism, religion, the EU, the Constitution, education, globalization, social contracts, democracy, modernity, war and peace.
The previous Abant Platform meeting, held in February, brought together more than 200 intellectuals from Turkey and Iraq to debate the thorny Kurdish issue in the northern Iraqi city of Arbil in a conference titled "Searching for Peace and a Future Together."
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