COULD ERDOGAN MAKE TURKEY DEMOCRATIC? 2015, DECEMBER 20 After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the new republic had emerged. Founders of the republic wanted to build a new regime on the basis of principles of democracy. First they had abolished the Ottoman’s Sultanate, and then they decided to constitute new assembly and constitution in order to consolidate democracy in Turkey. We can see many attempts that are made for democracy in our history especially from 1946 that was the time of transition from single party system to multiparty system, to 2015. But there were also some events that prevent or stop the process of democratization of Turkey. As Ahmet Kuru said ‘Military interventions in politics- whether in the form of coups d’état or more subtle forms of interference- are a major problem for democratic consolidation. 1960’s and 1980’s coups influenced negatively our democratization process. According to Turkish intellectuals, those coups had backed our democracy’s level and we turned the authoritarian regime at those times. And military tutelage over the Turkish politics had grown with those coups. Generals constructed a new system to strengthen their positions over the politicians with constitutional acts. These acts were made for decreasing both military and judiciary tutelage over civilian ruler. On the other hand, absence of single powerful government the process were not achieved totally because I think that only the single party government that have majority in assembly can make tremendous changes in the their political sphere. We can see some examples our history, 1950-1960s the period of Menderes, 1965-1969s the period of Demirel, 1983-1991s the period of Ozal and 2002-2012s the period of Erdogan, these periods have a lot of development moves in Turkish political life. On the contrary, the times of coalition government 1991-2002 in Turkey, there were no any grand changes on both politically and economically. Also Turkey had faced with economic crisis in 2001 after the coalition government’s era. Besides these events until the years of 2002 Turkey’s state policy was improving of economic conditions, democratization was not the only goal that administer want to achieve. But this understanding was changed in the era of Justice and Development Party. I do not want to say economic policies were cancelled by new government even though big changes in the economy of the state were occurred gradually. I want to explain implementations of Erdogan and this document’s aim is to mention about democratization of Turkey in the period of administration of Recep Tayyip Erdogan and JDP. As I said above, the political sphere of Turkey was mostly hold by judiciary and military tutelage until 2002. But when Erdogan came into the power of Turkey, this situation began to change step by step. On the 27 April 2007, there was an election of new president in the parliament and the candidate was Abdullah Gul. After first round, military posted ultimatum on its website to prevent the designation of Abdullah Gul. Despite of this warning, Abdullah Gul was elected as the president this meant the beginning of declining military tutelage. Also on the 12 September 2010, with referendum, the tutelage of judiciary over the politics was declined by new constitutional amendments. With these amendments package decisions of the Supreme Military Council were opened to judicial review, then military court were prevented from prosecuting civilians. There were also some other cases that were related with declining tutelage such as some necessities that were comes because of the Turkey’s candidateship for European Union. Also the personality of Erdogan was important I strongly believed, because he always demands the independence parliament and government. Also emergence of this personality was related with high rate supporting of the community. I want to say that decreasing of tutelage power over politics is first step of democratization of Turkey. Because democracy means governing by elected people who are elected by citizens it does not means governing by state elites or some appointed bureaucrats. Then with those changes, Erdogan could regulate easily state policies hereupon, because there were no interventions which come from out of the parliament. On the other hand, the more than half of the republic period, Turkey was ruled in compliance with state of emergency’s rule. As we know that, during the state of emergency, people’s fundamental and civil rights can be restricted, and administers of this period cannot be sued etc. These showed us, principles of the democracy were not performed sufficiently. Because of this, in 2002, JDP invalidated state of emergency all over the country. This was also the considerable step for consolidation of democracy in Turkey. Then, since 1970s, the most important issue of Turkey Republic as we know is terrorism which so-called PKK’s (Kurdistan Worker’s Party) actions. This organization defined itself as protector of Kurdish people who are mostly live in the southeast of Turkey. Because of some historical backgrounds that are such as restriction of their traditional beliefs and banning for using of their own language and in the period of 1980s coup, they said ‘we are suffered because of state actions at those times and we want to get our rights. There are also some other effects in the emergence of this situation but I do not want to mention more details about this cases. When Erdogan came into the power, he had tried to change this situation and eventually he announced what he termed ‘democratization package’ in 2013. The package contains some concessions for Kurdish rights. For example, Erdogan’s government had allowed the opening new Kurdish TV-channel, then in the southeast of country, people could not use their own mother tongue until Erdogan’s administration but now I can see a lot of people who can use their own language. Also in the elementary schools of Turkey, all students must read the obligatory oath in which students identified themselves as Turks in every morning. In the view of intellectuals and Kurdish people, Kurdish students must not read this oath because of its content then Erdogan’s administration had lifted this obligatory oath in the elementary schools. I think, it was also efficient action to understand or recognize needs and rights of the minorities of Turkey. In the democratization package of Erdogan, there are also some issues that are about the women. The main problem is banning on the employment women wearing women headscarves in the state institutions. Most of the people had regarded headscarves as the symbol of political Islam because of this, they had feared and rejected. Especially, female teachers or students who want to wear these Islamic headscarves were suffered more than others. I am so lucky because I got chance to talk with some of them. The main thing was that they said to me, we were suspended from our school and we could not find a job in the state institutions. This was main problem for them and I believe, we cannot talk about democracy if there are discriminations that are because of beliefs, values and religion. Then, in the period of Erdogan, with democratization package, the prohibition of wearing headscarves were lifted in the area of state institutions, schools and universities. Democracy means doing what you want on condition that no harming other people. Wearing clothes is also the right of people I think, wear whatever you want, no one can judge your mode of dressing. I mean, Erdogan’s move about this issue also is step for development of democracy in Turkey. Up to now, we have discussed the positive effects of Erdogan on Turkey’s democracy, from now on; I want to mention some negative side of Erdogan’s impacts on process. Most of opponents of Erdogan and JDP describe Erdogan as dictator who want to concentrate all state powers on his hand. Some of them said ‘Erdogan is the beginning of the end’. Of course there are few reasons that caused the occurring of this perception. We can give an example, Erdogan had campaigned under the name of opening ceremony and he had made an effort for his former political party in period of recent general election of Turkey. Although the constitution’s acts said ‘the President of Turkey should be impartial.’ He had supported his former party to win coming election. These actions of Erdogan were not applicable in compatible with democracy’s principles. So necessities of democracy were not achieved successfully because of these reasons. On the other hand, in view of some sections of community, Erdogan is monarch and he has no respects for doctrines of rule of law and separation of powers and they had regarded Erdogan as person who is obstacle for democratization of Turkey. There are also some reasons that are influential for the emergence of perception of undemocratic leader, Erdogan, in the period of his, we can see some practices that prove this situation like censorships for media and preventing proliferation of freedom of thought . We can say that these were the actions that have no positive effects for democratizations process of Turkey. In conclusion, I want to say, from establishment of republic, Turkey’s democracy status were developed by all administrations. On the other side, it had regressed in the period of coups, those times citizens had no any right to participate policy-making process , main features of reforms or implementations were top-down , commanders or state elites prepared new system and people were had to admit this system. These traditions began to decrease in era of Erdogan mostly with decreasing power of tutelage over politicians and civils. This was turning point of our democracy, because from now on elected politicians began to have power more than others and they can find to chance administer or manage state policy in accordance with public interest. With those chances, Erdogan could use his power in high level to regulate political, social, cultural life of country. We can see some examples above like lifting banning of using own mother tongue for different ethnic minorities, also allowing of headscarves for employment women in state institutions and abolishing some political practices that are harmful for citizens. Despite the everything, Erdogan and JDP’s administration made great deal of improvements about Turkish’s democracy from 2002 to now I believe. Like everybody else, Erdogan also has some failures but he is the breakpoint for Turkey’s political life and democracy. OULD ERDOGAN MAKE TURKEY DEMOCRATIC ? 20 DECEMBER 2015 6