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NON-MUSLIM MINORITIES INCLINED TO SAY 'YES' IN REFERENDUM
Turkey
Today's Zaman
July 29 2010
As the nation prepares to vote for a constitutional amendment package
in a referendum on Sept. 12, non-Muslim minorities in Turkey are
inclined to say "yes" to the reforms, which are expected to improve
Turkish democracy. They generally feel that more changes are necessary,
however, to more fully democratize the country.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government has
taken major steps to save the country from its current Constitution,
which was drafted under martial law after the Sept. 12, 1980 coup.
Like many civil society groups, non-Muslim minorities have widely
expressed the view that the proposed constitutional changes don't
go far enough but still represent a considerable step in the right
direction.
According to Ara Kocunyan, editor-in-chief of the Armenian daily
Jamanak, published in İstanbul, non-Muslim minorities will benefit
from the proposed government reforms. "The referendum means that
there will even more changes to come," he told Today's Zaman. Kocunyan
also added that the Turkish-Armenian community is going to vote with
the grander vision of further changes in mind. "The members of the
Armenian-Turkish community approach the issue with great awareness of
citizenship. They are aware of the process of change in Turkey, and
supporting that kind of a process is natural for minorities," he said.
He said that the Turkish-Armenian community is the largest minority
group in Turkey with a population of approximately 60,000; out of
this group most live in İstanbul.
For Aris Nalcı, editor of Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos, the issue of
the upcoming constitutional amendments is a personal matter as he had
to leave Turkey when he was an infant because of the military coup
in 1980. He says: "My mother had to leave Turkey [during the coup]
when I was just 40 days old. When we came back two years later,
I didn't know my father," he said.
He further asserted that Turkish-Armenians were among the groups who
suffered the worst during the Sept. 12 coup and wants to push for
further amendments.
He finds this process to be groundbreaking and inspirational.
"Constitutional change is about touching an untouchable, a taboo. It's
a step forwards for broader change," he said.
Nalcı feels that most Turkish-Armenians will vote for the amendments.
The Sept. 12 coup d'état was the third coup in Turkey's history and
arguably its bloodiest. The coup came after a period of ideological
and armed conflict on Turkey's streets during the second half of the
1970s. An estimated 5,000 people were killed during the violence.
After the coup in 1980, the military ruled the country through the
National Security Council (MGK) before democracy could be restored.
Some 600,000 people were reportedly detained during this period and
more than 200,000 tried, 10,000 stripped of their citizenship and 50
executed. Hundreds and thousands were tortured or went missing.
These tragedies are the ones which Denis Ojalvo, an international
relations expert from İstanbul's 20,000-plus Jewish community,
would like to emphasize, stressing that positive change is often born
from despair. Ojalvo says that while the Sept. 12 military coup led
to the horrible suffering of minorities, the military intervention
later brought them relief.
He argues that politically speaking, the most important issue for
Turkey right now is that the executive branch should become independent
of the legislative branch. Political leaders should take the lead
of the people who voted them in. "This points at handicaps in our
political parties' laws and the election system. Since the political
parties do not want to lose absolute control over their organizations,
they do not solve this problem. Submitting a constitutional reform
for a referendum without tackling that basic problem is like a black
humor to me," he said.
He added that the "judiciary-military tutelage" seems to have been
replaced by an "executive tutelage" with the proposed changes to
the Constitution.
The 1982 amendments to the constitution were voted in by referendum
in June 1982. The first elections were held in 1983, out of which
came a single-party government under Turgut Ozal's Motherland Party
(then ANAP, now ANAVATAN).
Kezban Hatemi, a minority rights lawyer, reminds us that many civil
society groups have joined efforts to launch a referendum campaign
called "Yetmez ama evet" or "Not enough, but yes," claiming that
it reflects the views of non-Muslim minorities in Turkey as well as
regular citizens.
She said that what they are expecting from the government as the
next step is a brand new civilian constitution which will broaden
individual rights and freedoms.
Hatemi also pointed out that the government has taken great steps
towards addressing the concerns of minorities, something that
harmonizes well with Turkey's goal to join the European Union. "This
is the first time that non-Muslim minorities have had a fresh breath
of air," she said.
Hatemi elaborated by drawing attention to the issue of confiscated
properties which have yet to be returned to their rightful owners,
"This problem has not yet been solved, but there have certainly been
improvements."
Hatemi said that she didn't think that non-Muslim minorities would
follow the path of the Republican People's Party (CHP), which opposes
the change. She stressed that it was Kemal Kılıcdaroglu, the new
leader of the main opposition CHP, who took the Foundations Law to
the Constitutional Court be overruled. It was later passed in favor
of the minorities.
Laki Vingas, head of the Greek Schools Foundation, however, says that
it is wrong to place the AK Party and the CHP against each in the
referendum issue. "If the CHP had proposed the same changes," he says,
"I would still say 'yes' to them." He added that the Greek community
overwhelmingly approves the constitutional amendment package.
"We need to say 'yes' on Sept. 12. Saying 'no' would give strength
to coup supporters," said Mihail Vasiliadis, editor-in-chief of
Apoyevmatini, a weekly Greek newspaper that caters to the Greek
community of approximately 2,500 in İstanbul.
According to Vasiliadis, non-Muslim minorities seem to support the
constitutional amendment package in general.
When it comes to the Syriac community's feelings regarding the
reform package, Daniel Gabriel, human rights and the United Nations
nongovernmental organization director of the Syriac Universal Alliance
(SUA), said that the Turkish government could do much more to encourage
the kind of democratization necessary to join the European Union,
especially with respect to the protection and empowerment of all
minority groups in Turkey. "The SUA sincerely applauds the Turkish
government call for constitutional change," he said in a written
statement from Europe.
He feels the current amendment package is "more symbolic than real,"
adding, "It's truly one step forward and two steps back."
He asserts that ethno-religious minorities such as the Syriacs in
Turkey will still not benefit from the long-awaited changes. "This
is regretful because September 12, 2010 could be a defining moment in
Turkish history. Here is a great opportunity for the Turkish nation to
really align itself with EU democratic principles and not miss another
chance. The flotilla has sailed and it's called 'True Democracy.' The
Syriac Universal Alliance asks Turkey to get on board before it's
too late," he said.
Nevertheless, Zeki Basatemir, on the board of directors for the
Syriac Catholic Church Foundation in Turkey, said they will vote
"yes" in the referendum because this is the first time they feel that
the politicians in Turkey have been interested in helping them solve
their problems. "Most of the Syriacs think that the reform package
is good," he says, "We will vote 'yes' with the sentiment of 'pacta
sunt servanda,' or 'agreements must be kept'," he said.
From: A. Papazian
Turkey
Today's Zaman
July 29 2010
As the nation prepares to vote for a constitutional amendment package
in a referendum on Sept. 12, non-Muslim minorities in Turkey are
inclined to say "yes" to the reforms, which are expected to improve
Turkish democracy. They generally feel that more changes are necessary,
however, to more fully democratize the country.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government has
taken major steps to save the country from its current Constitution,
which was drafted under martial law after the Sept. 12, 1980 coup.
Like many civil society groups, non-Muslim minorities have widely
expressed the view that the proposed constitutional changes don't
go far enough but still represent a considerable step in the right
direction.
According to Ara Kocunyan, editor-in-chief of the Armenian daily
Jamanak, published in İstanbul, non-Muslim minorities will benefit
from the proposed government reforms. "The referendum means that
there will even more changes to come," he told Today's Zaman. Kocunyan
also added that the Turkish-Armenian community is going to vote with
the grander vision of further changes in mind. "The members of the
Armenian-Turkish community approach the issue with great awareness of
citizenship. They are aware of the process of change in Turkey, and
supporting that kind of a process is natural for minorities," he said.
He said that the Turkish-Armenian community is the largest minority
group in Turkey with a population of approximately 60,000; out of
this group most live in İstanbul.
For Aris Nalcı, editor of Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos, the issue of
the upcoming constitutional amendments is a personal matter as he had
to leave Turkey when he was an infant because of the military coup
in 1980. He says: "My mother had to leave Turkey [during the coup]
when I was just 40 days old. When we came back two years later,
I didn't know my father," he said.
He further asserted that Turkish-Armenians were among the groups who
suffered the worst during the Sept. 12 coup and wants to push for
further amendments.
He finds this process to be groundbreaking and inspirational.
"Constitutional change is about touching an untouchable, a taboo. It's
a step forwards for broader change," he said.
Nalcı feels that most Turkish-Armenians will vote for the amendments.
The Sept. 12 coup d'état was the third coup in Turkey's history and
arguably its bloodiest. The coup came after a period of ideological
and armed conflict on Turkey's streets during the second half of the
1970s. An estimated 5,000 people were killed during the violence.
After the coup in 1980, the military ruled the country through the
National Security Council (MGK) before democracy could be restored.
Some 600,000 people were reportedly detained during this period and
more than 200,000 tried, 10,000 stripped of their citizenship and 50
executed. Hundreds and thousands were tortured or went missing.
These tragedies are the ones which Denis Ojalvo, an international
relations expert from İstanbul's 20,000-plus Jewish community,
would like to emphasize, stressing that positive change is often born
from despair. Ojalvo says that while the Sept. 12 military coup led
to the horrible suffering of minorities, the military intervention
later brought them relief.
He argues that politically speaking, the most important issue for
Turkey right now is that the executive branch should become independent
of the legislative branch. Political leaders should take the lead
of the people who voted them in. "This points at handicaps in our
political parties' laws and the election system. Since the political
parties do not want to lose absolute control over their organizations,
they do not solve this problem. Submitting a constitutional reform
for a referendum without tackling that basic problem is like a black
humor to me," he said.
He added that the "judiciary-military tutelage" seems to have been
replaced by an "executive tutelage" with the proposed changes to
the Constitution.
The 1982 amendments to the constitution were voted in by referendum
in June 1982. The first elections were held in 1983, out of which
came a single-party government under Turgut Ozal's Motherland Party
(then ANAP, now ANAVATAN).
Kezban Hatemi, a minority rights lawyer, reminds us that many civil
society groups have joined efforts to launch a referendum campaign
called "Yetmez ama evet" or "Not enough, but yes," claiming that
it reflects the views of non-Muslim minorities in Turkey as well as
regular citizens.
She said that what they are expecting from the government as the
next step is a brand new civilian constitution which will broaden
individual rights and freedoms.
Hatemi also pointed out that the government has taken great steps
towards addressing the concerns of minorities, something that
harmonizes well with Turkey's goal to join the European Union. "This
is the first time that non-Muslim minorities have had a fresh breath
of air," she said.
Hatemi elaborated by drawing attention to the issue of confiscated
properties which have yet to be returned to their rightful owners,
"This problem has not yet been solved, but there have certainly been
improvements."
Hatemi said that she didn't think that non-Muslim minorities would
follow the path of the Republican People's Party (CHP), which opposes
the change. She stressed that it was Kemal Kılıcdaroglu, the new
leader of the main opposition CHP, who took the Foundations Law to
the Constitutional Court be overruled. It was later passed in favor
of the minorities.
Laki Vingas, head of the Greek Schools Foundation, however, says that
it is wrong to place the AK Party and the CHP against each in the
referendum issue. "If the CHP had proposed the same changes," he says,
"I would still say 'yes' to them." He added that the Greek community
overwhelmingly approves the constitutional amendment package.
"We need to say 'yes' on Sept. 12. Saying 'no' would give strength
to coup supporters," said Mihail Vasiliadis, editor-in-chief of
Apoyevmatini, a weekly Greek newspaper that caters to the Greek
community of approximately 2,500 in İstanbul.
According to Vasiliadis, non-Muslim minorities seem to support the
constitutional amendment package in general.
When it comes to the Syriac community's feelings regarding the
reform package, Daniel Gabriel, human rights and the United Nations
nongovernmental organization director of the Syriac Universal Alliance
(SUA), said that the Turkish government could do much more to encourage
the kind of democratization necessary to join the European Union,
especially with respect to the protection and empowerment of all
minority groups in Turkey. "The SUA sincerely applauds the Turkish
government call for constitutional change," he said in a written
statement from Europe.
He feels the current amendment package is "more symbolic than real,"
adding, "It's truly one step forward and two steps back."
He asserts that ethno-religious minorities such as the Syriacs in
Turkey will still not benefit from the long-awaited changes. "This
is regretful because September 12, 2010 could be a defining moment in
Turkish history. Here is a great opportunity for the Turkish nation to
really align itself with EU democratic principles and not miss another
chance. The flotilla has sailed and it's called 'True Democracy.' The
Syriac Universal Alliance asks Turkey to get on board before it's
too late," he said.
Nevertheless, Zeki Basatemir, on the board of directors for the
Syriac Catholic Church Foundation in Turkey, said they will vote
"yes" in the referendum because this is the first time they feel that
the politicians in Turkey have been interested in helping them solve
their problems. "Most of the Syriacs think that the reform package
is good," he says, "We will vote 'yes' with the sentiment of 'pacta
sunt servanda,' or 'agreements must be kept'," he said.
From: A. Papazian