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TURKEY'S 'DEMOCRATIZATION PACKAGE' IS WELCOMED BY ACADEMICS
Anadolu Agency, Turkey
March 3 2014
03 March 2014 20:05 (Last updated 03 March 2014 20:06)
The Turkish Parliament has approved a law on extended rights and
freedoms, analysts think this is just a little step towards democratic
Turkey, but opposition disagree.
ANKARA
M Bilal Kenasari
The Turkish Parliament has approved a law on extended rights and
freedoms - dubbed the 'democratization package' - which was first
announced in September last year, in the run-up to the upcoming local
elections on March 30.
The package brought many discussions into Turkish politics,
particularly on the discussion of minorities - especially the Kurdish
population, Turkey's biggest minority group.
Armenian-Turkish Intellectual and Today Zaman columnist, Etyen
Mahcupyan said: "Political Kurds are not happy with the partial
progress of the mother-language problem; they want to solve the
problem once and for all."
He added: "But the AK Party has to deal with the non-Kurdish population
in Turkey too, so it has to watch the balance between Kurds and Turks,
which actually prepares for the future of Turkey."
According to the approved package, teaching in Kurdish in private
schools is allowed. Also, Turkish citizens can now open private
education institutions to provide education in languages and dialects
they traditionally use in their daily lives.
The package stipulates that hate speech related to language,
race, nationality, color, gender, disability, political opinion,
philosophical belief, religion or sectarian differences will be
punished by up to three years in prison.
The law also allows former non-Turkish names of villages and
neighborhoods to be reinstated.
Furthermore, the state will provide financial aid to the political
parties that receive more than three percent of the total number of
valid votes in the parliamentary general elections and the respective
aid will be no less than TL 1 million.
Turkey is walking towards the local election to be held on March 30,
Mahcupyan said: "It is important it is passed before the elections."
"AK Party tries its best to perform within its own limitations as a
conservative party," said Kurdish-Turkish Intellectual and columnist
Muhsin Kizilkaya.
He added: "Kurdish political figures may not be satisfied with what
the democratization package contains, but we cannot expect AK Party
to respond to their need, as ruling party has it is own agenda. Plus
conservative Kurds in Turkey are happy with what AK Party offers them."
The law also means that political party organization and campaigning,
parties and their members now have the right to campaign and use
promotional material in any language or dialect.
"Many of the new rules were already practiced among Kurds, as there
are still some law cases against Kurdish politicians for greeting
Kurdish people in the Kurdish language during election campaigns,
but now, the law will protect such incidents," said Muhsin Kızılkaya.
The AK Party thinks that even though the package cannot satisfy every
party with this package, the party found a successful common ground
for the fundamental problems in Turkish society.
"It is impossible to satisfy everyone, but this is the nature of
politics that finds a middle way for all the sides," said Turkish
Sociologists Prof. Yasin Aktay, Deputy Chairman of AK Party. "AK Party
is finding a middle way, for the values of all the sides," he said.
"Actually one of the most important aspects of this package is that
democratization is the routine of AK Party government. Even in tough
subjects, AK Party is approaching with maturity and, on its right
time," he added.
Emphasizing that pioneering change for the long-term problems could
not be brought in one day, Aktay added: "I think this package is the
best on the situation we are facing in Turkey. It is a very dynamic
society, and necessities may often change, in fact we might find some
of the changes unnecessary. AK Party is not changing against the will
of people."
Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan unveiled a
'democratization package' in late 2013 that proposed reforms to extend
political rights, ensure better accountability for hate crimes and
discrimination, and address demands for education in other languages,
among other amendments.
Exiled iconic Kurdish singer Sivan Perver, who returned to Turkey
last November after 37 years, also congratulated the process as
"Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the architect of
this day of peace."
However, Dr. Koray Caliska, Pro- Republican People's Party (CHP) said:
"There is actually nothing inside the democratization package. In
fact, Turkish society is losing insurances of democracy in Turkey
these days."
He added: "First, government has to stop its anti-democratic behaviors,
in order to bring democracy; the Prime Minister has to resign first,
and admit its anti-democratic system."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Anadolu Agency, Turkey
March 3 2014
03 March 2014 20:05 (Last updated 03 March 2014 20:06)
The Turkish Parliament has approved a law on extended rights and
freedoms, analysts think this is just a little step towards democratic
Turkey, but opposition disagree.
ANKARA
M Bilal Kenasari
The Turkish Parliament has approved a law on extended rights and
freedoms - dubbed the 'democratization package' - which was first
announced in September last year, in the run-up to the upcoming local
elections on March 30.
The package brought many discussions into Turkish politics,
particularly on the discussion of minorities - especially the Kurdish
population, Turkey's biggest minority group.
Armenian-Turkish Intellectual and Today Zaman columnist, Etyen
Mahcupyan said: "Political Kurds are not happy with the partial
progress of the mother-language problem; they want to solve the
problem once and for all."
He added: "But the AK Party has to deal with the non-Kurdish population
in Turkey too, so it has to watch the balance between Kurds and Turks,
which actually prepares for the future of Turkey."
According to the approved package, teaching in Kurdish in private
schools is allowed. Also, Turkish citizens can now open private
education institutions to provide education in languages and dialects
they traditionally use in their daily lives.
The package stipulates that hate speech related to language,
race, nationality, color, gender, disability, political opinion,
philosophical belief, religion or sectarian differences will be
punished by up to three years in prison.
The law also allows former non-Turkish names of villages and
neighborhoods to be reinstated.
Furthermore, the state will provide financial aid to the political
parties that receive more than three percent of the total number of
valid votes in the parliamentary general elections and the respective
aid will be no less than TL 1 million.
Turkey is walking towards the local election to be held on March 30,
Mahcupyan said: "It is important it is passed before the elections."
"AK Party tries its best to perform within its own limitations as a
conservative party," said Kurdish-Turkish Intellectual and columnist
Muhsin Kizilkaya.
He added: "Kurdish political figures may not be satisfied with what
the democratization package contains, but we cannot expect AK Party
to respond to their need, as ruling party has it is own agenda. Plus
conservative Kurds in Turkey are happy with what AK Party offers them."
The law also means that political party organization and campaigning,
parties and their members now have the right to campaign and use
promotional material in any language or dialect.
"Many of the new rules were already practiced among Kurds, as there
are still some law cases against Kurdish politicians for greeting
Kurdish people in the Kurdish language during election campaigns,
but now, the law will protect such incidents," said Muhsin Kızılkaya.
The AK Party thinks that even though the package cannot satisfy every
party with this package, the party found a successful common ground
for the fundamental problems in Turkish society.
"It is impossible to satisfy everyone, but this is the nature of
politics that finds a middle way for all the sides," said Turkish
Sociologists Prof. Yasin Aktay, Deputy Chairman of AK Party. "AK Party
is finding a middle way, for the values of all the sides," he said.
"Actually one of the most important aspects of this package is that
democratization is the routine of AK Party government. Even in tough
subjects, AK Party is approaching with maturity and, on its right
time," he added.
Emphasizing that pioneering change for the long-term problems could
not be brought in one day, Aktay added: "I think this package is the
best on the situation we are facing in Turkey. It is a very dynamic
society, and necessities may often change, in fact we might find some
of the changes unnecessary. AK Party is not changing against the will
of people."
Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan unveiled a
'democratization package' in late 2013 that proposed reforms to extend
political rights, ensure better accountability for hate crimes and
discrimination, and address demands for education in other languages,
among other amendments.
Exiled iconic Kurdish singer Sivan Perver, who returned to Turkey
last November after 37 years, also congratulated the process as
"Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the architect of
this day of peace."
However, Dr. Koray Caliska, Pro- Republican People's Party (CHP) said:
"There is actually nothing inside the democratization package. In
fact, Turkish society is losing insurances of democracy in Turkey
these days."
He added: "First, government has to stop its anti-democratic behaviors,
in order to bring democracy; the Prime Minister has to resign first,
and admit its anti-democratic system."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress