Epress.am News from Armenia
In response to questions from foreigners about what has been going on in Turkey in recent times, I refer to the recent events of April 24, wrote Turkish columnist Orhan Kemal Cengiz on Jun. 9 in Today’s Zaman.
I tell them about the two things that happened on the same day and in the same Turkey. On April 24, the demolition of the “Monument to Humanity” in Kars began. The destruction of the memorial was justified when the prime minister, in a visit to the city, described it as a freakish construction. This was a blatant example of intolerance; this would not change no matter what standard you used.
In the same Turkey where this memorial was being demolished, on the same day, one of the biggest taboos of Turkey was being confronted in our cities and towns. I am talking about commemorations held outdoors on the occasion of the massacre of Armenians. On that day, I was in Sakarya Square in Ankara. Our small group, at the heart of the square, recited the names of our Armenian intellectuals who were taken from their homes 96 years ago on April 24 and were never seen again. There was a police barricade between us and the group protesting the event. A decade ago, we could not have imagined such a thing. The police would not protect us; they would even join the protesters and beat us. The attitude of the police on this April 24 could not have become a possibility without instructions from the government.
I think the state of democracy in Turkey is comparable to my depiction of April 24. The country is taking steps forward and backward at the same time; we are advancing like the Ottoman army band, mehter. I think none of the white and black depictions of this matter reflect the real situation.
Part of Turkey seems to have completely forgotten the past, whereas the other part ignores the negative developments of the present time. Some of us seem to have forgotten the Turkey, say, that Mehmet Ali Birand recently described. Was it so remote in the past that newspapers used to write headlines upon the direct orders of the military? However, some of us also tend to overlook the fact it has become harder to criticize the government and the prime minister. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is unable to tolerate criticism not only from the opposing front, but also from his longstanding supporters. Ahmet Altan was in court due to a lawsuit filed by the prime minister against him. After the deposition of the suit, the conservative press introduced an auto-censorship mechanism. We need new concepts in order to understand the current process in Turkey. Neither ‘advanced democracy’ nor ‘civilian guardianship’ is adequate to explain what we have now in Turkey. I do not know whether this could be called authoritarianism within democratization.
Turkey will have an election on Sunday. But most probably Erdoğan’s choices will have a determinative impact on Turkey’s future after June 13. Will we live in a Turkey where memorials or taboos are destroyed? In which direction will Erdoğan use his growing power and charisma? It is no secret that the prime minister is seriously considering moving to a presidential system in Turkey. We can say this ambition is the primary reason for this campaign of destruction. This memorial was demolished to attract the votes of nationalists so that he can make a new constitution. In order to become president, Erdoğan needs to reconcile with the military. Nobody should doubt that this reconciliation will be based on less democracy.
On the other hand, this charisma can be used to take risks that nobody would take and to eliminate taboos. For instance, resolution of the Kurdish issue requires such initiative. The choices of the prime minister will determine Turkey’s place in the world. It is not possible for a Turkey, whose regime has become authoritarian following the Arab Spring, to hold power in this part of the world.
A Turkey able to address its domestic and international problems and reconcile with its Muslim identity and non-Muslim past will have a lot to say for the world.
And the entry into the European Union of the Turkey I speak of, will be one of the most important events of the 21st century. After Turkey’s elections, we will see the prime minister’s choices. I hope these choices seek the destruction of taboos, not memorials.