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Arabisto.com, FL
Aug 25 2007
FM Gul, PM Erdogan & the Presidential Palace of Fame: The Latest Spin
Stories for Media
August 25, 2007 01:40 PM
All eyes focused on the presidential election again this week in
Turkey and what it means for Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul. With the
shake-out of the Prime Minister's poorly spoken words to Gul's
dissenters, the PM's untimely words give way to the media basking in
ways to spin yet another insignificant story.
Getting approval and seeking consensus in Turkey creates curiosity
and suspicion at the same time. On the one hand, law provides for
Parliament to vote three times on a candidate which I guess gives
them plenty of
time to herd others into the fold before the final vote.
Gul failed in the second round again, but this final vote will pull
out the stops next week. Will a political crisis occur or a military
takeover?
On the other hand, I wonder why the media doesn't address some of the
real issues involved in this election or a myriad of other concerns
facing the Turkish public.
Certainly, the PM should be called on the carpet for his remarks that
"anyone who says Gul cannot be president should give up their Turkish
citizenship," but really, isn't this just another off-handed remark
which the PM forged in history past?
While FM Gul waits for this week's vote to award him the presidency,
the media may be cooking up a list of more trivial issues to focus on
while PM Erdogan plays his mea culpa card.
Maybe the media will cast doubt upon the future Mrs. President and
her turban remodeling efforts or her court case where she sued Turkey
in European Court of Human Rights, hmmm. At least she is concerned
about her appearance on the world stage and should fit in well with
the Turkish elite.
So exactly who's humoring who here? Do the media ask what Mrs. Gul
can offer the country by being the First Lady of Turkey? I can't say
that I have ever read one story about the incumbent First Lady, Mrs.
Sezer. I want to know what the new First Lady will offer to Turkey.
Will her forum be about education, poverty, crime, family values?
Maybe she's covering her head, but silence isn't her virtue. Let's
ask.
If we ask what her pet projects will be, should we not ask the new
President as well? What does he plan to do while sitting in the White
House, excuse me, the Cankaya House? Does he plan to put his
footprint on his time in the Turkish presidential seat, or mark time
with no impact at all?
I expect that Peace should be on the agenda. Recently, Turkey has
volunteered to be the peace brokers of the region and rightly so.
While Turkey may have many wounds and warts, they are the only viable
democracy in the region to include the cast of former Soviet states
and the only country to manage peace for decades.
Of course, no serious discussion about the issues would be complete
without mentioning the Armenian Genocide. This concern hangs heavy on
many heads here in Turkey, and at the same time, seems to always
tarnish Turkey. Will someone finally step up to the plate and prove
beyond reasonable that it was or was not genocide?
Mrs. Gul is educated maybe she wants to arm-wrestle with this
controversial issue and lead a group of scholars and historians to
broker a deal on the controversy.
We should not forget, though, that Turkey did invite Armenia to
establish a joint commission about this World War I argument, and
this is as good a time as any to finally flesh out the answers to
this question. Armenia, are you willing to reveal yourself?
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the Kurdish war on terror in
eastern Turkey. Do we stand at the border and watch militants cross
into Turkey from Iraq or does Turkey march past their borders? Should
Turkey force a showdown with American diplomats or wait it out to see
what happens?
Is Turkey viable enough to clean up this problem and let eastern
Turkey develop and contribute to the rest of society or leave them in
poverty-ridden desolation which experiences killings on a daily
basis?
And if I haven't raised enough heads yet, should I even mention that
the media keeps silent about deals negotiated with a Russia who has
been noticed for beating their chests as the next king of the world?
Tell me, after this presidential election, will Turkey step up to the
plate by resolving long-standing issues and create some peace and
harmony within their own borders for their own people? Let's wait and
see.
Aug 25 2007
FM Gul, PM Erdogan & the Presidential Palace of Fame: The Latest Spin
Stories for Media
August 25, 2007 01:40 PM
All eyes focused on the presidential election again this week in
Turkey and what it means for Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul. With the
shake-out of the Prime Minister's poorly spoken words to Gul's
dissenters, the PM's untimely words give way to the media basking in
ways to spin yet another insignificant story.
Getting approval and seeking consensus in Turkey creates curiosity
and suspicion at the same time. On the one hand, law provides for
Parliament to vote three times on a candidate which I guess gives
them plenty of
time to herd others into the fold before the final vote.
Gul failed in the second round again, but this final vote will pull
out the stops next week. Will a political crisis occur or a military
takeover?
On the other hand, I wonder why the media doesn't address some of the
real issues involved in this election or a myriad of other concerns
facing the Turkish public.
Certainly, the PM should be called on the carpet for his remarks that
"anyone who says Gul cannot be president should give up their Turkish
citizenship," but really, isn't this just another off-handed remark
which the PM forged in history past?
While FM Gul waits for this week's vote to award him the presidency,
the media may be cooking up a list of more trivial issues to focus on
while PM Erdogan plays his mea culpa card.
Maybe the media will cast doubt upon the future Mrs. President and
her turban remodeling efforts or her court case where she sued Turkey
in European Court of Human Rights, hmmm. At least she is concerned
about her appearance on the world stage and should fit in well with
the Turkish elite.
So exactly who's humoring who here? Do the media ask what Mrs. Gul
can offer the country by being the First Lady of Turkey? I can't say
that I have ever read one story about the incumbent First Lady, Mrs.
Sezer. I want to know what the new First Lady will offer to Turkey.
Will her forum be about education, poverty, crime, family values?
Maybe she's covering her head, but silence isn't her virtue. Let's
ask.
If we ask what her pet projects will be, should we not ask the new
President as well? What does he plan to do while sitting in the White
House, excuse me, the Cankaya House? Does he plan to put his
footprint on his time in the Turkish presidential seat, or mark time
with no impact at all?
I expect that Peace should be on the agenda. Recently, Turkey has
volunteered to be the peace brokers of the region and rightly so.
While Turkey may have many wounds and warts, they are the only viable
democracy in the region to include the cast of former Soviet states
and the only country to manage peace for decades.
Of course, no serious discussion about the issues would be complete
without mentioning the Armenian Genocide. This concern hangs heavy on
many heads here in Turkey, and at the same time, seems to always
tarnish Turkey. Will someone finally step up to the plate and prove
beyond reasonable that it was or was not genocide?
Mrs. Gul is educated maybe she wants to arm-wrestle with this
controversial issue and lead a group of scholars and historians to
broker a deal on the controversy.
We should not forget, though, that Turkey did invite Armenia to
establish a joint commission about this World War I argument, and
this is as good a time as any to finally flesh out the answers to
this question. Armenia, are you willing to reveal yourself?
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the Kurdish war on terror in
eastern Turkey. Do we stand at the border and watch militants cross
into Turkey from Iraq or does Turkey march past their borders? Should
Turkey force a showdown with American diplomats or wait it out to see
what happens?
Is Turkey viable enough to clean up this problem and let eastern
Turkey develop and contribute to the rest of society or leave them in
poverty-ridden desolation which experiences killings on a daily
basis?
And if I haven't raised enough heads yet, should I even mention that
the media keeps silent about deals negotiated with a Russia who has
been noticed for beating their chests as the next king of the world?
Tell me, after this presidential election, will Turkey step up to the
plate by resolving long-standing issues and create some peace and
harmony within their own borders for their own people? Let's wait and
see.