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ISTANBUL: 2012: Divisions exacerbated ` democracy not consolidated

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  • ISTANBUL: 2012: Divisions exacerbated ` democracy not consolidated

    2012: Divisions exacerbated ` democracy not consolidated

    http://www.todayszaman.com/columnist-302292-2012-divisions-exacerbated-democracy-not-consolidated.html
    26 December 2012, Wednesday

    SUAT KINIKLIOÄ?LU
    [email protected]


    The end of the Gregorian calendar year is fast approaching and we have
    not surprised anyone by creating yet another controversy by what we
    see in the aftermath of the launch of the Göktürk-2 satellite last
    week.
    The country has been divided between those who favor a heavy response
    to the approximately 200 Middle East technical University (METU)
    students and those who feel the police response has been excessive. A
    good number of universities have made declarations, fully
    demonstrating the deep divisions about the fundamentals of this
    country.

    As we are drawing to the end of the year it is most pertinent to make
    a brief assessment of what 2012 meant for our political body. The year
    2012 has been full of disappointment and frustration. Contrary to the
    public's expectations Parliament was unable to draft a new
    constitution. Progress has been at a snail's pace. The ruling party
    does not understand that a consensus can only be reached when it deals
    with the opposition in a dignified manner. The `wedge politics'
    strategy may produce 50 percent support for the AK Party but it does
    not bode well for a social contract that we desperately need.

    Strangely, the style, manner and content of the current political
    discourse do not reflect a government that won three consecutive
    elections. For a long time, the ruling party has managed to be in
    government and against the system at the same time. As all fortresses
    of the regime have been `conquered' there seems to be lack of purpose
    evident in the government's actions. Hence, a withdrawal to core
    Islamist issues, such as a mosque to Çamlıca, criticism of a soap
    opera, heavy emphasis on the Middle East versus little interest in
    carrying Turkey into the EU.

    In 2012 the divergence between President Gül and Prime Minister
    ErdoÄ?an has become more visible. Gül made it clear that he does not
    intend to retire or get a job abroad. He is not losing any opportunity
    to make his views known and share his vision with domestic and
    international audiences. Ankara is very tense due to the
    unpredictability of the succession issue in 2014.

    The Kurdish issue has gone into an awfully wrong direction. The
    tension between the government and the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP)
    has reached enormous proportions. Tomorrow will be the first
    anniversary of the Uludure/Roboski incident and we will probably again
    see how debilitating the incident in itself has been on the psychology
    of Turkey's Kurds. The government clearly miscalculated and
    underestimated the impact of this incident. The psychological
    distancing of Turkey's Kurds is continuing at the expense of our
    social peace.

    The rare positive story of 2012 which must be registered is the calm
    and predictability in the Turkish economy. Deputy Prime Minister Ali
    Babacan continues to project confidence and disciplined management of
    the economy. Thanks to him and his team the Turkish economy is doing
    well during such turbulent times. It would be a very different
    political discussion if the economy was also in a mess as our
    political climate currently is.

    The fact that we see increasing signs that the Assad regime is losing
    the civil war in Syria is of course a positive development. However,
    so much blood has been wasted, so many lives turned upside down, so
    much regional and sectarian tension unleashed it is hard to be
    celebratory about the gradual decline of the Assad regime.

    All in all, 2012 has been a year I am most eager to leave behind. I
    wish I could be optimistic for the year ahead. I am afraid we will
    continue to see the polarization and tension continue in 2013. When
    Samuel Huntington defined Turkey as a `torn country' in his seminal
    work in 1993 I fervently objected. These days, I tend to agree with
    him.

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