The New Anatolian, Turkey
July 21 2007
Rainbow of 2007 elections Independent Baskin Oran
Zeynep TANITKAN – The New Anatolian / Ankara
21 July 2007
SPOT: Number of people who would like to hear their own views voiced
in Parliament by Baskin Oran instead of unwillingly voting for CHP
are increasing
SPOT: Ozlem Odabasi, one of the millions of voters, says she supports
Oran as she is a woman wearing a headscarf, a Kurd, an Armenian, a
handicapped, and a homosexual
As Turkey is heading towards one of the most insipid general
elections lacking excitement and enthusiasm, a very colorful name has
taken to the stage of politics promising to break the biases of the
Parliament and be the voice of the alienated "others" like
minorities, women, homosexuals and the handicapped.
Here’s the profile of a fresh breeze, Baskin Oran a university
professor running in general elections as an independent candidate
from Istanbul District Two.
An academic spending his 30 years in university corridors, author of
numerous articles and various books on several issues like
minorities, nationalism and globalization, a true intellectual
fulfilling the duties of a leftist scholar in Turkey by being
dismissed following the military coup of 1980, going behind bars and
lastly being accused of insulting Turkishness under the infamous
Article 301 of the penal code, now Oran wants the votes of
Istanbulites.
Yet, Oran doesn’t consider himself a politician and insists that he
is just a university professor. When asked why he had not joined the
ranks of any political parties, he openly says that he couldn’t work
with any of the current party leaders. He claims that he’s different
from bootlicking kind deputies. "The thing called ‘party discipline’
is against my nature," he says adding that he doesn’t have any
intention of becoming a member of any party.
Oran was initially to be supported by the pro-Kurdish Democratic
Society Party (DTP) as the party decided to enter the general
elections through independent candidates to pass the controversial 10
percent election threshold. However, the party then decided it would
be better to support its own chairman in Istanbul. Although the DTP
has pulled the rug out, Oran, having the support of pillars of
Turkish literature Yasar Kemal and Adalet Agaoglu, will obviously be
the choice of many academics, authors and artists in Istanbul’s
second electoral district. Moreover, Armenian weekly Agos editor in
chief Etyen Mahcupyan recently stated that Armenians living in the
second electoral region of Istanbul will vote for Oran.
In an atmosphere where people are tired of listening to those who
have no real answers to offer, it’s quite obvious that he stands out
among other candidates with his colorful personality and intellectual
background. "My candidacy for the Parliament is because of an
intellectual responsibility, nothing else," he says. Yet, he doesn’t
know how to use the political jargon to affect voters. "When we go to
a place, people welcome me with applauses. I haven’t got used to this
as each time I ask my friends who these people are applauding. They
tell me to wave but I’m still shy," says the first-time candidate and
continues to tell anecdotes. "Some people come and want a kind of
covenant for their vote. Which party did provide you such a covenant?
Now you ask poor Baskin Oran to make a written engagement. To be more
convincing I should repeat as other politicians that my word is a
guarantee, I guess. But I can’t give such empty promises."
While planning to retire and get a kick out of life in a sunny resort
town, Oran found himself as the voice of Alevis, Armenians, Kurds,
university students, intellectuals, leftist complaining of lack of
leftist independent candidates, the handicapped, unemployed, women
and others feeling themselves out of the margin. He says the way of
making people aware of traps is to say something from Parliament. "We
are against violence, discrimination and alienation from A to Z. We
advocate the freedom of expression. For this reason, we defend the
rights of the disadvantaged people. If you throw a person out of the
system, you make him a guerrilla and then you try to bring him back,"
he says.
Oran needs between 50,000 and 75,000 votes to enter the Parliament.
We’ll see together whether there are enough people seeking a new
intellectual voice on the European side of Istanbul to reach this
number.
ARABASLIK
A dictionary to fight political biases
Conducting election campaign with the help of a group of volunteers,
Oran released a dictionary, like Ambrose Bierce’s famous Devil’s
Dictionary -yet this one is applied to politics- to fight biases in
the Parliament like human rights, minorities or religious freedom and
some taboo issues like the Armenian issue.
Dealing with how democracy concept is distorted, Oran claims in the
dictionary that democracy can not be established with groups
demanding rights only for themselves and ignore the rest. "Democracy,
is not only seeking your rights but also the others," he says and
adds that if an Alevite defends just another Alevite, or if a Kurd
defends just another Kurd, then this is shame. "Everybody should
defend everybody. Turks should defend Kurds, Alevis should defend
Armenians, Armenians should defend women’s rights and women should
defend homosexuals," Oran says pointing that only this way the unity
can be restored. He adds that neither republic is more important than
democracy, nor democracy comes before republic. Oran also states that
enhancing democracy also enhances the republic.
Author of the "Minority Report" triggered heated debates in Turkey,
Oran, former chairman of a sub-committee of the Prime Ministry’s
Advisory Board on Human Rights, states in the dictionary under the
article of "Minorities" that granting a special status to minorities
in a country can’t be seen as a violation of the constitutional
principle of equality. Oran claims that supporting such a perception
is nothing but ignorance as positive discrimination applied to ethnic
and religious minorities display how democratic that country is.
Under the title of "Kurds" Oran strongly opposes the DTP’s claim
saying that the Kurds must be recognized as one of the "founding
elements" of Turkey, in addition to Turks. He says supporting such a
statement is considering the rest as secondary element. "What then of
the Circassian people who fought the Independence War? What about
non-Muslims who have helped the economy stand and who were in
Anatolia before we came?" he asks. "I am a proper Turk, but I do not
accept that I am a founding element." Under the title of "Terror"
Oran points that entering northern Iraq would not end terrorism.
"Turkey has entered northern Iraq 27 times since 1983. Besides, we
have got the support of Kurds in there and the U.S. in each
operation. Yet we run round in circles," recalls Oran emphasizing the
PKK problem is not a foreign policy problem but a domestic one.
"Unless we provide equal rights, cultural recognition and regional
development to Kurds, the problem can’t be solved," he says.
According to the former academic and fresh politician Oran, founding
a federated Iraq Kurd state would not be a threat to Turkey.
Having the support of Armenians in the general elections, Oran also
deals with the frowned on issue in the agenda of Turkey, forced
emigration of Armenians. He says claiming that Turkey treated
Armenians well during the war, but had to force them to emigrate as
they were provoked by a foreign country is not true. "Armenians were
killed, robbed and their goods were looted. We have to accept these
truths. Yet we can not accept the term ‘genocide.’ Armenian Diaspora
uses this term to convince people that it’s same with the Jewish
genocide," he says.
Another subject Oran focuses in his dictionary is "Cyprus" issue.
According to Oran, the solution in Cyprus is not two independent
states. Oran also opposes Turkey having claims on the Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus. "Turkey’s aim shouldn’t be gaining
dominance over the part of Cyprus. Isn’t it a different version of
imperialism?" he asks.
According to Oran, describing the European Union (EU) and the U.S. as
imperialist powers aiming to attack the unity of the country is also
wrong. "By attacking northern Iraq, the U.S. once again proved that
it continues to be an imperialist power throughout the world. On the
other hand the EU is a project of unity. The common interest of EU
countries is stability and peace in Turkey since political
instability in Turkey directly affects the EU," says Oran.
In "Independent Deputies" article of the dictionary, Oran states that
independent deputies would be more powerful and free compared to a
member of a party as independent deputies would get the direct
support of the voters. Once there are independent deputies in the
Parliament, Oran thinks that masses will support them and organize
more efficiently.
Oran also claims that terming the main opposition Republican People’s
Party (CHP) "leftist" insults the left. "The CHP wasn’t founded as a
leftist party. The left side of the political spectrum in Turkey is
empty. Today Turkey looks like a bird trying to fly with one wing.
Both the Justice and Development (AK) Party and the CHP are right
wing parties," he noted.
Do foreigners sell our land in parcels? According to Oran, drawing
such interpretations by looking at foreigners buying summer houses is
quite interesting. He asks whether these people leave Turkey by
putting houses into their pockets. "If a Turkish citizen has a land
or house in Afghanistan, do we look for chaos or stability in that
place? We have to confess that this issue has turned into the first
step of xenophobia in Turkey," he says. Oran also deals with
missionary activities in Turkey by pointing that those who make
propaganda in this issue instigate others to crime as in the cases of
homicides against missionaries in Malatya and Catholic priest in
Trabzon.
Under the title of "Army" in the dictionary, Oran strongly opposes
political interventions of Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) claiming that
each intervention brings more problems. He says political parties’
giving their energy and attention more to citizens rather than the
TSK would be better. Otherwise, the credibility of politicians would
come to harm.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress