EU SILENT DESPITE AKP’S MOUNTING SINS
Hurriyet
Nov 14 2008
Turkey
It should be much more apparent to European diplomats today, that
the relative leniency with which the European Union is approaching
the Erdogan government’s sins against democracy and human rights,
is being used to the advantage of the ruling Justice and Development
Party, or AKP.
We have been trying for weeks to warn that selective criticisms
leveled at Turkey by EU officials are disheartening pro-EU elements
in Turkey. For example, the same officials who made negative remarks
against the AKP over the closure case, have not been vocal in the
face of some highly telling, and to that extent worrying, salvos from
government quarters.
Granted the 2008 progress report touches on, almost with kid gloves
and indirectly at that, Prime Minister Erdogan’s attacks against
the media in connection with corruption cases, and on Chief of the
General Staff Gen. Basbug’s threats to the media in connection with
the fight against terrorism.
This, however, does not appear to have made much of an impression
on the government, which is supposed to take Turkey closer to the EU
by initiating reforms and making headway according to the Copenhagen
Criteria. Put another way, the Erdogan government does not consider
itself reprimanded by the Progress Report. It behaves, rather, as if
it could care less about what is in the report.
However its "sins against the Copenhagen Criteria" are increasing,
yet no one, other than European deputy Joost Lagendijk that is, appear
to have much to say on this front. Just a look at the government’s
recent record should send shivers up European spines. Especially
among those who invested so much hope in this government.
w Prime Minister Erdogan calls for media boycotts because of the way
it reported the Deniz Feneri corruption case in Germany, an extension
of which clearly existed in Turkey and involved quarters very close
to the AKP.
w Prime Minister Erdogan justified the use of sawed-off shotguns by
individuals against pro-Kurdish demonstrators, saying citizens have
the right to protect themselves. The fact that he is inciting armed
violence does not appear to concern him much.
w Prime Minister Erdogan started to play the ultra-nationalist and
told pro-Kurdish politicians to either respect the flag and nation
or leave the country. He conveniently forgot there were times his
party had been attacked for being "Islamist" by opponents who said,
"Either respect secularism or go to Saudi Arabia."
w In the same vein, AKP Yozgat deputy Abdulkadir Akgul while arguing
with pro-Kurdish deputy Hasip Kaplan in Parliament, went as far as
saying, "I would of course take pleasure in shooting those who are
against their own state and nation."
w State Minister Nimet Cubukcu is more concerned with slinging mud
at Sarah Ferguson and the ITN network for exposing abuse in centers
for disabled children in Turkey, than explaining what she intends
to do to bring these centers up to EU standards. Having been caught
out two years ago in a similar incident in Malatya, exposed by the
Turkish media on that occasion, she clearly has done little in the
meantime to improve standards in these centers.
w Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul came out with remarks justifying what
amounts to ethnic cleansing by saying that if Greeks and Armenians
remained in Anatolia, Turkey would not be a national state today. He
totally disregarded the pain and suffering of Greek, Armenian and
Turks alike in the past, and left open the question of his opinion on
the Kurdish problem in this country, relative to his despicable views.
w The government continues to be reluctant to act in the face
of mounting police brutality, torture, and abuse of women, which
continues unabated, with impunity, and remains committed to the
tradition of protecting those guilty of the crimes. When it does
act, on the other hand, it does not do so on its own initiative,
but because the issue has caused a major public outcry.
w The Prime Ministry tries to ban "undesirable reporters" from
covering Prime Minister Erdogan by canceling their accreditation,
even though it can not accuse the banned reporters of writing untruths
or of fabrication. The government followed the lead of the General
Staff in this respect, showing once again how much of a defender
of the traditional status quo it has become. The bottom line here
is that Mr. Erdogan wants "AKP friendly news" and loses control,
both verbally and otherwise, when he does not get it.
Even this list and the relative silence in the face of it in Europe
makes one wonder if Brussels is following these developments as closely
as one would expect, with a view to giving appropriate signals at the
right time to Ankara, to try and reign in some of the abuses and spur
the government toward an EU perspective.
Granted the EU’s hard working envoy in Ankara, Ambassador Marc Pierini,
said in a piece he wrote for the Daily News recently, "The Progress
Report is not meant to comment on the acts and words of a given set
of personalities, nor on specific events." He is absolutely correct
about this, as the progress report by its nature is about principles
and criteria rather than personalities. But what we are referring
to here is other Europeans, be they from individual EU countries,
the European Commission or the EU Parliament, who were so vocal on
issues such as 301, Orhan Pamuk, the Hrant Dink murder and the AKP
closure case in the past, but prefer to remain silent in the face of
further serious abuses by the AKP.
Europe should not, however, be blinded by what appears to be support
for the AKP, and against those elements it finds undesirable in
Turkey. Especially now the Erdogan government has started to behave
just like those elements.
The whole idea behind the EU perspective is positive change under
the umbrella of lofty ideals, which include human rights and press
freedom. If this does not happen, then the EU will start to lose its
meaning, even for Turks who have supported this perspective strongly
hitherto.