Hurriyet Daily News , Turkey
Sept 13 2009
Misfortunes of the DoÄ?an group: Armenian and Kurdish
Initiatives
Sunday, September 13, 2009
ASLI AYDINTAÅ?BAÅ?
People have been asking lately: What sort of reactions would the
colossal tax penalty levied on the DoÄ?an Media Group generate
abroad?
This penalty is certainly not the first `intimidation’ and
`reorganization’ attempt on behalf of the Justice and Development, or
AKP, government unleashed on the media. Nor shall it be the last.
However, luck seems to have sided with AKP in matters of foreign
public opinion so far. The government has enjoyed support of Europe
and the US ` largely due to the reformist character it has displayed
for the past seven years, the role it has assumed in the Middle East,
and its commitment to work with the West. While there was increasing
meddling in the media over the past few years, AKP’s political reform
agenda provided enough reason to turn a blind eye. So the arm twisting
of major media groups like Ã?ukurova and Ciner and efforts to
create a pro-government loyal media were dismissed by Europeans as
`classic Turkish.’ Similarly, the lawsuits filed against cartoonists
and court cases or penalties on dissident writers were dismissed as an
extension of the Prime Minister Tayyip ErdoÄ?an’s part
avuncular-part bossy political style.
Yet the almost 5 billion-lira tax penalty levied on the DoÄ?an
Group, of course, is bound to raise more eyebrows. First and foremost,
DoÄ?an is quite an integral part of the global economy, with
investments in Romania and Germany and partnerships with various
foreign companies. The group is well known. It is traded in the stock
market. Hence the penalty made news around the world, in news flashes
from CNN to Reuters, from Bloomberg to Al Jazeera, within hours it was
announced.
There is no doubt that the tax penalty imposed this time around is all
but political. The IMF, along with the Western world, are already
privy to the fact that there are neither Turkey’s `independent boards’
nor is the Finance Department `independent,’ and that taxation can
always be used in Turkey as a weapon in the government’s arsenal. The
DoÄ?an Group had been subject to months of inspections and
audits from top to bottom, in every company or entity. The goal here
was to do whatever it takes to issue a fine.
And since the 3.7 billion-lira ($2.5 billion) is a ridiculously large
sum of money, the analogies to Putin’s Russia is often made in
international media. I had just mentioned this the other day: While
the Putin metaphor is exaggerated; it is not a long shot. Still, I
don’t believe that a huge international uproar will follow this fine
brought upon the DoÄ?an Group ` not something that will cause
the United States or Europe to question their unrelenting support for
the AKP.
Why? I can explain with mere words: the Kurdish and Armenian
initiatives.
A friend in Washington yesterday put it this way: `The situation is
certainly alarming. And yet I’m really not sure how much of a ruckus
it will generate here. Don’t get me wrong, democracy is of course
important in Turkey. However, the Armenia initiative and progress in
the Kurdish area are far more critical as far as we are
concerned. They have a direct impact on our national interests.’
Another source says there have been increasing questions lately about
the AKP in Washington, and yet, there does not seem to be a strong or
viable alternative.
So? So, basically America and Europe’s enthusiasm for the government’s
Armenian and the Kurdish initiatives far outweigh any concern about
freedom of expression or the tax penalty levied on the DoÄ?an
Group. Americans are pragmatic. They hold their own interests above
all, just like any other nation, and would like to see here nothing
more than a stable government they can work with, a model that
distances itself from radical Islam, and a country overall anchored to
the West.
This certainly does not mean no rebuke will come from the West. The
penalty levied on the DoÄ?an Group may well be chastised as
`disappointing;’ and even some State Department official or an
ambassador might pay lip service to `supporting democracy and a free
press.’ The issue will certainly appear in the upcoming EU Progress
Report, along with other concerns like Cyprus and Parliament’s refusal
to pass EU legislation. Europeans might even bring the matter up
occasionally in bilateral talks.
But that’s it. This penalty will not tip the scales of strategic
balances in terms of the support AKP enjoys from abroad.
Unless the DoÄ?an Group rolls up its sleeves and undertakes an
effective lobbying campaign in Brussels and Washington, as long as the
media remains silent, and there appears no viable strong alternative
to AKP, the echoes of this tax penalty around the world shall just
fade away.
* Ms. Aslı AydıntaÅ?baÅ? is a columnist for
the daily AkÅ?am in which this piece was published Sunday. It
was translated into English by the Daily News staff.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
