08-18-2007, 06:29 PM
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 | Big Brother is Watching. | | Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Oceania, the Inner Party.
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| Turkish politics.
Source: Turkish Daily News Read the name of the politician running for parliament. Apparently I need to point out the big black letters right here in the original post, you know - the headline. All you need to do is read the headline of the article. Clarified for Kasroa. Quote: Ufuk Uras: An independent candidate running for Parliament
GÜL DEMİR and NIKI GAMM
ISTANBUL – Turkish Daily News
If Ufuk Uras can be said to have a slogan, it is, “For this a new horizon, a new voice is necessary. I promise that I will be that voice.” Running for a seat in Parliament, Uras has declared himself an independent candidate, resigning from the chairmanship of the Freedom and Solidarity Party (ODP).
As his former party was a rather small one, it faced the 10 percent threshold that has been an obstacle to winning seats in Parliament. So he, like others, decided it would be better to run as an independent candidate as they otherwise would not be able to reach the number of votes needed to win a seat.
Born in 1959 in Istanbul’s Uskudar quarter, Uras studied economics. He currently teaches in the Economics Faculty’s Political Science and International Relations Department at Istanbul University. He has written six books on political topics and is editor in chief of Iktisat magazine. He is running as an independent candidate for Istanbul’s first district that includes Uskudar and others on the Asian side of the city.
Asked why he entered the elections as an independent candidate, Uras responded by pointing to the threshold. “For years justice has not been served. For this reason millions of people who voted are not represented. Today all the parties in Parliament are defending this threshold. Now is the time to make this threshold inapplicable. However many independent candidates are chosen will be that much easier to render the threshold unusable.”
Uras has two expectations from the election. “My first expectation is that many independents will enter Parliament negating the 10 percent threshold. My second expectation is that many people who support democracy will have a seat in Parliament along side the independent candidates. Given this, some steps toward democratization can be taken in Turkey.”
Uras also told the Turkish Daily News that he believes that right now the election agenda is being influenced by the possibility of military intervention in northern Iraq and by the various press conferences and statements made by the General Staff, as if it too were a political party. Uras finds the military’s request to cover up what the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the National People’s Party (MHP) have been saying thought provoking, in the highest degree.
He does not believe though that the problem can be solved with a military coup and military intervention in northern Iraq, which would drag Turkey into difficult and dangerous waters. “For that reason whether an intervention into Iraq happens before or after the elections, it would be a mistaken step,” Uras said. “The clash has been going on for 23 years with military solutions and ways of thinking. It is important proof that the Kurdish problem can’t be solved this way. The problem is social, cultural and political. Its solution has to be found in these areas.”
Turkey and its problems
Uras believes that Turkey’s three biggest problems are unemployment, poverty and lack of democracy. Solving unemployment and poverty means primarily creating a difference in the basic preferences in the economy, in its budget. “In order to be able to create new areas of work, it is necessary to encourage local and foreign investors and public sector investments have to be increased as well to create jobs. Reducing the number of hours worked without reducing salaries would create new job opportunities. In the struggle against poverty, both precautions have to be taken like citizens’ income and tax reform and salary increases have to be provided.
“The most important problem for the Turkish economy is not increasing production and not evaluating resources justly and equally. The greatest obstacle facing democratization is the status quo and reactionary understanding. This understanding occurs vis-à-vis every step toward democratization. This subject requires a rooted democratizing initiative that includes universal democratic criteria and provides for greater participation of the people in the administration. Among the topics, which come at the head of these needs, comes changing all the laws that allow military trusteeship,” he said.
As for the presidential election, Uras predicts that this will go to a referendum following the last decision of the Constitutional Court. “The result of the referendum is more or less clear. The topic that is important is debating and reducing the powers of the president. It is essential that the Constitution that was prepared to suit the needs of the period of the military regime and that delineates the powers of the president be changed. The people must choose, but he must be a president whose powers are reduced. In a contrary situation, the parliamentary regime will be weaker. The reconciliation that earlier couldn’t be achieved must be realized and a result obtained this time without opening the way to a crisis.”
Political parties and gangs
Today Turkey’s political camps turn on an axis that Uras describes as mistaken. “On the one side, there are the forces of nationalism and status quo. These are making an effort to block every kind of advancing step toward democratization. On the other hand, there are those who apply new liberal policies. These also are left defenseless against all the negative effects of Turkey’s globalization. The creation of a side that supports equality and justice, democracy and labor rights against these two fronts has great importance.”
As for the policy that the Republican People’s Party (CHP) has followed in recent times, Uras has observed how the CHP’s administration has brought the party to being completely open and supportive of Turkishness and racist, nationalist theses.
“It is at a place that it is opposed to every kind of step and demand for democratization and so has come to be a party that has a place next to the nationalist side vis-à-vis the Kurdish problem. This situation is a big problem from the point of view of the social democratic voter. It has a party administration that is doing everything possible to affect a coalition with the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). Given this situation it has reached a point that it will not make the slightest contribution to Turkey’s democratization. The CHP-MHP coalition that the CHP administration is aiming for will bear a characteristic that will return Turkey once again to the days of the National Front. It is necessary that every voter who votes for the CHP be aware of this responsibility,” he said.
Recently gangs have appeared and what they represent seems quite murky. Asked about them, Uras said, “These gangs are called patriotic forces. They represent the most nationalistic status quo, dark wing of the deep state. In addition they are armed. The situation being that they are the elements of a dangerous and provocative atmosphere to the last degree. In order for the Justice and Development Party (AKP) to be able to eliminate them, all the forces that support democracy in Turkey have to go into action. One aspect of these gangs that draws attention is that many people in them are retired military personnel. These ties point to the depth of the subject. But what is most important is that the CHP has to take a stand against these gangs. What a pity that the CHP’s attitude today is benevolent and therefore dangerous to the last degree. With these attitudes, it contributes to the intellectual atmosphere and climate that nourishes the gangs. As for the AKP it lacks the political courage to get on top of these gangs.”
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Last edited by Trocisp; 08-19-2007 at 02:24 PM.
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