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ORHAN KEMAL CENGİZ
o.cengiz@todayszaman.com |
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Do not interfere with Kemalists’ mourning
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| Metaphorically speaking, Turkey was at one time a kind of apartheid state, like South Africa. |
A handful of secular Turks
dominated the rest of society: devout Muslims, Kurds and others. Since
2002, when the current Justice and Development Party (AK Party)
government came to power, this regime has been disintegrating, and has
finally come to a point of total collapse. Just five or six years ago
there were things that merited intense debate in society, and these
things have now become ordinary facts of life in Turkey. One of them was
-- an unimaginable thing in any democratic society -- whether the
headscarved wives of the prime minister or the president could attend
official ceremonies. In the first years of AK Party rule, in fact, they
could not attend official ceremonies held in military buildings. There
were many occasions that state officials and politicians had to attend,
military-led official ceremonies, including almost all national days.
Our commanders used to invite our prime minister and president alone, to
eliminate the possibility of running into their headscarved wives.
Quite
recently, the AK party government managed to change the regulation
regarding commemorative ceremonies for national days and official
receptions. They are now held at the presidential palace, and
headscarved citizens are free to attend.
However, now something
has seemingly been turned upside-down. The other day I was walking in
the street and saw some youngsters distributing leaflets inviting people
to Oct. 29 celebrations. They were excited and emotional. It is quite
interesting to see Kemalists in the street seeking popular support.
Kemalists have long been in mourning for the loss of the old privileged
position that they held for a long time in Turkey. It seems to me that
they have been losing their hope that the military will somehow
“restore” that situation. This disappointment, I believe, is a good
thing for the future of Turkish democracy.
However, for the time
being, their feeling of being lost is great. I hope that over time they
will cease their mourning in a healthy way and try to compete with the
government through legitimate channels. As you know, if the mourning
process is not completed, it can lead to unhealthy reactions, such as
the seeking of revenge.
In this process, the government has some
duties and obligations. They should refrain from certain behaviors and
attitudes which give the other camp the feeling of being crushed and
sidelined.
After I saw these Kemalists demanding support for the
Oct. 29 celebrations, I realized that the Ankara governor has imposed a
ban on some celebrations planned to be held in particular locations.
Some Kemalist civil society organizations requested the governor allow
them to celebrate the day in front of the first Grand Assembly building
in Ankara -- a request that was denied. In the same vein, on some recent
commemoration days the police have prevented citizens from laying
flowers before statues of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, saying that flowers can
only be laid by officials.
These are not only anti-democratic
practices but also quite dangerous, as they may have the effect of
polarizing society. These kinds of anti-democratic, nonsensical
practices have the potential to interfere with the healthy mourning
process of the Kemalists.
Taking down the apartheid regime is of
course very important, since it clears the way for the majority to
govern. However, this alone cannot bring democracy, which guarantees
every single citizen the enjoyment of some basic rights, such as holding
peaceful demonstrations, freedom of expression and so on.
The
last thing we need in Turkey for democratization is to give the old
elites the impression that they cannot express themselves freely. Let
them complete their mourning process in a healthy way and return to
democratic competition. I urge the Ankara governor to reconsider the
anti-democratic ban he has imposed on some Oct. 29 celebrations
Catitan Sut:
Rakyat Turki puluhan tahun berada di bawah bayangan Kemalism, tentera sebagai tiang-tunggak yang terus-menerus menyokong tegaknya Kemalism dengan penuh setianya..
Begitu sukar untuk dirombak struktur naungan ini, ianya bukan sahaja berdiri secara fizikal di tengah-tengah kerangka kehidupan bernegara, bahkan ianya juga menghantui kehidupan peribadi rakyat. Bukan setakat perundangan yang diwujudkan, bahkan elemen-elemen budaya dan seni juga diperalatkan untuk mewujudkan bangsa Turki Baru.
Sejarah Turki yang gemilang dengan kekuatan yang pernah dimiliki oleh Uthmaniyyah digelapkan secara sistematik, Mustafa Kemal pula dinobatkan sebagai Bapa Turki Baru.
Begitupun, tumbuh juga cedingan baru. Cedingan yang datang dengan wajah demokrasi, wajah 'hak asasi manusia', wajah keadilan masyarakat, wajah keluhuran undang-undang. Cedingan yang dituduh sebagai suatu usaha untuk mengembalikan Turki ke zaman sebelum Mustafa Kemal.
Ianya tidak mengambil rupa luaran 'golongan agama' , walaupun inspirasinya datang dari situ. Janji para pemimpinnya bukan rethorik agama, tetapi janji kemakmuranuntuk rakyat dan keberkesanan pentadbiran.
Sokongan mereka bukan semata-mata datang dari golongan yang mahukan agama atau nostalgik dengan sejarah lama, bahkan datang dari mereka yang menyanjung nilai-nilai kemanusian dan civil-rights semasa. Golongan yang mahu tentera kembali ke kem mereka, berperanan untuk mempertahankan negara.
Begitupun ada golongan minoriti yang merindui Kemalism dan masih memuja Mustafa Kemal, walaupun mereka sedar yang jalan pulang ke arah itu sudah semakin mengecil.
Rakyat mana-mana negara sekalipun akan teragak-agak untuk menukar suasana , seburuk-buruk yang ada ini, masih kita kenal tetapi yang bakal mendatang kita langsung tidak punya pengalaman. Untuk mengalahkan 'tegal biasa' itu adalah suatu kerja pendakian yang memerlukan kesungguhan dan visi yang jelas.... |
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