President Recep Tayyip Erdogan |
Just
a few days ago during our usual rituals of flipping through the pages of
newspapers, a nerve-jangling story on how Turkey was fast drifting towards a
full-blown dictatorship captured our attention once again. This time, it was
the European Union’s (EU) Parliament that was raising concerns over the
continued flagrant rights abuses and suppression of freedom in that important
country.
Like
many others, the rationale behind the Turkish government penchant to subject
its people to dictatorial rule was a major puzzle, not until it later became
clear to me that the ruling AK Party led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has always been possessed by an
incurable craving for autocratic rule. Hence, the July 15 failed coup
has become a smokescreen for President Erdogan to hit hard on dissent and
target perceived opponents, particularly innocent sympathisers of the United
State-based Turkish cleric, Fethullah Gulen, inspired Hizmet Movement.
This
has prompted the EU Parliament to raise alarm that Ankara’s crackdown has gone
far beyond the accepted level, and therefore voted in favour of a freeze of
membership talks with Turkey over its post-coup onslaught on the people. The
motion, approved by a big majority of the parliamentarians, is not only a
further blow to Erdogan quest to take Turkey into EU but is also a major dent
on his declining approval rating across the world.
Relations
between Turkey and the EU soured following the July 15 botched coup,
which Ankara government claims to have been organised by the US-based Gulen.
Over 240 people were killed and more than 2,100 others injured in the violence,
which the highly respected Gulen has strongly condemned and denied any involvement
in. Tens of thousands of people, including military personnel, judges,
teachers, right activists, journalists, among others, have been suspended,
dismissed or detained as part of the post-coup crackdown, thereby elongating
the Turkey’s line to join the EU.
Turkey
has been on the winding queue to join EU for decades. It formally applied to
become an EU member in 1987 and accession talks only began in 2005, even
though Ankara’s aspirations to become part of the bloc dates back to the
1960s. But the EU parliamentarians did not mince words when they said
“we strongly condemn the disproportionate repressive measures taken in Turkey
since the failed military coup attempt”.
Foreign
ministers from the European Union have also criticized Turkey over the large-scale
crackdown in the aftermath of the failed mid-July coup bid and warned against
the possible restoration of the death penalty. Turkey annulled capital
punishment in 2004 under reforms aimed at joining the EU. “Everybody
understands that if it goes on like this, Turkey will not become a member of
the EU. The death penalty is the absolute red line for the EU,”
the Finnish Foreign Minister, Timo
Soini, had said.
As
close observers of international politics, we had hope that Erdogan and his co-travelers
in ruling AK party would listen to the EU and other international bodies that
are calling for respect of the rights and freedom of the Turkish people, but
the Turkish government appears defiant as the crackdown on opposition and
perceived enemies, especially individuals with suspected link to Gulen
Movement, seem to now be an acceptable norm in that country.
What
would one say about the recent arrest of Turkey’s secularist Cumhuriyet
newspaper’s Editor-in-Chief, Murat
Sabuncu, and columnist, Guray Oz,
who were detained after police stormed their residence in an early morning
raid recently? How about the scores of schools, charity organisation, media
houses shut down by the Turkish government and the massive sack of judges,
civil servants, academics, among others without adherence to the basic tenets
of rule of law and fair hearing? How Turkey did plunged itself to this mess of
freedom suffocation, and what has really gone wrong to the once-admired
President Erdogan? While we keep pondering on these questions, we believe it is
not too late for the Turkish government to retrace its steps and embrace full
democratic norms.
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