Clearly the AKP will win, but by how much?
Thursday, July 12, 2007
M. Ali Birand

The direction and the manner of discussions over the elections have been changing.

Up until a while back, whether the July 22 rendezvous would take place or not was being discussed. There were talks about an event taking place, and the elections being cancelled as a result. We left that probability behind. The Justice and Development Party (AKP) caution played a major role in the road leading to the current point. It did not become tough, it was patient, and did not get angry.

Everyone got involved in politics after the April 27 declaration of the general staff. There was a bloody settling of scores.

Now, we are in the final week.

There were no road accidents, and if there are no other accidents in these last couple of days, the elections will be held. The AKP benefited from the April 27 declaration, and the barring of Abdullah Gül from becoming the president following the declaration. It was clear that the declaration would benefit the AKP but it was not estimated that it would be to such a great extent. Even though a campaign was launched against the AKP, it did not yield the desired result.

The latest data shows that the vote rate for this party has exceeded 40 percent.

The winner of the elections is clear: The AKP

However, what is being discussed and not yet clear is how many deputies the AKP will yield in the elections. Everything depends on this number. For example, this number will define to what extent the reforms needed for Turkey's accession to the European Union will be realized.

Another issue being discussed is what other parties will enter the Parliament and with what number of deputies. The newest and yet the most taken-for-granted element of the elections is that the DTP will yield between 30 and 35 deputies. No one doubts that.

The Republican People's Party's (CHP) ascension continues.

The situation of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) is the most critical issue. This party has surpassed the threshold but it is not known by how much. Every point that the MHP wins over is against the AKP's interests. Because of this, the MHP is the most closely observed party. Even a CHP-MHP coalition is viewed as a probability.

The Democrat Party (DP) is cited within these calculations. But its rates are not yet clear. DP's entrance into the Parliament is regarded important as it manifests itself as a party that would support the AKP in case of a political crisis.

To summarize, the picture has manifested itself but the details will have to wait until the evening of July 22.

It is not befitting to do politics with an executioner's rope

The MHP scares many of us.

Its leader, Devlet Bahceli, employs such a harsh and exaggerated language in meeting squares that I cannot believe he sincerely believes some of these views. Actually, I would not like to believe.

Founding its election strategy on executions and showing them as a part of justice, for a great party like the MHP, is a descend for Turkey.

However, I, like many others, have expected the MHP leader to battle the gangs primarily. Such an approach would be the biggest manifestation of his efforts to pull his party to the center. But Bahceli speaks only of the executioner's rope, and can call on Ocalan's execution in meeting squares by throwing this rope into the square.

Turkey should have left all of these behind. The fact that the MHP's rhetoric gets harsher as it gets closer to the Parliament causes concerns.

VOCABULARY

direction: yön
manner: tarz
election: seçim
rendezvous: buluş, buluşma yeri, randevu
probability: ihtimal
tough: sert, güçlü, sağlam, dayanaklı
declaration: deklarasyon, muhtıra
benefit: yararlanmak
estimate: tahmin etmek
launch: başlatmak
exceed: aşmak
deputy: milletvekili
yield: ürün vermek, yerini almak, almak
ascension: yükseliş
manifest: göstermek
exaggerate: abartmak
execution: idam, ölüm cezası, infaz

This article has been brought from Turkish Daily News so as to teach vocabulary. (http://www.turkishdailynews.com)

Son düzenleme tarihi: 20-07-2007 03:57 AM. Düzenleyen: FoX.

Friday, July 13, 2007
M. Ali Birand

The same views come up in the articles of some columnists and in friendly discussions:

“I am sick and tired of politics. The TV channels are all full of it. Who would watch them? And these politicians make me so angry. They are full of hypocrisy and lies…”

And I get mad at such a shallow approach…

It is an approach suggesting that if we abolish democracy, we will live more peacefully under the rule of a dictator or a fascist government.

It is a stance suggesting that if we ban making politics or politicians all together, we will be more comfortable. Of course, not all of our politicians are gems. There are hypocrites and liars among them. However, politicians are a part of the irreplaceable system of democracy. There can be no democracy without them.

Let's punish those politicians that act hypocritically or lie. Let's force them to act rightfully. But let's not waste our ethical, hard-working and serious deputies. Let's not mix up the good and the bad. Let's not make a generalization such as "They are all liars." Let's keep in mind that when done correctly, being a politician is a difficult job. Embrace thousands of people, listen to their troubles and then participate in the Parliament's work. Prepare laws, follow the leader and deal with the problems of the eligible voters. Those that criticize from afar are not aware of this angle of the politician's job.

Likewise, do not underestimate television news stations, such as CNN Türk, Sky Türk and NTV. They work under difficult conditions. They bring the candidates to your homes. While you relax at the seaside, those young journalists work in the summer heat and contribute to our democracy.

Instead of thanking them, we criticize these people. It is a shame.

Politicians should know their limits

I believe that, just as there are "good" and "bad" people at any job, the same goes for politicians. Just as there are invaluable people among politicians, there are also those that aim to use their status to fill their pockets or turn it into a show of political muscle.

We might come across them in newspaper. A deputy gets caught drunk-driving and reprimands the police officer with: "Do you know who I am?" The reaction that he creates in the general public and the damage he causes to politics is very big.

Then there are those that use their position as a deputy to fill their pockets. The whole political world gets hurt by these people.

A politician needs to be closer to his or her people more than anyone else. He or she needs to win over their sympathy and trust. But then we see that they snap at the people: some because of their quick temper, some because they see themselves as “the most valuable being God has bestowed upon this country.” The latest case-in-point was Parliament Spokesman Bülent Arınç, who surprised everyone with his behavior.

Generally, Arınç is a very gentle person. But whatever has enticed him has caused him to talk rudely. He reprimanded every person that complained to him.

Arınç has erred.

These complainants can be Republican People's Party (CHP) supporters. They may have been brought forward just to cause enticement. Still, the language employed by the parliament spokesman is wrong. He has set a bad example. We should not be surprised if politicians that see his example perceive courtesy and politics as such.

We all know how hard it is to be a politician. The endless demands of people, their habit of asking for more than they are offered and the insufficient work conditions make this job even harder.

The truth is, we do not encourage our politicians. We do not provide them with the financial means that is needed for them to provide a better service. On the contrary, we all have our eyes on the money they receive. We do not question their productivity, but pay more attention to what they get paid.

Once again, our politicians are the foundation of our democracy. If we do not want democracy, then we can go ahead and rebuke our politicians harshly.

And our politicians should take seriously the responsibility that their jobs require. They should know that robbing, regarding others contemptuously and producing nothing but words are not befitting of their job.

Let's keep in mind that we have no other option but democracy.


VOCABULARY

columnist: a journalist who writes editorials. (köşe yazarı)
hypocrisy: ikiyüzlülük, riyakarlık
approach: yaklaşım, tutum
abolish: yürürlükten kaldırmak, iptal etmek, durdurmak, bozmak
fascist: faşist, ırkçı
stance: tutum, duruş
hypocrite: ikiyüzlü, riyakar
irreplaceable: yenisi tedarik edilemez, yeri doldurulamaz, eşsiz
hypocritically: (zarf) iki yüzlü bir şekilde
courtesy: nezaket, hürmet, saygı, umumun rızası
deputy: vekil, milletvekili
eligible: seçkin, seçilebilir, seçilmeye uygun
candidate: aday
sympathy: karşısındaki ile aynı şeyi hissetme, sempati, anlayışlılık
entice: baştan çıkartmak, ayartmak
enticement: baştan çıkarma
productivity: verimlilik, faydalılık
befit: uygun olmak
reprimand: tekdir etmek, azarlamak
err: hata etmek, yanılmak
rebuke: azarlamak
contemptuously: (zarf) küçümser bir şekilde, hor görerek

This article has been brought from Turkish Daily News so as to teach vocabulary. (http://www.turkishdailynews.com)

Son düzenleme tarihi: 13-07-2007 06:44 PM. Düzenleyen: FoX.