BY MURAT YETKIN
RADIKAL- Today President Abdullah Gul will give his first reception at the Presidential Palace. This reception is for officials and politicians. The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) announced that it wouldn't attend. CHP officials said that the party wouldn't have anything to do with Gul, except for on security issues. The approach of the Democratic Left Party (DSP) isn't yet clear. The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) - brushing off CHP criticisms and pursuing its own course, which it calls legitimate - will be there. The Democratic Society Party (DTP), after its disappointment at not being invited to the recent General Staff reception, is enjoying being invited to this prestigious event.
The stance of the General Staff is being closely watched, as usual. The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) has made clear it isn't happy with Gul's election. When Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit and other military officials sent out invitations leaving off the names of leaders' wives, this caused a stir.
Some prefer to discuss the issue on the basis of potent symbols such as headscarves or the army's principles. But there is another dimension, namely showing respect to the president, not only to the post, but also to him personally. Out post of president is a most powerful symbol.
Buyukanit and the force commanders won't be at the reception. According to some sources, a general will represent the General Staff at the reception. One important detail is that attendance at the reception is not mandatory, leaving aside the tradition of not turning down presidential invitations. According to an analyst I spoke with yesterday, the General Staff sending a representative could be seen as a quasi-apology, saying in effect that the General Staff wasn't protesting the reception. Although the General Staff isn't pleased with the situation, it still respects the president and the office.
Yesterday I had the opportunity to meet with new Culture and Tourism Minister Ertugrul Gunay. My first impression is that Gunay has settled in with both his party and ministry and has hit the ground running with a goal in mind already. He has set his policy as culture-based tourism. He believes that Turkey should also open up its history and geography to visitors, along with its geography and sun. He stated that he was impressed by some of the projects of former Culture and Tourism Minister Atilla Koc and would like to continue these. Protecting the Istanbul peninsula is one such project.
I often get mail from unemployed teachers. About 180,000 teachers and education school graduates want the government to provide them with jobs. They want to work and educate people for the future. But this isn't as easy as it seems, because there are more teachers than are needed right now.