BY FIKRET BILA
MILLIYET- Opposition Democratic Left Party (DSP) leader Zeki Sezer is working to halt efforts to end the headscarf ban at universities. Yesterday he met separately with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli and Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan. Sezer's initiative aims to postpone the constitutional and legal changes involved at least until tensions cool down, as they have already caused fights and polarization.
The meeting between Bahceli and Sezer signals that Erdogan also expects support from the DSP. After listening to Sezer's requests to halt the process, Erdogan said that they wouldn't stop the process for a constitutional amendment but that they could work together on Article 17 of the Board of Higher Education (YOK) Law. Speaking to me yesterday, Sezer said that Erdogan indicated the process would continue for the constitutional articles but that changes to Article 17 might be postponed. "He told me that if the DSP has a suggestion on the issue, we can work on Article 17,' said Sezer. `But we think it would be useful for the process to halt completely.'
Sezer summed up the reasons for his requests like so: `As I told Erdogan, there has been already a contentious, divisive atmosphere. There are debates, conflict and tension between women and women, men and women, and academics and academics. This is happening in the general public as well. Competing demonstrations are taking place. The healthy way to start to dispel these problems is to halt the process. After things calm down, a broad-based search for a consensus can be started with the participation of all the parties and non-governmental organizations. We don't believe making such an issue the subject of a constitutional amendment and a law is proper. This problem can be solved through the public's common sense and consensus, without the need for such arrangements.'
The meeting did nothing to halt the process. But Sezer said that he understood Bahceli's concerns and that the MHP explained its stance. `Bahceli welcomed us very warmly,' said Sezer. `He listened to our suggestions and explained his party's stance and its reasons in detail. He said that they wanted to prevent the use of this issue as a political weapon and that they supported the change towards this end. In addition, although not openly, he reiterated that they were against allowing headscarves in secondary education and the public sphere. He signaled that if there's a pressure to spread the places where headscarves are allowed, they would definitely oppose it.'
Despite Sezer's good faith initiative, the process hasn't stopped yet. Erdogan and Bahceli's remarks show this. But it's already clear that the process will be very painful. The Constitutional Court will rule on the issue legally. It's also very likely that the issue will be brought to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). It seems unlikely that the two courts will rule against precedent.