BY TUFAN TURENC
HURRIYET- I think that Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the only prime minister who could have seen the recent ugly event in Parliament as normal and claimed that the deputy who faced such attacks was guilty.
Such a stance has never seen in a parliamentary regime anywhere in the world.
A deputy stood before the full Parliament and criticizes the ruling party, prime minister and president. This is both right and the duty of a deputy. But some heroic lawmakers from the ruling party, in order to ingratiate themselves with their leader, tried to shut up him by swearing, insulting and then attacking him. If other deputies hadn`t interceded, he would have been badly beaten.
But Genc, a deputy from a poor province of Tunceli, was doing his job.
His constituents sent him to Parliament to follow and criticize the government and its policies and to promote their rights.
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If he had given the ruling party a pat on the back, and sat silently, the AKP deputies would have carried him on their shoulders. All his requests would have been met, and he would have feathered his nest without any trouble.
But then he couldn`t look at the faces of his electorate and visit his polling district, Tunceli.
What can you do? It`s difficult to live honorably in Turkey. There are bills to be paid. Kamer Genc is doing this as well. He is being saved by opposition Republican People`s Party (CHP) deputies.
I know, Genc is a sharp-spoken, hot-tempered person and his criticisms are harsh.
But if you`re the ruling party, and believe in the sacredness of the lectern in parliamentary regimes, you have to welcome all criticisms, even ones you don`t like.
You listen, and respond to them before Parliament.
This is a fixed rule of democracies, one which they always protect.
If you can`t bear the criticisms and attack people who oppose you, this means that you don`t care about democracy.
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Another issue is the premier`s comments on the matter. He said that his fellow deputies didn`t favor violence and then criticized Genc for his `harsh stance` and accused the Tunceli deputy of acting as a provocateur.
It is clear that Genc`s harsh criticisms touched the premier`s sore spot and make him angry.
Erdogan`s stance casts a shadow on Parliament`s honor and encourages AKP deputies to quash the opposition. This isn`t an acceptable stance in a parliamentary system.
Parliament is obliged to protect opposition lawmakers.
A ruling party lacking in tolerance will have difficulty during its rule.
Turkey can never be a peaceful country amid such high tension.