TURKIYE- Columnist Yilmaz Oztuna writes on the adverse effects of the illness of the prime minister. A summary of his column is as follows:
The prime minister’s illness carries a great danger, namely the settling in of a lassitude in our EU admittance bid. Time is of the essence. Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz, who is responsible for the issue, should not let his interparty problems stand in the way of his fulfilling his duties. If Turkey is accused of not doing its homework to catch up with modern Europe at the Copenhagen summit at the end of the year, there will be a far greater chaos in domestic politics. Falling ill is most natural and it can happen to anyone. It is not proper to criticize a prime minister simply because he falls ill. However, national interests take priority above all. The prime minister and his wife should not be the focus of attention. The claims that Mrs. Ecevit is the one who really holds the reins in her hands is absurd. It cannot be accepted. A new government will be formed if the prime minister resigns. It may take weeks to form a government. If the prime minister appoints a caretaker (and it could be none other than Bahceli), only some time will be gained. In fact, as it is a coalition government, it is difficult even to appoint an acting prime minister. The calm of both Mr. Bahceli and Mr. Ecevit should be appreciated, as even a small negative action will upset the balances. Certainly, solutions are limitless in democracies. We shall overcome this political crisis as well. It seems that Ecevit era is coming to an end, and everyone should base his or her own calculations by taking this into consideration. We must be against every stance which will hurt our fragile democracy.
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION