A Few Good Signs

HURRIYET- Columnist Oktay Eksi comments on recent “positive signs” given by the Justice and Development Party (AKP). A summary of his column is as follows:
For a few days, spokesmen for the Justice and Development Party (AKP) were overly enthusiastic about the results of their election victory. AKP leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan was feeling so keen that a couple of times he put his foot in his mouth on certain international issues, including Cyprus. But this is normal, because they deserved this enthusiasm. However, at this point, some people have confused their own dreams with the party’s policies. Or so it seems to me. However, this isn’t so important either. What’s more important is that the AKP has its supporters on a tight leash and that its victory enthusiasm didn’t disturb anybody. I remember seeing supporters of the Democrat Party, which won victories in 1950 and ‘54, playing drums and horns in front of Republican People’s Party (CHP) buildings. But now I must say it’s significant that Erdogan urged the AKP supporters to hold back their cheers when the election results were announced. We hope Erdogan will continue to control his nerves. Another sign is that Erdogan told the AKP deputies, who have come to Ankara after their victory, ‘Don’t live in the Parliament’s public housing. We will sell these residences and instead give you a rental allowance.’ Erdogan’s attitude is correct. We were glad that he made such a decision, for a special reason: the above-mentioned public housing was built in 1983-87, when Necmettin Karaduman was Parliament speaker. During both that time and later, I wrote that it was wrong to build public housing for deputies. ‘It would be right to allocate such public housings to governors, to public servants living in poor regions and to lecturers,’ I said. ‘The others should be given rental allowances.’ But nobody listened. Since 90% of the parliamentarians failed to win reelection in last week’s polls, we should think about how much this public housing served to buttress and spread the public impression that politicians have no idea what things are really like in Turkey. For someone who fails to engage the nation in dialogue can’t possibly understand their problems and so can’t seek solutions and earn the nation’s respect. However, we don’t know what the CHP will think about Erdogan’s attitude, which I judge to be correct. Actually its reaction won’t change the result, but it might create unnecessary tension.

SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION