MILLIYET- Columnist Taha Akyol comments on Turkey’s new government and the Justice and Development Party (AKP). A summary of his column is as follows:
The new Cabinet headed by Abdullah Gul reflects well the AKP’s makeup. There are certain members who have their roots in the ideological tradition called ‘Milli Gorus’ (National View) represented by the AKP’s predecessors such as the Welfare Party (RP) and the Felicity Party (FP), both of which were closed down for their strong Islamist stance. There are also several ministers who used to occupy high positions in the Motherland Party (ANAP), a coalition member of the previous government which –- like its two partners -- failed to break the 10% threshold in Turkey’s Nov. 3 general elections. There are also skilled economic technicians. All in all, the new government is both a pragmatic and reformist conservative one. I don’t find the presence of figures linked to the above-mentioned ideological tradition to be awry. On the contrary, I believe that those people, too, have now come to realize how precious democracy is, especially in the wake of all the setbacks Turkey has faced over the past decade.
Prime Minister Abdullah Gul is, in the words of his predecessor Bulent Ecevit, a truly successful and experienced statesman. Moreover, two of the deputy prime ministers, Ali Sahin and Ertugrul Yalcinbayir, are bona fide democrats who have had long careers in law. They will have seats on the National Security Council (MGK). A statement by new Justice Minister Cemil Cicek was also very promising: ‘I will confer with the former minister. I will especially pay special attention to the counsel of Prof. Hikmet Sami Turk, another predecessor at my post.” Erkan Mumcu, the new education minister, can introduce a fresh outlook to this controversial position. There are young, brand new figures present in the Cabinet, too. I hope this development will contribute to making a new political structure and democracy for Turkey.
The AKP, as a party of economically and politically underprivileged people, will of course be much more sensitive about social welfare and democracy issues. The most important thing is that the harmony between Prime Minister Gul and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdogan should be preserved.
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION