While widespread protests have taken place in the Eurosian Republic of Turkey with an unprecedented number of people taking to the streets, it is important for the world not to confuse or compare it with any recent revolution in the Arab world, writes Mohammad Behzad Fatmi.
By Mohammad Behzad Fatmi for TwoCircles.net,
The clashes in Turkey broke out after police tried to forcefully push people out of Gezi Park sitting in defiance of government's plan to demolish the park and build a commercial complex and a mosque on it. The park is located in the central Istanbul area of Taksim Square. The plan to uproot trees in one of the green spaces in the area is a part of wider urban redevelopment projects initiated by the government which also include rebuilding an Ottoman era military barracks adjacent to it.
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Protesters shouting anti government slogans in front of policemen on June 11, 2013, in Taksim Square area in Turkey. People have been protesting for more than 14 days against the demolition of Gezi Park near Taksim Square.
Though in the initial days protest was peaceful and protestors had legitimate demand to protect the park in their locality but as soon as the police committed a mistake of trying to force people out of the park using tear gas and pepper spray, the demonstration took an ugly turn and escalated into clashes between police forces and demonstrators in different areas of Istanbul as well as some other Turkish cities.
The unnecessary excessive use of force by the police on peaceful protesters is undoubtedly unacceptable and should be a matter of concern for all the democratic societies but that does not in any way likens the healthy democracy of Turkey to the dictatorial regimes of Arab world which were toppled in recent past or are facing political turmoil.
A peaceful sit-in which has started with a demand of saving a park in the Taksim Square intensified into anti-government protests particularly targeting Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Now the protests are once again reflecting the country’s historical division between religious conservatives and secularists.
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An angry protester shouts at the policemen, telling them to leave from Taksim Square, June 11, 2013 in Taksim Square, Turkey.
One special feature of Turkish politics is the ideological difference of secularism and religious conservatism being at the center of political structure in the country.
An important point to be noted here is that the Prime Minister Erdogan is widely perceived as an Islamist leader and his Justice and Development Party (AK Party) overtly has its roots in political Islam. Ever since he came to power in 2002 he has been seen as a matter of concern by the ultra-nationalist secular groups or Kemalist groups (the self proclaiming followers of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk) because of his image as an Islamist leader.
The widespread violent protests which are causing injuries to many people, damage to public properties and billions of dollars of losses to the state is not anymore led by nature-loving-common-man of Taksim Square but has spiraled out in the hands of the opposition forces in the country which are taking the incident at Gezi Park as an opportunity to tarnish the image of Erdogan’s government and if possible take his democratically elected government down.
Turkey has always had a turbulent state of democracy which has witnessed four military coups (1960, 1971, 1980 and 1997) as the country’s military considers itself guardian of the state and above political parties. They consider themselves the protector of secularism in the country and therefore whenever according to them a government deviates from the course of their stated secularism, they tend to act against it. In fact even if the government is freely and fairly elected for a third term to power (Erdogan’s government) in compliance with the internationally accepted democratic norms; the conspiracies of the military are still on.
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Police firing tear gas canisters at the protesters to disperse them and evacuate the area, June 11, 2013 at Taksim Square in Turkey.
Just a few months back some confidential official documents were realized from the office of General Staff, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) revealing plans to defame and discredit the government of the AK Party. The documents clearly indicate plans of the pro-coup faction nested within the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) to lay ground for facilitating another coup d'état in the country because they consider this government to be inclined towards religion.
Besides, the famous Ergenekon trials also revealed high profile conspiracy against the government of AK Party. Ergenekon is a clandestine network aimed at overthrowing the government by fomenting chaos in the country. The network includes members from the Turkish military and security forces as well as known faces from the fields of journalism and politics. Ergenekon trials are likely to conclude in a few months.
In a similar fashion another plot against the government dubbed as Sledgehammer came to light in 2010 though reportedly dates back to 2003. It included plans to bomb two Istanbul mosques and accuse Greece of shooting down a Turkish plane over the Aegean Sea. Again the purpose was to mobilize people against the government and spark violence which could justify a coup d'état.
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A volunteer helping a protester, who is having problems to breathe due to the tear gas fired by the police, June 11, 2013, in Taksim Square, Turkey.
However, the government of Erdogan has not only defied all these challenges but has also strengthened the Turkish beleaguered democracy by providing long term political stability. The Turkish democracy which was earlier plagued by number of military coups and consistent threats of military intervention has now been emboldened. The long pending Turkey’s European Union accession talks started during his tenure. The economy has grown even faster than the biggest economies in the EU. The government has negotiated and convinced the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to withdraw from its soil (however, the militants have not fully retreated yet). The hostility among Turks and minority ethnic population of Kurds has subsided.
In view of the above mentioned conspiracies and considering sudden escalation of a park demonstration into violent anti-government protests, large and active involvement of opposition forces including political opponents and radical ultra nationalist groups is easily predictable.
Albeit, Erdogan’s government definitely committed a mistake by ordering its police forces to crackdown on peaceful protestors and the Turkish citizens might have many more matters of contention with his government but he still is the biggest and most liked political figure in the country. He still draws support from millions of people from all walks of life.
And to reiterate, he and his government is freely and fairly elected for a third term to power in compliance with the internationally accepted democratic norms. Therefore, comparing protests in Turkey to the uprisings in Arab world against the totalitarian dictatorial regimes will be unjust and a naive perception.
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(Fatmi is an Indian journalist working in Turkey.)
(Photos & captions: Nasir Lone)