Postwar Turkey

2) I believe that in a world horrified by the war, people need to see more than ever that Islam and democracy are not incompatible. Turkey is the only country which can prove that a Muslim country can successfully synthesize democracy and Islam.

3) After last November’s general elections, the AKP was given the opportunity to establish a new and more rational system in this country. It has to use this chance and not disappoint its supporters at the ballot box.

However, as far as I can tell, things aren’t going well right now. Here are some evaluations and suggestions:

1) The AKP seems to have lost control over not only the party bureaucracy, but also its own members. Such a spectacle gives people the impression that the government isn’t up to the task of managing political affairs. This situation should be addressed immediately to show the world that everything is under control.

2) Turkey’s foreign policy is in an apparent state of collapse. In order to revive it:

a) Turkey should assume a new role in the Middle East. Meanwhile, cooperation with Syria and Iran should not be considered any sort of option. Our country should be an intermediary between the Middle East and the Western World and help Middle Eastern countries establish better relations with the rest of the world.

b) Turkey should strive to find a permanent solution to the Cyprus problem in accordance with Annan’s plan. The AKP government should see that Denktas’s policies have failed to help Turkey and even his own Turkish Cypriots. Denktas is now nothing but a roadblock standing in Turkey’s way.

c) Let’s admit that a Turkey which fails to resolve its Aegean problems with Greece will never be considered a true member of the Western world. If we can’t do it, the International Court of Justice will be the next in line to solve these problems.

3) Since the IMF recently divided the total loan sum to be delivered to Turkey into smaller installments, the world now knows that there is a crisis of confidence between our government and the Fund. The AKP must take new confidence-building measures to alter this impression.

4) The AKP is pursuing a mistaken policy favoring its cronies in recent appointments at several ministries, in total disregard for the criterion of competence. This is a dangerous development indeed. The AKP should establish a more meritocratic political system, and officials should be selected by taking into consideration not personal connections but rather domestic balance and international standing.

5)Management of the economy should be centralized. Employer and employee organizations should act as consultative bodies.

In brief, after the war is ended, Turkey too needs to be reconstructed!

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