August 2009

Court case against TKP have been dismissed by the Constitutional Court

The Constitutional Court decided to dismiss the case to dissolve the Communist Party of Turkey, initiated by the former chief public prosecutor Sabih Kanadoğlu. The case against was opened because TKP assumed to violate the law that forbids to found a party with the name “communist”. TKP, which adopted the name in its congress in 2001, had been giving a political and legal struggle against the closure bid.

The court stated its reason for this decision as the provision of taking legal action by the chief public prosecutor has been repealed and replaced by “the prevention of political parties to receive treasury assistance for not obeying the conditions set out in the warning issued”.

After court’s decision to dismiss the case chairman of TKP Erkan Baş, issued a statement on June 10, 2009 and called for the removal of the ban on the name “communist”.

In his statement, Baş emphasized the importance of the decision of the court to dismiss the case and said “this decision confirmed the unreasonable law that forbids a party to carry the name communist”.
Baş reminded that TKP is the yield of the united power of Turkish working class, the laboring people and revolutionary youth in their struggle against imperialism, reactionarism and hegemony of the market.

Baş said:“TKP takes its power from the honored past and just struggle.

Today, while Turkey has been brought into the verge of disaster by the reactionary political power in Turkey with the support of imperialism, the need of the country for the struggle of TKP is more evident than ever.

An initiative to end the political and legal existence of TKP could only be requested by money barons, reactionary groups and imperialists. The request of the laboring classes is the continuation of TKP’s existence, the expansion and strengthening of TKP’s fight against exploitation and imperialism.

TKP will definitely survive, grow and get stronger.”
He pointed out that the ban on communist party is the exposition of the endeavors of hegemonic powers for keeping laboring classes away from politics and surrendering the workers and youth to force them to live under the rule of the dictatorship of the capital.
In his statement Baş further emphasized that the decision of the court indicated the necessity to annul the ban on the word communist in the 96th article of the Political Parties Law.

Declaration of Freedom issued

The Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) issued a “Declaration of Freedom against Reactionarism and Fascism”. TKP emphasized the fact that in order for a society to be free, equality must be established among the human beings. With this Declaration of Freedom TKP assured that the communists and progressive forces would not let the Justice and Development Party government, the religionist-liberal wing and the imperialist centers to further dirty the concept of freedom more than this.
The declaration begins with saying that “today in Turkey there’s no freedom for millions of people. We absolutely want Turkey to be a free country.” Then it draws up the issue of freedom as a list of demands consisting of 10 articles under following topics: labor, believes, travel, equality of woman and man, the authorities of armed institutions, communication, education, youngsters, health and all the peoples.

TKP invites all party members and friends to distribute and discuss with the largest segments of the society the Declaration of Freedom whereby it announces that a struggle will be carried out in the same line with these demands.
You can read the full text of the declaration at http://int.tkp.org.tr/declaration-of-freedom-against-reactionism-and-fas...

TKP: “Towards the order of Imams in Turkey”

The Communist Party of Turkey Political Bureau issued a declaration regarding the recent decision taken by Higher Education Board, YÖK, to let graduates of Imam Hatip schools (religious high schools which are assumed to train player leaders called “imam”) to study at any department of universities. The board abolished the lower coefficient system which was applied to vocational schools and Imam-Hatip high schools at university entrance. Previously the coefficient was lower for vocational high schools and Imam-Hatip schools which were accepted as vocational schools so that these students would be encouraged to take university degree in the areas of their specialization.

The Islamist circles applauded the decision as an end to injustice imposed on graduates of vocational high schools. However, the decision was not taken for the benefit of the graduates of vocational schools but to allow graduates of Imam-Hatip high schools to study at whatever field they like. The graduates of these schools are seen and exploited as a “natural” supporting base of religious political groups, foremost AKP. TKP condemned this decision as part of the process of Islamization of Turkey and a step to build the rule of Imams in Turkey.

In the declaration, “Towards the order of imams”, TKP Political Bureau criticized the change in the coefficient for university entrance exam. In the declaration, it is emphasized that with the new decision, the graduates of Imam-Hatip high schools will be able to enter universities without any disadvantages. On the other hand TKP reminded that vocational high schools are the result of inequality in the society since the children of lower strata are recruited in these schools and trained as prospective low-paid workers. In this way these children are taken outside from an academic education. However, TKP warned that despite these inequalities the new decision has nothing to do with establishing justice for these children but taken to open the gates of universities for Imam-Hatip graduates.

The political bureau took attention to the following points:

“Imam-Hatip high schools are not vocational schools, they are tools to eliminate Turkish Republic.
Imam-Hatip high schools have been tools for the capitalist class to control the society since 1947. As the social inequalities widened, they have embraced this tool more. When the social revival was at its peak during the 1970s, the number of Imam-Hatip high schools exceeded 70 and these high schools started to accept girls although females can not practice as an “imam”. Today there are more than 90 thousand students being educated in about 600 Imam-Hatip high schools. Turkey does not need such an amount of imams and so many Imam-Hatip graduates.

Now we are facing a different stage. These high schools are not a control mechanism of the capitalist order anymore. This is a process where bourgeois power hands itself over to imams. We are drifting towards a country where the president, prime minister, ministers and governors are all imams.
This is closely related to the imperialist plan which aims to abolish the Turkish Republic. If you want to put a sovereign country into the melting pot of imperialism's free market region, can there be a better tool than surrendering the society's mind by imams?”
The political bureau ended its declaration by summoning all leftist and progressive forces to stand against handing over the country to the order of imams.

The 50th Anniversary of Cuban Revolution celebrated in Istanbul

Thousands of people gathered in Kadıköy Square to cheerfully celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Cuban revolution with the participation of the Chairman of the Communist Party of Turkey Erkan Baş, representative of the Communist Party of Cuba Enrique Román and the Ambassador of Cuba Ernesto Gomez Abascal. Music groups and famous artists contributed to the celebration with their melodies where people expressed faith and hope for the Cuban Revolution in the accompaniment of folk dances and songs.

“We really need to defeat the USA one more time, and then one more time again”

The Chairman of TKP Erkan Baş who took the floor in the meeting said “besides the indisputable gains of Cuba from the Cuban Revolution, the revolution has a great importance for all the peoples of the world, since the revolution proved that the USA imperialism is not undefeatable”. Baş stated that the imperialist USA has become diminutive vis-à-vis Cuba which has a population of only 11 million and emphasized that in Turkey TKP as well as the people of Turkey is keen on struggling against the USA.

“The greatest power against Imperialism is the people’s movement”

In his speech on behalf of Communist Party of Cuba Enrique Román expressed his gratefulness to the peoples of Turkey for their solidarity and friendship they have conveyed to the Cuban people in their happy and sorrowful days.

Román indicated that the insistent struggle of Cuban people set a good example for other Latin American people and said “today the people in Latin America have begun to take their self determination rights in their hands.” He also mentioned the intervention of imperialism in Honduras and shared his belief that it will be invalidated as it was in the case of Venezuela.

“Cuban 5 must be released immediately!”

Ambassador of Cuba Ernesto Gomez Abascal began his by speech saying that Cuban people have been carrying on their struggle for 56 years and the revolution meant equality and justice for them. Abascal stated that Cuban Revolution has provided free health services and right of education and also real freedom and equality to the people. Touching upon the fact that the embargo of 50 years cost too much, he once more reminded the determination of the Cuban people.

Abascal also mentioned the Cuban five, who were sent to prevent terrorist activities against Cuba upon an information received that terrorist activities were planned by the USA in Miami and have been kept as prisoners there for 11 years.

“The Cubans have more than enough reasons to be happy”

In his speech he made relying on the observations and experience he spent in Cuba as a student, Member of TKP Party Council Yiğit Günay has shared information on the opportunities Cuba offers to its people, especially to its university students, despite all its geographical constraints and all its poverty. He said “I don’t know whether the Cubans are happy or not, but it’s obvious that they have more than enough reasons to be happy.”

“Let the people sing songs in the 100th anniversary of the Revolution, cheerfully like this”

The artists participating in the meeting shared their opinions and feelings as follows:

İlkay Akkaya (musician): “Being here on the 50th anniversary of Cuban Revolution is so important for us. I wish on the 100th anniversary of the Revolution, we won’t be here, but it doesn’t matter, people will sing songs and celebrate the revolution cheerfully like this.”

Nejat Yavaşoğulları (musician): “On the 50th anniversary of Cuban Revolution we have found the opportunity of making music in this meeting. We think that Cuba is very important with the example it created, we send our love to Cuba. Once again, let’s repeat here: ‘El pueblo unido, jamás será vencido!’