May 2009
Editorial
The Meaning of the Revision in the Cabinet
The Communist Party of Turkey evaluated the cabinet revision, which took place at the beginning of May and pointed out the more pro-American and reactionary character of the new Justice and Development Party (AKP) cabinet.
The cabinet revision that was expected since the last local elections on March 29 has finally taken place. The estimations shared with the public and the thesis put forward before the cabinet revision must now once again be thought over, evaluated and the picture coming out together with the cabinet revision must clearly be set forth.
Subsequent to March 29 local elections, several groups attempted to explicate the loss of votes of AKP with “optimistic” comments. While it was claimed that AKP had entered into a recession period and that the election results marked the beginning of this recession period, it was also considered that AKP would display a more “harmonious” government practice. Such kind of speculations supposing that the power of being in the government alone could be reigned came to nothing together with the cabinet revision.
AKP has of course evaluated the results of the local elections. However, the election results did not weaken or demote the mission of the AKP government; on the contrary, it had a more inciting impact to fulfill its mission. In general, the imperialist siege and the international role tailored for Turkey came to mean a more rightist country and more dependence on imperialism. Contrary to the expectations about a softer and more reconciliatory AKP, it did not want to lose time to fulfill the requirements of the mentioned mission. Topics such as the amendment of the constitution, initiation of a new wave in Ergenekon Operation, cooperation with Armenia as a part of the imperialist plan in Caucasus etc. all indicate to the fact that AKP government does not miss anything in its mission. In the eyes of AKP, the country has been shifting to the right even more and it has received a vote of confidence from the imperialist countries as marked by the visit of the U.S. President Barack Obama to Turkey. The cabinet revision that took place must be read from this point as well.
Many people justified the revisions made by the AKP government by reasons such as “appealing to the grassroots of the party” and “to stop the rise of the Felicity Party”. Although this approach corresponds to certain facts, it would be inaccurate to evaluate the cabinet revision as an eyewash campaign in the narrow sense.
We can talk about three interrelated factors determining the direction of the cabinet revision that was kept in the agenda for a long time.
The first is the election results. AKP has faced a remarkable recession in the elections, but despite the crisis, it retains a voting rate that might still be deemed exceptional regarding the politics in Turkey. Additionally, it should be taken note that the main part of the votes AKP lost was shared amongst rightist parties. If we can comfortably say that the source of the rise in the votes of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), the Grand Union Party (BBP) and the Felicity Party (SP) was AKP, we must also frankly admit that the right makes its weight felt in Turkey. Therefore, despite the fact that AKP’s need to gain sympathy of “the left public opinion” continues, in relation with the society in Turkey, the outcome of March 29 elections marked the extreme rightist political line. Furthermore, the elections have proved that the weight of the religious community organizations have intensified in many regions.
The second factor, which affected the direction pursued by the cabinet revision, is the visit of Obama. Whatever the color attributed to this visit by the Kemalist circles and by some sections of bourgeois media might be, the President of the United States has re-sanctified (with some revisions) the line of “moderate Islam” in Ankara and Istanbul. A message which can be summarized as “keep on going in the same direction” was delivered and the government was further encouraged. Advent of perhaps the most preposterous wave of Ergenekon Operation right after Obama’s visit is sufficiently doubt casting.
Finally, concerning the displeasures arising in the society due to the crisis, AKP does not have any means other than the vast organization constituting the social grassroots of this party, i.e. the religion and the police threat in its hands.
The revision in the cabinet will place AKP at a more pro-American and more reactionary orbit. It is obvious that a government which pushes a tough transformation forward within the country and has considerably disabled “the other” side could in no way get its power from elsewhere.
Referring to the cabinet change in its symbolic names, Ahmet Davutoğlu (the new minister of foreign affairs) heralds a more pro-American stance, while Bülent Arınç (the new minister of state), a more religionist AKP!
Post-election statement of TKP
The local election on March 29 manifested that AKP government and its mentality could be defeated. In this respect the elections has opened a new page in the near future of Turkey.
The growth trend of the AKP ongoing since 2002 has stopped. It is now obvious what the next steps of this government will be. One can not expect anything from AKP government other than fortifying Turkey’s dependence on imperialism, laying the burden of the crisis on the shoulders of the working classes, deepening the anti-labor policies, attacking all sorts of opposition and increasing the pressure on them.
There appeared an opportunity to force AKP to move back and overthrow the AKP government, which has brought the country to the brink of disaster. Indisputably, the left in general and TKP in particular have had a special role in the struggle against AKP government. However, the local elections in this regard did hardly present new facts that would pave the way for the strengthening of the left and TKP.
TKP attaches great importance to the picture emerged after the elections in terms of the new opportunities for hindering AKP, which represents dependency, reactionism and hostility to the labor. At the same time TKP sees it as a great trap that these opportunities are turning into new advantages for the opposition parties of the system such as the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). The coming of these bourgeois parties to the prominence does not change the approaching disaster of Turkey. Lay aside the fascist MHP, the rising votes of CHP cannot be interpreted as a light of hope. On the other hand, the Democratic Society Party (DTP), which succeeded to hold on against the strengthening AKP previously in eastern and southeastern regions of Turkey, is paying almost no importance to political tenets. DTP follows a political line indexed to identity politics and constantly leaves the poor Kurdish working people unattended.
The upcoming days will bring vital duties to accelerate the struggle against AKP and to frustrate the traps set against our people.
In the elections TKP could not manage to come to forward as the address of the “Stop AKP!” call, and shall be considered unsuccessful in terms of the votes it received.
This result increases the responsibility of TKP in impeding the AKP government and developing effective precautions to the aforementioned traps.
TKP has to raise the struggle against AKP and those parties who share the same reactionary, anti-labor and submissive policies with AKP government. TKP has to create a powerful and widespread organization of the people. TKP clearly sees that it is not possible to carry the fight for socialism to a further position with the popular scale revealed in the elections. In this regard, it has become more obvious that it is vital for the Party to achieve, not marginal changes, but a serious growth in its social scale in the short run.
TKP comprehends the fact that in order to carry out such a task the party has to make radical changes and adjustments within its body. TKP will plan its political practice to enlighten wide masses and to multiply its organizational power very soon.
Our party shall not fall into the error of attributing the shrinkage of the left proved in March 29 elections only to the objective conditions of the country.
Our target is a more powerful TKP.
Basic figures from the election results
1. Total votes of TKP in the elections:
2002: 59515 Rate %: 0.19
2004: 85188 Rate %: 0.26
2007: 80092 Rate %: 0.23
2009 (March 29): 87111
2. Number of the cities and districts with voting rates above %1 in the 2009 election: 16
3. Number of the cities with voting rates above %5 in the 2009 election: 1 (Tunceli)
Obama met with protests
The visit of the U.S. President Barack Obama to Turkey was protested at demonstrations held in Istanbul and Ankara.
In Istanbul TKP launched a rally from Beyoğlu County Organization and carried a banner reading “Obama, take Tayyip with you and go”. The crowd shouted the slogans, “This country belongs to us, down with imperialism”, “Join the ranks against Obama”, “Fethullah is free of charge to those who buy Tayyip” and “Yankee go home”.
The protestors arrived at Taksim Trolley Station where a press statement was made. At the statement, Erkan Baş, the Chairman of TKP, reminded that all bourgeois forces, foremost the government, made their best to present the arrival of Barack Obama to Ankara yesterday as a “feast and a gospel of salvation”. Baş said: “None of the problems of our country can be solved through the intervention or the manipulation of imperialism. Only our people can solve the problems of our country, including those caused by imperialism itself. Whoever says ‘I am going to solve your problems’ to the people of Turkey is lying.”
“Yankee go home” slogans in Ankara
Obama’s arrival to Ankara was protested at Kızılay in Ankara. Political parties, trade unions and mass organizations gathered at Sakarya Square to say “Yankee go home” to Obama, who spent his first day of visit in Ankara.
The protestors carried banners such as “Obama get out” and “Intruder Obama, take Tayyip with you and go”. Afterwards, a press statement written by the organizations participating was read. The statement expressed that the purpose of Obama’s visit right after G-20 and NATO summits is to impose the new roles specified for Turkey and to lay additional burdens upon the people of Turkey.
Statement of Politburo of TKP on Obama’s visit
The US President Barack Obama visited Turkey at the beginning of April and met with government officials and opposition leaders. TKP protested Obama and the politburo of the party shared the statement below with the public and fraternal leftist forces. The statement emphasized that it is the duty of TKP to deflate the Obama bubble.
“Obama is not someone elected as a result of the decline of imperialism in the United States. Obama is the precaution taken by imperialism.
A change in the fundamental orientations of imperialist monopolies, which afflict not only the toiling masses of the world, but also the peoples of their own countries, is out of question. For this is not possible...
The U.S. imperialism has to assert political dominance over regions rich in energy resources, carry on the petrodollar hegemony that it has been utilizing for generating unfair financial resources, and exploit the workers of dependent countries and its own country further.
An aspect of the problem for the US is that she has met with severe reactions in her actions to this end and threats against her imperialist hegemony.
USA, the political superstructure of international monopolies of US origin, has to counteract both the factors threatening her dominance and hegemony, and to deepen the same dominance and hegemony in an agonizing way. The presence of Obama serves to these ends.
By no means has Obama administration implied a moderation in the policies of the US:
a. The bailout of the rich with crisis measures within the country is the summary of Obama administration. The bailout of huge monopolies is set as a goal for American laborers, who suffer from devastating unemployment and poverty. Obama does not take into account at all the demands of the poor, who certainly played a great part in his coming to the office, such as “let the rich pay the price of the crisis” or “predicate the crisis measures on the bailout of the poor, not the rich”.
b. The essence of Obama administration’s policies is to engage other international forces more to her global gendarmerie activities, and to suppress the rivals who hinder or trouble these. While Obama is maneuvering to achieve a temporary relaxation on issues such as Iraq, Iran and Palestine, where the US aggression has met with great resistance, he will become as violent as Bush on other issues such as Afghanistan as he confides in the fact that public opinion has been sufficiently falsified.
c. In essence, the United States has no option of “détente” or “departing from violent capitalism”. It is not surprising that Obama has been channeling all wealth to the rich despite the expectations of pursuing “social policies”. It is not a surprise that Obama has set issues such as NATO and the Afghan War as his top priority despite the expectations of pursuing policies for “building peace on earth”. It is Obama’s choice not to touch the torturers of Bush administration in the CIA or the Department of Foreign Affairs, despite the naïve expectations that he would “take issue with the Bush era”.
Implications for Turkey
The facts we observe in relation to the question “what are the implications of all these for Turkey?” are striking:
a. With the initiatives that make Turkey “contempt”, Obama, in fact, assures the interests of American imperialism. It is possible to think that the new tasks to be charged on Turkey imply that “we are an important country since such important roles are bestowed on us”. However, contraction of Turkey through these tasks and roles is inevitable.
b. The solution proposed by Obama to Turkey on the Kurdish problem once again supports a hypocritical aggression against the Kurds in Turkey while taking Barzani under Turkey’s wings.
c. The so-called support provided by Obama on the issue of European Union has no other purpose than constraining Germany with Turkey, while reinforcing the position of our workers as the cheap labor force of Europe.
d. The roles bestowed on Turkey as a regional power imply nothing but deceiving the Arabs, governing the Africans and killing the Afghans. These will both wear out our country and reduce the number of our friends.
The atmosphere created in previous weeks regarding the relations between the US and Turkey is a venomous one. Our members and our friends must do their best to change this atmosphere. We cannot merely confine ourselves to simple slogans such as “Damn with America”. We have to point out all dangers awaiting Turkey one by one, and warn our people.
The youth has its assembly!
Youth Assembly has started to function in February, 2009 by the convocation of the Communist Party of Turkey. Building an alternative assembly for the youth of Turkey is shaped by the idea of giving an opportunity to the young population of workers, unemployed and students to speak on current problems of the youth and produce alternative socialist policies. Organizing the youth is very crucial for a country such as Turkey where half of the population is under 29 years old but has almost no means to express its problems and fight for their solution. The Youth Assembly has set out to fill this gap.
In March 2009 the Youth Assembly completed its foundation preparations and has launched its 1st term activities.
On the preparation process, Youth Assembly held local forums and created city legislative assemblies initially. Then representatives were chosen at local level and reports were written on local problems at the end of discussions. This served as the first phase in which the problems of young workers, students and unemployed youth were framed.
Elected local representatives constituted the first session of the Youth Assembly which was held on March 1, in Ankara. Representations and commissions were built according to the procedures set by the Assembly. The draft of “The Report on the Situation of the Youth” which was discussed at local meetings was also on the agenda. This report is important since it is the basic document that will guide the activities of the Youth Assembly until its second session.
There were 355 delegates from 50 cities participated in this first session. 50 delegates took the floor in order to make their speeches on the local, national and worldwide issues.
Thirteen commissions were assigned in the first session of the Youth Assembly meeting according to the proposals of the preparatory committee and the delegates. These commissions are:
The Commission of Labor and Social Rights,
The Commission of Education,
The Commission of Science and Technology,
The Commission of Peace and World Politics,
The Commission of International Relations and Defense,
The Commission of Social Health,
The Commission of Economy and Development,
The Commission of Social Culture and Arts,
The Commission of Justice,
The Commission of Woman and Social Equality,
The Commission of Sports,
The Commission of Environment, Housing and Urban Planning,
The Commission of Interior Affairs
Representatives of the 13 commissions constituted the Youth Cabinet which held its first meeting on March 15, on the problems of Turkey and the youth. At that meeting an enactment was prepared on political views of the Youth Assembly. The first enactment of the Assembly summoned the youth to struggle for and realize the socialist alternative for the future of Turkey. In this enactment it is emphasized that young workers’ lack of voice on matters regarding their lives is seen as the fundamental reason for the foundation of the Assembly. The reactionary, pro-market curriculum is pointed out as the primary subject of struggle in the field of education. Alongside other vital issues, the promotion of artistic and cultural creativity of the youth and developing new ways to share these products with other sections of the society was designated as the goal of the Youth Council.
In this meeting the representative of The Commission of International Relations and Defense was assigned as the speaker of the Cabinet. A commission was entrusted with writing the charter of the Youth Assembly.
In its evaluation on the local elections, the Youth Cabinet announced that the Youth Assembly will oppose all pro-American, pro-market and reactionary parties. The Youth Cabinet scheduled its second meeting for April, 2009.