August 3rd, 2010 by Farid

Turkey will hold a national referendum on September 12 “on a wide-ranging set of changes to the constitution.” Advocating for the amendments, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) argues that the “reforms will enhance democracy in Turkey and boost its case for accession to the European Union.” The Republican People’s Party (CHP) however, opposes the reforms, saying that “they violate the independent nature of Turkey’s military and judiciary.” The package of reforms to the 1982 constitution includes 26 amendments encompassing military, judicial, and citizen rights components.

On that note, in a very insightful piece in The Wilson Quarterly, Michael Thumann argues that recent political developments in Turkey are not based on a “clash between Islamist Turks and secularists,” but rather on a conflict between Turkey’s long-reigning political elites and a “rising class of newcomers” with roots outside of Istanbul who also happen to be “religiously observant.” According to Thumann, the veteran elites are “gradually losing their grip on [Turkey’s] central institutions and its society, and they don’t like it.” Elaborating on this point, Thumann points to the issue of headscarves to suggest that “Islam in Turkey is not so much experiencing an upsurge or revival as it is coming out of the closet,” adding that women who wear headscarves have not increased in numbers but rather that they now wish to participate in public life. Correcting mainstream misconceptions about the AKP, Thumann explains that “the AKP has not pursued any Islamist objectives, such as establishing laws based on religious sources.” Turkey’s old elite however, believe that the “commitment to internal Westernization is hanging in the balance,” Thumann explains, adding that compromise is rare in Turkish politics and that “an attempt to make a minor amendment to the constitution may quickly turn into a battle about the very survival of the Turkish republic.” According to Thumann, in a trend similar to those seen in Western nations with diverse populations, “AKP partisans claim the same jobs, access to schools, and even concepts—modernity and democracy—that were once seen as the monopoly of the old elite.” But it is Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Thumann argues, who has “assumed command of Turkey’s Westernization drive” and pushed for EU membership.

Regarding the upcoming referendum, Thumann says that the reform package fails to address Turkey’s increasing centralization of government. As of now, local governments in Turkey do not have the authority to make significant decisions, and thus, “Regions that lack self-sufficient local government perforce lack strong representation in the capital to push for local interests,” he explains. In a predominantly authoritarian region, Turkey’s embrace of democracy must be demonstrated by embracing “pluralism in its national life,” Thumann says.

Posted in Political Parties, Public Opinion, Reform, Secularism, Turkey |