İHSAN DAĞI
Turkey’s Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk is known not only for his award-winning novels but also for his “to the point” analysis of Turkish politics. His outspoken manner may be regarded by some “ivory tower” intellectuals as unwise, for it would alienate at least some of his readers.
But Pamuk is a brave personality speaking out the truth, which has certainly proven risky as he had to seek refuge in New York. He was on the hit list of the Ergenekon gang, which some describe as a “fantasy.” For Pamuk, the Ergenekon gang is a life-threatening “reality” forcing him to abandon his beloved city, İstanbul. He once said he was “ashamed of those who try to belittle the Ergenekon trials and investigation.”
Last week Pamuk joined “The Charlie Rose Show,” broadcast by PBS, to talk about Turkish politics, among other things. His remarks were a cold shoulder to those who describe the current political struggle in Turkey as being between the Islamists, led by the ruling party, and the secularists, represented by the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and supported by the Doğan Media Group. Pamuk’s views, broadcast by PBS, were not unfamiliar to readers of this column. Let’s go through his remarks and explain them further by references to earlier comments that appeared in this column.
In the interview, Pamuk questioned the commitment of the secularists to democracy, saying that the “eternal problem of Turkey is that secularists — most of them are nice people — do not have much respect for democracy, people’s votes, human rights.” He also argued that some segments of the ruling elite are “fearful, unfortunately, of democracy.” Pamuk is absolutely right. For long, the “secularists have abandoned the ideal of democracy. They at large view democracy as a system that brought conservative [for them Islamist] political parties into power.” (Sept. 8, 2008)
The secularists/Kemalists are not fond of democracy because “they know very well that through democracy the Kemalists will never be elected into power. So why should they believe in democracy ? For the Kemalists [secularists], human rights are not good for Turkey because the idea and theory of human rights assumes that those who are not Kemalists are ‘equal’ human beings who deserve equal rights. [But] rights are exclusive to the Kemalists, not to the people at large. Conservatives, Islamists, the Kurds, the poor would use human rights to undermine the exclusive Kemalist order. For the Kemalists, the rule of law is not welcomed either because Turkey is a ‘unique country’ surrounded by enemies ready to break Turkey up into pieces. … In short, the problem is part of a wider power struggle between the Kemalist/authoritarian center and the conservative/democratic periphery. The odd thing is that while the conservative/democratic periphery employs modern values and institutions in this struggle which enables it to form broader national and international alliances... the Kemalist/authoritarian power elite are ready to sacrifice pluralism, democracy and the market economy.” (Dec. 10, 2007).
Pamuk argues that secularism is used as a “pretext” by the ruling elite.
“Secularism is only a façade to hide behind for the state elite and their civilian allies, who have been losing their power and privileges to the people through democracy since 1950.” (June 2, 2008). “The Kemalist secularists see democracy as a threat to their position and privileges in the system and use — or rather, abuse — secularism to limit democracy… Secularism is a shield behind which the Kemalists conduct a struggle to hold power vis-à-vis the conservative and democratic periphery.” (Oct. 27, 2008).
Pamuk also noted that the EU accession process will lead to the loss of privileges enjoyed by some circles in Turkey’s bureaucracy and military. “They are … upset about negotiating with the European Union because the consequences [are that] they may lose some of their privileges,” he said.
“The military has resisted Turkey’s march into an EU membership and an engagement with globalizing dynamics because they want Turkey to be ruled in Ankara, where they have the ultimate say… The isolation of Turkey from the outside world, including the EU, is key for the military to continue to exercise its political power in Turkey...” (March 2, 2009).
Discussing factors hindering democracy in Turkey, Pamuk said elites in the bureaucracy and the military are defending the status quo.
“The pro-status quo forces comprise the senior state bureaucracy, including the military and the judiciary, their political representatives and the so-called white Turks, a coalition of losers in a truly democratic system, a competitive market economy and a globalized social network.” (July 20, 2009).
“The process of democratization prompts resistance among the forces of the ‘ancient regime’ fearful of losing their monopoly on power in due course.” (Dec. 28, 2009).
We should not only read Pamuk’s fictional works but also listen to his analysis of the “reality” of Turkey.
04.01.2010
Columnists
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