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24 September 2013 Tuesday
 
 
Today's Zaman
 
 
 
 
Columnists 21 July 2013, Sunday 1 0 0 0
İHSAN DAĞI
i.dagi@todayszaman.com
İHSAN DAĞI

The ‘new opposition'

Can you imagine a Turkey that criminalizes the opposition? The way in which the Gezi Park protests were responded to by the government, I am afraid, displays such a tendency.

Yet another sign of this tendency was revealed by the prime minister's statement the other day. He called on people, saying they should not expect everything from the state and should bring to justice those who protest against the government by hitting pans (tencere tava) at night on their own.

This and other shows of intimidation and threats are reflective of the disproportionate power relationship between the government and the protesters as well as the opposition forces.

However this does not stop the expression of dissenting voices against the paternalistic and patronizing attitude of the ruling party.

This was demonstrated in the Gezi Park protests. Thus, instead of explaining the Gezi Park protests by referencing conspiracy theories, the government is advised to understand the roots and dynamics of the “new opposition.”

There is empirical data from some polling companies that can help understand the roots of the opposition's discontent with the government. Polling company MetroPOLL conducted a nationwide survey and asked people about the root cause of the protests. Answers to this open-ended question rated from highest to lowest included “accumulated reaction and anger against the government,” “the authoritarian and repressive attitude of the government,” “the government's wrong policies,” “the prime minister's tough rhetoric and attitude,” “the influence of foreign powers,” etc.

The majority of people, according to the MetroPOLL survey, hold the government responsible for the chain of events triggered by the Gezi Park protest. Half of the people surveyed think that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's statements on the events were provocative and contradictory, whereas 31 percent found Erdoğan's statements conciliatory. Moreover a quarter of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) voters conceded that their leader made provocative speeches.

It appears that the overall agenda of the protests is not to change the government but to demonstrate the boundaries that the government should not cross.

Keep in mind that the political party against which protests were directed had won three consecutive elections in Turkey with a very comfortable majority, doubling the votes of its closest rival. Thus even the protesters would not expect a change of government as a result of their action or even at the polls. This inability to change the government might have triggered the whole Gezi Park process as they desperately defended their park as well as their lifestyle choices vis-à-vis a government that holds a majority.

So it is not about “who will govern” but “how.” What the protesters are saying to the government is “Do not interfere.”

Do the Gezi Park events indicate a “deeper” problem in Turkey? Again, the polls say “yes.” It is the tendency of the government and its leader, Erdoğan, to go authoritarian.

According to the same poll, a significant portion of those surveyed are worried about their rights and liberties. Fifty percent of people think that the AK Party is becoming authoritarian, whereas 36 percent oppose this view.

The Gezi Park protests are deeply rooted in the perception that the government is interfering in individual lifestyles and choices. The research by MetroPOLL confirms the point that a significant part of the population in Turkey has observed the government's interference in their private lives. There is an increasing perception that the government wishes to dictate its own choices of values, morality and way of life on the rest.

According to the MetroPOLL survey, 54 percent of people think that the government is interfering in their lifestyles and preferences. An interesting point is that a third of AK Party voters are of the same view. This indicates that there exist among AK Party voters a noteworthy number of people with secular concerns. This is not surprising. The AK Party is not the party of conservatives and religious groups only. It is much more diverse. The party leadership seems to have forgotten this although they had managed to attract center-right votes with a more secular identity and agenda. As the party looks more conservative and less democrat now, it is encountering the risk of losing its “center” voters.

A related issue involves freedom of expression. According to the MetroPOLL survey, 50 percent of people feel worried in expressing their political views. Moreover, 53 percent do not think that the media is free.

It is ironic that Erdoğan, once Turkey's dissenting voice against secular authoritarianism, has slipped into the same water of arrogance, self-righteousness and authoritarianism.

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