Parties facing a test of ’freedom to politicians’ in the near future

Political parties were dissolved, politicians were punished, and thoughts that were disliked were banned! With the European Union’s pressure, we have just begun to make some progress in the issue. Even if at snail speed, obstacles in front of freedom of thought are being removed. But is this enough?

Industry Minister Nihat Ergun says it is not. During a breakfast we had together, Ergun took a further step and said, "Politicians have no freedom of thought." He justified this by saying, "Politicians have to think very carefully and then say it so. We constantly think ’What if I am being misunderstood, what if I was noticed by the prosecutor, what if I am taken to the court.’ É The only think we have as politicians is freedom of expression. But politicians in Turkey are the most aggrieved in the matter of freedom of thought."

I am especially interested in a particular remark he made, "what if I am noticed by a prosecutor." What does he mean by that? As the documents with the claims of coup attempts fly around high in particular. ...Ergun continued: "With a single directive from a prosecutor, a party closure case can be filed. But Parliament should decide for a parliament deputy’s to be put in a trial. A prosecutor can pave the way for the closure of a party, the dismissal of a deputy and even the closure of Parliament. If the Constitutional Court had closed down the Justice and Development Party [or AKP] and dropped 300 deputies, wouldn’t Parliament have been shut down?"

Ergun questions the constitutional system allowing political party closures. According to him, this "oppressive" and "prohibitive" understanding prevents politicians from coming up with new thoughts. Constitutional regulations on the closure of political parties play a role in the existence of vicious cycles and the feeling among party members that they are not free, Ergun said. "Serious revisions are necessary in the subject," he said. "Politicians should act together." Apparently, Ergun signals new constitutional changes in the fall to liberate politicians and make party closures difficult. We’ll see. Which parties will pass the "freedom to politicians" test?