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Call of duty
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Can you believe it? Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was telling the Alliance of Civilizations gathering in Istanbul that there was a need to nourish tolerance and goodwill among the people of the world and put a full stop to the alienation of the "other."
"We have to abandon the ’we’ and ’them’ understanding. We have to convert ’I’ to ’we’. ’I’ produces intolerance; intolerance produces confrontation. We have to provide goodwill and tolerance," Erdoğan, the co-chairman of the Alliance of Civilizations, said Monday. Because of the fast-track program of visiting American President Barack Hussein Obama in Ankara, this important and rather surprising statement by Erdoğan didn’t catch our attention.
Was he not the political leader who had been fighting with virtually everyone? Was he not the prime minister who created an allegiant media in this country? Was he not the leader who had been successfully inventing new methods of oppression against his critics in the political arena as well as in the independent media of the country? Was he not the leader who yelled in the face of Israel’s most senior politician and President Shimon Peres that "You know well how to kill" and walked out the Davos conference on Gaza, proving his skill in show business? Who was that leader who made that fascist "Love it or leave it" remark at a rally in Hakkari during the local elections campaign? Or, who was that prime minister who said if the media provided him the names of the ministers who had leaked details about a Cabinet meeting, he would not hesitate "putting them at the door," as if ministers are sacks of potatoes?
Well, he has been a man of "change." Did he not say seven years ago, "I have changed and developed. I have taken out my nationalist view shirt," and pledge to be a "secular, democratic and conservative" politician? Well, 10 of the 11 members of the Constitutional Court disagreed last year and condemned his party as focus of anti-secular activities, but still don’t we say everyone should have a second chance?
Alliance of minds and hearts
This "Alliance of Civilizations" business is definitely a very useful one. Having a conference once a while is not enough. We have to have a session of this great event every day early in the morning. Right, having a session every morning is difficult, but perhaps we can have a session every Saturday. All right, we could agree as well to have a session once every month. We might organize brunches, luncheons, dinners, sightseeing tours, belly dance shows, whatever might be needed to make the event an attractive occasion.
Right, while we have no objection and would be greatly honored with his participation, we do understand that despite the attractive programs we might prepare and all the city offers to visitors, it might be difficult for co-chairman Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero to be in Istanbul even for one day every month. After all, he has a country to administer; besides there are EU and NATO meetings as well as the need to make trips to other countries. But, can we not have a rotating co-chairmanship for the Christian European co-chairmanship of the Alliance of Civilizations? Perhaps as the co-chairman one month we can host President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, next month Angela Merkel, the other month Britain’s Gordon Brown! Hosting Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris Christofias might be problematic, but if we put him aside there are several dozens of heads of state or government leaders who could undertake that important job and serve on the one hand to the enhancement of understanding between "civilizations" by co-chairing this "alliance" meeting, while on the other hand contribute greatly to the mental health and well being of the people of this land.
Right, Sarkozy and Merkel might not want Turkey as a full member of the European Union. They might want to cut out a special and rather privileged new "partnership" status for us in the EU. But happiness, mental health and the well being of the people of Turkey are also in the interest of France, Germany and the other European partners and allies of this country, and they should not turn a cold shoulder to this call of duty. For now, most Turks don’t give much importance to this EU membership business anyhow. But if the well being and mental health of Turks could be consolidated, would it not be easier for the European club of democracies to achieve a less problematic harmonization if ever this country becomes some sort of member of the EU?
Was he not the political leader who had been fighting with virtually everyone? Was he not the prime minister who created an allegiant media in this country? Was he not the leader who had been successfully inventing new methods of oppression against his critics in the political arena as well as in the independent media of the country? Was he not the leader who yelled in the face of Israel’s most senior politician and President Shimon Peres that "You know well how to kill" and walked out the Davos conference on Gaza, proving his skill in show business? Who was that leader who made that fascist "Love it or leave it" remark at a rally in Hakkari during the local elections campaign? Or, who was that prime minister who said if the media provided him the names of the ministers who had leaked details about a Cabinet meeting, he would not hesitate "putting them at the door," as if ministers are sacks of potatoes?
Well, he has been a man of "change." Did he not say seven years ago, "I have changed and developed. I have taken out my nationalist view shirt," and pledge to be a "secular, democratic and conservative" politician? Well, 10 of the 11 members of the Constitutional Court disagreed last year and condemned his party as focus of anti-secular activities, but still don’t we say everyone should have a second chance?
Alliance of minds and hearts
This "Alliance of Civilizations" business is definitely a very useful one. Having a conference once a while is not enough. We have to have a session of this great event every day early in the morning. Right, having a session every morning is difficult, but perhaps we can have a session every Saturday. All right, we could agree as well to have a session once every month. We might organize brunches, luncheons, dinners, sightseeing tours, belly dance shows, whatever might be needed to make the event an attractive occasion.
Right, while we have no objection and would be greatly honored with his participation, we do understand that despite the attractive programs we might prepare and all the city offers to visitors, it might be difficult for co-chairman Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero to be in Istanbul even for one day every month. After all, he has a country to administer; besides there are EU and NATO meetings as well as the need to make trips to other countries. But, can we not have a rotating co-chairmanship for the Christian European co-chairmanship of the Alliance of Civilizations? Perhaps as the co-chairman one month we can host President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, next month Angela Merkel, the other month Britain’s Gordon Brown! Hosting Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris Christofias might be problematic, but if we put him aside there are several dozens of heads of state or government leaders who could undertake that important job and serve on the one hand to the enhancement of understanding between "civilizations" by co-chairing this "alliance" meeting, while on the other hand contribute greatly to the mental health and well being of the people of this land.
Right, Sarkozy and Merkel might not want Turkey as a full member of the European Union. They might want to cut out a special and rather privileged new "partnership" status for us in the EU. But happiness, mental health and the well being of the people of Turkey are also in the interest of France, Germany and the other European partners and allies of this country, and they should not turn a cold shoulder to this call of duty. For now, most Turks don’t give much importance to this EU membership business anyhow. But if the well being and mental health of Turks could be consolidated, would it not be easier for the European club of democracies to achieve a less problematic harmonization if ever this country becomes some sort of member of the EU?
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