Nourishing democracy

One would think after all the trouble this country has gone through, after hearing all those revelations of heinous crimes being committed by some underground figures and government agents, to help the implementation of some policies, and achieve some government targets, such a deplorable mindset should no longer exist in this country; particularly among lawmakers who have learned with bitter experience the importance of the supremacy of law and equality as the forefront of all legal principles.

However, discussions at the parliamentary commission have shown the problem is not yet over. The Democratic Society Party, or DTP, deputies are definitely not the most loved parliamentarians in Turkey currently. The provocative statements they have been making, their refusal to condemn the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK's, terrorism and their unfortunate involvement in the latest spree of violent demonstrations in which children were intentionally placed at the forefront of protests, are just some of the reasons for a growing antipathy toward the DTP.

Yet, as even a broken watch can show the correct time twice a day, DTP’s Hasip Kaplan was perfectly right in complaining during discussions at the parliamentary commission debates, that in a democratic state, police cannot and should not fire on people on the grounds they did not heed a call to stop. Indeed, not only in violent demonstrations in the Southeast, Istanbul and other western cities, but at several other locations throughout the country, people are falling victim to the "stop or get hit" mentality of the police.

The problem is of course, the law on the duties and powers of police. This law is often described by opponents and human rights activities as the "stop or get hit law" as that is what it has become in practice, the power of police to use guns to enforce the law. While even in military circulars, soldiers are told they must first stop and ask suspicious persons who are approaching to stop, then repeat the call, and if the person continues to approach, fire a warning shot in the air. If the person insists on approaching and does not surrender, then they should "fire on legs," that is, fire at non-lethal organs. What Kaplan said, for a change, was not provocative at all. On the contrary, the DTP deputy pointed at a very serious problem in the country for which lawmakers could provide a resolution, make the law more compatible with the notion of democracy.

Hang a few, restore order mentality
As the death penalty is not in line with the "corrective punishment" understanding of our time, dispersing violent demonstrations by "killing a few of them" can not be an acceptable method of restoring peace and order in the country. However, not all people, apparently, subscribe to this idea. As if he is not a parliamentarian but a hunter in the wilderness, Abdülkadir Akgül, the Yozgat deputy of the ruling AKP, countered the remark of Kaplan by declaring, "Of course the police will kill if people refuse to heed the call to stop."

He then relieved other deputies by saying, "I am not someone who likes to shoot people, but of course I may love firing on people revolting against my state and my nation." Breh.. Breh... Breh... We see a nationalist obsession turning into a criminal beast in action. This mentality, unfortunately, is not in the minority in the ruling parliamentary group, or among hardcore nationalists. That is, while we believe this country should limit the use of force and the use of live ammunition by security forces on demonstrators, irrespective of how violent they might be, some people in executive positions are of the opinion, people can take justice into their own hands, and police, for the sake of restoring peace and security, can kill people.

How difficult is it to nourish democracy and democratic understanding?