How Erdoğan painted himself into a corner

Semih Idiz
Semih Idiz


Date posted: January 16, 2014

SEMİH İDİZ

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is livid with Fetullah Gülen and his group. So much so that he is calling them “Assassins” now in the Islamic sense of the word. Suffice it to say it is extremely abusive to be called this if you are a devout Sunni. The situation between Erdoğan and Gülen has all the makings of a fight to the bitter end.

We will have to wait and see what this represents for the Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) political prospects. Gülen has millions of followers in Turkey, after all, and they must be extremely confused, as many supporters of Erdoğan must be, about this bitter war between Islamists.

Despite Erdoğan’s feelings about Gülen, it seems he is prepared now to climb down over the bill containing changes his government is proposing to ostensibly save the Supreme Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) from “secret forces” (read that as Gülenists) that have lodged themselves deep within the judiciary.

Erdoğan’s motives here are obvious. He wants to increase the government’s hold over the judiciary and prevent it from causing difficulties for him in the future, especially when it comes to corruption allegations. This is undemocratic, of course, and has also elicited reprimands from the EU.

The reason Erdoğan is prepared to climb down now, and to cooperate with the opposition in Parliament on changes to the structure of the HSYK is not because his democratic instincts have suddenly kicked in. The reason is that he has painted himself into a corner.

Leaks to the media, after President Abdullah Gül met with the leaders of the political parties in Parliament on Tuesday, show that the president is not happy about the AKP’s proposals either. Gül reportedly consulted his legal advisers and was told these contained elements that were unconstitutional. These reports have not been denied by the Presidency.

In other words, Gül would have been forced to either veto the bill or send it to the Constitutional Court when it came to him for endorsement. Needless to say it would be embarrassing for Erdoğan either way. Erdoğan must also be aware that Gül, who hails from the AKP which he is also a founding member of, would also have been placed in an impossible situation with this bill.

If Gül did not veto it, sending it the Constitutional Court instead, this would be construed as favoritism designed to buy time for the government. Gül would be harshly criticized later if the highest court came up with a verdict of unconstitutionality, as it most likely would have to given the circumstances.

Many would question why Gül did not automatically veto a bill that was blatantly unconstitutional. My personal hunch is that Gül – whose heart appears to be in the right place on this issue – would have had no choice but to veto the bill. Erdoğan saw all this and is climbing down now for this reason.

Still, if he is prepared to withdraw the offending bill and cooperate with the opposition for constitutional amendments that would be in line with EU criteria, this will be the happiest outcome, increasing public confidence and respect for the judiciary also.

What will ultimately increase this confidence, however, is if the present corruption and scandal is not covered up and the true facts pertaining to this ugly episode are revealed in court, no matter how bad the outcome may be for the AKP. This is what is what the opposition is demanding, too.

Regardless of how the HSYK business ends up, it is in fact very unlikely that the current corruption investigation can be covered up. If it is covered up, then suspicions about government involvement will only increase. If it is not covered up, however, the outcome may be just as bad for Erdoğan.

Facing such a “lose-lose” prospect, the only option left to Erdoğan seems to be to work for a judiciary which is up to EU standards, and hope for the best. He might also regain some lost respect then for having done the right thing.

Source: Hurriyet Daily , January 16, 2014


Related News

Nigeria: Our students in Turkey

Nigerian students studying in Turkey have been detained in airports after being interrogated like criminals. About 50 of them were detained in Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport for 11 hours; some were deported, even though they were bona fide students who were yet to complete their studies.

Erdoğan’s hate speech moves to US

The graffiti echoes Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s hate speech against the Hizmet movement inspired by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, with which the cultural center is affiliated.

Turks threatened over alleged links to the Gülen movement find a safe haven in Greece

When thousands of Turkish citizens lost their jobs or were jailed over suspected links to the Islamist Gülen movement, they chose self-exile to escape persecution.

An Interview with Fethullah Gülen

What caused Erdogan’s to turn against me? Two factors stand out. …. Secondly, there is the issue of Hizmet schools. We operate hundreds of them in Turkey and in some 170 countries around the world, more than 1.400 schools. Erdogan wanted to control our network as a tool to further his aim of dominating the entire Islamic world, as caliph.

Germany takes Gülenists off watch list, conducts counterespionage against Ankara – report

German police have removed the Gülen movement, which Ankara designates a terrorist organisation, from its ‘dangerous’ and ‘to be followed’ watch list, Sözcü newspaper reported, citing a domestic security report from the  country’s Southwestern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg.

Kimse Yok Mu continues relief efforts in Bosnia

International charity organization Kimse Yok Mu continues its humanitarian aid campaign in Bosnian which was hit by floods severely in May. Arriving in the city for the second time with three semi-trailer trucks, volunteers from Kimse Yok Mu delivered food, blankets and couches to the flood victims.

Latest News

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

Kimse Yok Mu to build 4 schools in Sudan

Zaman daily launches news portal in Kurdish language

Hizmet movement and the Kurdish question

Bangladeshi professor published his second book on Fethullah Gulen

Islam: Peace or Terror | Fethullah Gulen’s Response

Erdoğan’s plan to contain corruption scandal

The ‘other’ interview

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News