AKP’s founding member Ünsal: ‘Today, we face more cruel practices under AKP’
Fatma Bostan Ünsal, a founding member of Turkey’s ruling party AKP (Justice and Development Party) who was dismissed from her post in academia in scope of state of emergency law, answered questions of Serpil İlgün of Evrensel newspaper. Commenting on the proposed constitutional amendments and the referendum process, Ünsal said: “During the February 28 (1997) process, we were able to defend ourselves one way or another, however, even that is not possible today. A parliamentary commission was supposed to be created for the victims of the state of emergency within a month but it still has not been formed though over two months have passed.”
‘As members of groups that were the subjects of cruel practices under February 28 coup, we stand against being the tyrant of today. This is the question: how have the victims and the innocent ones of yesterday become the tyrants of today?” said Ünsal.
Explaining why she will cast a ‘no’ vote in the referendum, Ünsal emphasized that ‘constitutions are contracts that require engagement of all views democratically during the debates’ and said the proposed new constitution in Turkey has not been talked over sufficiently enough since there is still a state of emergency law in force, under which a massive crackdown took place.
'Proposed constitution is against the course of history'
Ünsal noted that the ‘proposed amendments have also not been debated freely and fairly in the parliament’ and the co-chairs and parliamentarians of HDP remained jailed all throughout the process.
In terms of the content of the new constitution, Ünsal said it is ‘against the course of history’ since the ‘proposed amendments give more power to the powerful’, rather than trying to lessen it.
'Impact of state of emergency is making people hesitant about the proposal'
When asked about her opinion on why President Erdoğan has actually chosen this path, Ünsal said ‘a tendency to expand one’s own power is something that any human can aspire’ and added: “This is something that all mortal beings can wish for, including myself… What is important is for everyone to act with same sentiment in order to avoid such thing and to set a mechanism against it... Constitutions are social contracts. In order to become a society, you need to have trust. And, each group must feel this trust.”
Referring to the ongoing massive crackdown in Turkey, Ünsal said the judiciary has also people’s trust. The proposed amendments for the judiciary suggest for appointment of a majority of the members of the supreme courts and the supreme council by one person, she underlined.
Ünsal pointed out decrees passed under state of emergency also had a negative impact on the economy, leading people to have more hesitation to vote in favor of AKP’s constitution.
'As a first, some AKP supporters began to question the power grab'
According to further comments of Ünsal, while some AKP constituents and members will vote ‘yes’ in the referendum just for the sake of Erdoğan, some others are now, as a first in AKP’s history, standing against consolidation of power and questioning what would happen after Erdoğan.
Mentioning the victims of the February 28 coup had stood against ‘labeling’ at that time, Ünsal said what is being experinced in Turkey today is ‘exactly that.’
Saying religious sentiments also used to be exploited in the past, Ünsal stated arguments over the head scarf issue are no longer as useful as before for officials to appeal to the conservative communities, although there stilll remains groups that fear their right to freedom of belief will be taken away if the ruling party loses power.
Ünsal expressed her hope about the people of Turkey and their future and said ‘a more engaging approach and a more compassionate tone’ will be determinant in helping Turkey to come out of the troubled times.
A founding member of AKP, who also served as deputy chair, Ünsal had at one point parted her way from the party. She is a human rights activist and an academician, who was dismissed from her post with accusations of being a member of Fethullah Gülen's movement.