CHP chief says he has no confidence gov’t will undertake reforms
ANKARA
The government should first listen to non-governmental organizations working in the fields of human rights before attempting to bring reforms regarding democracy and the rule of law, the main opposition party leader has said, noting comments on reforms are being made only to prevent EU sanctions.
“I have no belief that the government will undertake reforms in rule of law and economy. It’s just a rhetoric. Issuing warm messages to avoid punitive measures from the EU meetings and then going on its own way can harm our understanding of democracy,” Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has said at a meeting with representatives of some NGOs dealing with human rights late Dec. 10.
The government has announced that it is working on a Human Rights Action Plan to deal with the problems concerning the rule of law in a bid to create a better climate for investors.
Kılıçdaroğlu said any work to this end should be consulted with relevant civil society bodies as they are the ones who have extensive knowledge about all these matters.
But the main problem is not amending the laws or undertaking reforms, the CHP leader said, stressing that no change will be visible if problems stemming from the implementation of the necessary acquis are not addressed.
“If the judges, prosecutors, the law enforcement and the entire state apparatus act in line with the laws then there would be no problem at all. The laws don’t matter much, one can make perfect laws but if those who implement them are not that good… So we need a two-phase process. Both the laws and the practitioners should be democrat,” he suggested.
The opposition alliance is hoping to shift the executive-presidency into a strengthened parliamentary system through amendments in the constitution, Kılıçdaroğlu stressed. “When I talk to the leaders of the political parties, I tell them about our historic responsibility. We can all together write a beautiful constitution, free of tutelage for the first time if we don’t count the early years of the republic.”
There is a common view about this necessity, he added, expressing his hope that all the opposition stakeholders will at least agree on the main principles of the constitution.
