The May 19 disgrace of the Interior Ministry
The May 19 “Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day” ceremonies were reorganized; instead of the military images as before, people’s participation was to be emphasized.
I was among those who applauded this practice. I have always opposed military shows in ceremonies.
And look what has happened! As well as banning the placing of wreaths at Atatürk monuments, some of the governors in some provinces even used the police to enforce this ban.
Why? Is there such an order?
As far as we understand from Yalçın Doğan’s column in daily Hürriyet on Tuesday, one day before the holiday, a “very urgent” memorandum was sent to provincial administrators. Laying wreaths at Atatürk monuments was to be restricted to the Ministry of Youth and Sports in Ankara and the Directorates of Youth and Sports in other provinces. Nobody else would lay wreath. Well, OK, but how is this now the people’s holiday?
What does it mean to prevent it by using the police force? Please, don’t even tell me “we have only practiced the applicable law.”
Apparently, Mr. Governors interpreted the May 19 memorandum very strictly. Especially when the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) organized and launched a wreath laying campaign, they panicked even further. Most probably, in order not to make “the minister” angry, they put on their serious faces and took the situation under control. I have been waiting for an explanation from the Interior Ministry for days.
There is a deep silence. In this case, an impression like the government does not want “wreaths to be laid at Atatürk monuments” is created.
Is that correct? Is there such a ban? If the Interior Ministry has shied away, then the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Deputy Head Hüseyin Çelik should enlighten us.
If a ban was introduced because some CHP members wanted to lay wreaths, then we should know about it. Also, wasn’t the AK Party against bans?
Why, then, members of the CHP, or other citizens, should not place a wreath at Atatürk monuments, I have not understood at all…
What happened to the people taking the front stage in May 19 celebrations?
The Interior Ministry should immediately make this issue clear and correct the scandal.
Those governors who wanted to make a show of pleasantness to the government should know that with these attitudes of theirs they have actually harmed the AK Party.
Pakistan at the brink of partition
Journalists and reporters who accompanied Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on his Pakistan visit continuously covered the smiles and the handshaking of the two prime ministers, the official statements during press conferences and stories full of praise in the Pakistani press. In fact, a drama is going on under this exterior image. The name of this drama is the partition of Pakistan.
Pakistan constitutes the most fragile, the weakest link of the region. Prime Minister Gilani can barely hold on to his power. On the one hand, there is an incredible domestic struggle fueled by the fight between radical religionists and opponents, on the other hand there are enormous pressures from the military and Washington.
Islamabad wants to be influential in Afghanistan in 2014 after the withdrawal of American and NATO troops. It is trying to prevent the country, together with Taliban, entering the sphere of influence of Iran, or in an indirect way, its arch-enemy India. The United States, however, is opposing this. It is total chaos, as you can understand.
What makes Pakistan so dangerous is the fact that such a fragmented country has a nuclear bomb. Especially, the risk of partition that is brought by the domestic radical-moderate clash further increases this danger.
Erdoğan has visited such a friend-brother country. He has seen where the country is heading and I’m sure he had goose bumps. This is because the explosion of Pakistan would provoke the whole region.
Turkish society was not able to learn the facts about Pakistan, but they have also seen that the smiles on the pictures do not reflect the truth.
