Who is AKP ?
Mutlu Civiroglu

Establishment of AKP

In order to understand the establishment of this party, we should look at the Welfare Party (RP) era. We all remember that RP had a big success both in local administrations and general elections: most of the municipalities including Istanbul and Ankara had been gained by this party. This achievement of RP was never independent from the military establishment, on the contrary it decided to establish RP and has supported until the present day.  According to this plan, this party would bring to power and it would there be weakened by the military establishment during this period, because remaining in opposition would make them stronger and more radicalized. As a matter of fact, RP was weakened and its prestige in the eyes of its voters and sympathizers was, destroyed for instance; an agreement with Israel was signed to Necmettin Erbakan who is traditionally enemy of that understanding. Later on with famous 28 February Decisions RP was closed and Erbakan was banned from political life.

After that FP was established and in the congress of that party Abdullah Gul was the candidate of reformist wing against traditional Recai Kutan, despite the fact that Gul lost the election, reformists proved their power in the party. After a while FP was also closed by the state. In this period, reformists began to become more popular among the public. Radios, televisions and newspapers all made news praising AKP and Erdogan all the time then AKP was established. In November 2002 elections AKP obtained a historical victory and gained 34,3 % of all votes. It is the first time that a party is going to form a government alone by itself after long years.

Religion and the State

Religion has always been a vital means for the military and decision makers in Turkey. It has always been used against the Kurdish Freedom Movement and leftist trends. Actually, it is very interesting that most of the Islamic Imam Hatip Schools and dormitory Koran courses were opened during the 1980 coup administration. Again, it will clearly be seen when we look at the Turkish Hizbullah which was founded and supported by state. As everybody knows, it was fully under state control and had nothing in common with real Hizbullah except the name. It was an anti Kurdish organization which caused to death of thousands of Kurdish patriots and human rights activists. This organization was used as a death machine to fear people, not to allow them to approach the Kurdish struggle and to strengthen religion and its impact over Kurdish People. The same military establishment who established this organization finished it again by serial operations against it.

The other usage of the religion by the state has been as following: during election periods, people were always threatened not to vote for pro Kurdish HADEP but vote for RP [or other following parties FP and finally AKP]. As a matter of fact, in 1995, 1999 and 2002 elections religious parties received a good amount of votes in Kurdish provinces and gained many seats in parliament, because of pro Kurdish HADEP’s failure to pass the 10 % national threshold. As a fresh example, like in previous elections, in recent elections about 45 of total 52 seats of pro Kurdish DEHAP [Note : which gathered four parties among which the HADEP].

If it were not like that, how can we explain the existence of Department of Religious Affairs (DIB) who has a much higher budget than Ministry of Health and Education ? Can you imagine, in such a "secular" state which has a multi-cultural society with many faiths such as, Alewism, Judaism, Ezidism [an ancient religion of the Kurds], Christianity, Atheism, all people are accepted as Turk and Moslems and this institution represents all faith with its Islamic backward opinions. If Turkey is a real secular democratic state, this institution should be abolished as soon as possible. State should be in equal distance to all faiths and ethnic identities and respect to its citizens’ beliefs. How on earth, in a secular country, citizens are not asked about their religion and they are automatically accepted as Moslem ? Alewi, Ezidi and other non Moslem people have always been insulted. Instead of registering all citizens as Moslem to official documents, everybody should be free to mention and live its belief. The popular saying of 99 % of Turkey is Moslem means nothing, in a country which citizens are forced to be Turk and Moslem, of course 99 % of people will be Turk and Moslem thus there will be no Kurds...

What I want to take your attention is that, religion and religious trends have always been supported by the "secular" system in Turkey, as a tool to be used against Kurdish Freedom Movement and left. Religion has been seen as a very important factor to stop these two trends. The system in Turkey has always given a special role and importance to religion and religious trends. It has seen religion as an inevitable means, so it has always supported and strengthened it. This support continued until the self created monster began to become very strong and get out of control.  Religion and religious movements who served long years to system, turned out to be a threat for the state. For this reason a serious intervention was needed to stop and weaken this self created monster. For this reason, first, RP was brought to power with state’s financial, political support both in local and general administrations. The gettos of metropolitan cities became strong supporters of this party. [Ironically during its election campaign this party always used leftist slogans and values, as equality between the rich and the poor, a justice order for the society, end to all kind of discrimination and etc. Since the leftist movement had died and leftist opposition completely abolished in Turkey] The other important factor was that RP, very successfully used the concept of the brotherhood based on Islam. We shouldn’t forget that as it was experienced in recent elections, to some extent bad administrations of previous parties leaded people to vote for RP as a way of reaction to other parties. After elections, RP formed a coalition government with DYP however this government became the beginning of the end of RP tradition. As we mentioned above, this party was very much weakened by the military establishment by agreement with Israel and many other events like Jerusalem Night organized in Sincan district of Ankara on which military troops were sent to warn them. With famous 28 February Decisions many religious schools, foundations, organizations and tarikats [orders] were closed, it was forbidden to enter the official institutions and school with scarf etc. This process went on with the closure of RP and Erbakan’s banning from the political life.

It shouldn’t be thought that, it was a real and sincere operation state to get rid of religion and religious activities, in my opinion it was only to arrange their situation and to limit their power which I said before began to be a real threat to system. It will never hesitate to use them again. However in this elections, coming of AKP is the biggest proof for this idea. A new party AKP, who has strong religious elements but more softer and moderate than RP or SP is a perfect tool to system which has a bankrupted political system and pessimistic and demoralized society and finished economy. A party with huge political support behind both inside and outside. A party with its charismatic leader Erdogan, promising to make the economical and political situation better where as all other parties removed from political arena.

As much as AKP keeps in serving to military establishment it will survive and remain popular, yet is not a small possibility that if this party becomes more stronger and a big threat to the military establishment, the closure case of the party might come to agenda again, perhaps the party is divided as it was done in FP era and recently the biggest looser Ecevit’s DSP.