turkishdailynews.com.tr

[Dillirga]

The Eu recently stated that Turkey could give specific rights to certain minorities to preserve identity beyond the Lausanne Treaty of 1923! The EU seems to be talking with a fork tongue again! It is actually trying to underline something else other than what is a minority! It gets carried away with certain definitions between place of prayer and cultural centres (Cem evleri); fails to recognise that the problem with the Kurds in Turkey is not minority rights but cessationism. Something not discussed by the EU even if the EU itself is removing boundaries to "unite" European countries! The example DTP the political wing of the PKK have been asking for is the re-organisation of the state into semi-autonomous regions, like it is in Spain! They keep quoting the Basque region - true, they are doing the same as the Basque separatists! Terrorism to achieve more at the expense of the rest of the country!

Today, even Greece, which has been a member of the EU for 25 years has failed to apply those minority rights! Public Opinion in Turkey is so alienated from the EU, that I can say with ease that in a referandum Turkey will never vote to join the EU. All that is taking place is enabling Turkey to adopt and implement reforms at it own pace!

The EU has always made fundamental mistakes because it has approached its expansion with pre-conceived opinions and beliefs!

[taltinay]

However this shouldn't stop us from making serious progress in improving minority rights. What has been done so far is certainly not enough. While I don't agree with cessaionism, I certainly think that we should recognize and accept our diversity.

[ned1975]

I think the problems in TC are far more fundamental and deep rooted.

Are issues like minorities etc. mistaken for the actual problems?

If you respect & service people, will the people automatically reciprocate such behaviour towards the state(for the majority)?

Is the State there to serve the people, or the people there to serve the State?

Anyone have any thoughts?

[donha]

ned

[ned1975]

Minorities are not the underlying problem in TC. The value & profile of the average citizen needs to be raised. The regime and beureucracy need to have the 'citizen' as the most valued piece of the puzzle.

Donha...out of curiosity, how often do you visit TC. You speak with such conviction & authority on the nation?

Let me share with you a different angle on all this Islamic vs secular business. The late stages of the Ottomans was accurately named as the 'sick man' . What MKA replaced it with sometime later was an ill advised, a terribly thought out knee-jerk over-reaction to the final Ottoman days & what that life represented. It gave no consideration or respect to the majority of its people & their religious beliefs. MKA was no revolutionary...maybe on the battlefield, but certainly not
on the civilian political front. If copyright laws were alive and enforced in his day he'd definitely be found guilty of plagiarism. If you were to look in the dictionary for the definition of 'plagiarism' one could find the 'TC Constitution' in there. It's surprising how the Swiss have never asked for ongoing royalties to date. Bottom line is TC went fron one bad extreme to another. The status quo has not changed since. TC has been stuck in a time warp with very little advancement.

The almost 50/50 ideologoc split TC is experiencing over this matter is proof itself that the system is not working. A system that was given to people that is at total odds with its identity was doomed to fail from its inception. They say if it's not broke, then don't fix it. I think we all know that TC is broke & in desperate need of fixing. The ground swell
to challenge the current secular state is unstoppable. Time will show this. The objective in the challenge is not to reinstate and Islamic state by all. I'm positive however that this is the desire of some, possibly even most. The removal of the flawed system is a must to create way for a new more workeable system that embraces its own identity & works with the grain,
not against.

But here's the good news everybody More & more Turks, especially abroad are becoming aware of this situation. And they genuinely are embracing the greatness achieved of the Ottomans & learning from the mistakes it has made. They are also fully aware of the positives pertaining to TC in the modern age (democracy, civil liberties etc, not that they have great examples in TC). And there is no more a need to be at one extreme or the other. This requires a fusion of the good from the
old and the good from the new to make it something fantastic. There really is an awakening happening out there with the seeds being planted as we speak. Many commentators around the world have this sensationalist view that the Islamists in Tc want to go back to the days of the Ottomans. And they probably do, but they want to go back to the Ottomans when they were great, not 'sick'. There surely cannot be anything wrong with aspiring to do this? The greatness Turks are capable
of is very apparent, history proves this. Turks have a mighty history (with blemishes along the way, not unlike any other peoples). There are very few in history that have tasted the glory of the Turks. Romans, Greeks, Persians & probably the most successful the British are among them whom have. Other nations & peoples may struggle with the concept of this greatness & pride and the desire to achieve higher. They look at where they are and have at this minute point in time and are oblivious to the amazingly high mediocrity they have achieved so they fall into false senses of superiority. Ring a bell??

By far and large we are on the same page. Socially, the TC is not a happy place. This explains much of the issues and dissent within. This won't go away just because internal/external forces are wanting it gone. It will need to be addressed. People the world over are generally of good nature & character therefore I think that good gvt's hand out will be reciprocated by its people.
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change has no choice!

[bancorn70]

There are a lot of countries in which they don't have specific rights for minorities. Even they treat them like servants.
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