Prime Minister Erdogan Interprets Laicism

At the International Press Institutes Congress held in Istanbul, Erdogan claimed that not me, but the state is secular. He disclaimed responsibility for the 10% electoral hurdle.

İstanbul

After the "Republican Rallies" in support of secularism in major Turkish cities, Erdogan's speech at the 56th International Congress of the International Press Institute (IPI) in Istanbul was awaited with curiosity.

Erdogan claimed that "not a person, but a state needs to be secular". He added that the rallies' slogan, "neither sharia nor coup", was not directed at his Justice and Development Party (AKP), and that the AKP had no religious roots. Erdogan reacted strongly to the question why the party had not been able to choose a presidential candidate acceptable to other political parties; referring to his suggestion of voting for a president by referendum, he claimed, "they are not even happy when we invite the people to vote". On the controversial Article 301, which has been used to restrict the freedom of expression of many Turkish writers and academics, he offered two very different suggestions: "either it will be totally abolished, or "Turkishness" will be rephrased as "Turkish nation".

Secularism is state business

Erdogan added, "Secularism is not a religion, but Islam is. In the sense that I support a secular state, I am secular, but I am not secular as far as Islam is concerned. States are secular, not people".

Erdogan dismissed concerns about a sharia state, saying that in his four and a half years of government there have been no attempts to implement sharia laws. He added that no political party should exploit religion or secularism as a means of getting votes.

"10% hurdle was not my idea"

During his speech, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan answered questions by Altan Öymen (Radikal Newspaper, Turkey), Michael Oreskes (International Herald Tribune) and Marcus Spillmann (Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Switzerland). To Öymen's question on the 10% electoral hurdle, he replied, "We did not put this hurdle in place, so why are we held responsible for it? Where have its opponents been since 1987?" He argued that at this moment in time the 10% hurdle was a necessary evil, as coalition governments had damaged Turkey.

Tension running high

When asked why he had not mentioned the army in his speech, Erdogan answered: "The General Staff is held responsible by my office. Our constitution is based on four elements, democracy, secularism, social support and legality. These are not negotiable. Our army provides this domestic security.

Different Systems

Erdogan claimed that all systems, such as democracy, secularism or religions, were "means" to bring people happiness. These systems should not be confused with each other, nor should they be exploited for political ambitions. (NZ)