Men of today
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Temmuz 08, 2009 00:00
It was once again U.S. President Barack Obama who hit the headlines with his very wise description for Vladimir Putin, Russia’s former president and current prime minister, as having "one foot in the old way of doing business and one foot in the new."
We’ll perhaps later be enlightened by what made Obama change his mind on Putin after Tuesday’s meeting and depicted him as "the man of today whose eyes are firmly on the future."
It’s not up to this editorial to discuss whether or not Mr. Putin is the man of today or not. But one could perfectly apply Obama’s analogy to top Turkish authorities and examine whether prominent personalities of Turkish politics are men of today or are doing business and politics in the old way.
Take President Abdullah Gül. He might be considered more like the man of today among political elites. Since he became the head of the nation in 2007, he has always been criticized for not fully being impartial and neutral, in line with his presidential responsibilities. On many critical issues where he had to apply his own approval or disapproval, Gül has chosen to act in line with the administration that gave him his current position.
Except few constitutional and legal amendments, he has approved almost every bill coming from Parliament. But many critical amendments that he approved were later annulled by the Constitutional Court and this has created concerns that the presidency has lost its role as implementer of the check and balance system in the state. The bill on limiting the military’s jurisdiction is seen another litmus test for Gül.
Looking from this angle, one can conclude that Gül is actually doing politics in the old way, as he is still a man of yesterday.
However, when one considers Gül’s role in foreign policy as an experienced former foreign minister, it could also be thought that he is the man of today and even of tomorrow.
His role in the development of Turkey’s energy policy and even in next week’s ceremony for the intergovernmental agreement for the Nabucco natural gas pipeline is clear evidence for this argument.
At a time when Turkish politics is stuck in a vicious circle, he seems Ğ with of course Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu Ğ to be the only top Turkish official who cares for the country’s foreign policy interests. It’s an additional asset for Gül as the man of today.
How about the rest? Are they men of today or of yesterday or even of the day before yesterday?
When envisaging the matter of political discussions that are occupying the country’s agenda these past days, weeks and months, one can easily suppose that Turkey’s prominent politicians are all men of yesterday and have no intension to come anywhere near to today.
Today’s Turkey, which aspires for a prosperous, peaceful and stable future, however, requires men of today working for tomorrow.
It’s not up to this editorial to discuss whether or not Mr. Putin is the man of today or not. But one could perfectly apply Obama’s analogy to top Turkish authorities and examine whether prominent personalities of Turkish politics are men of today or are doing business and politics in the old way.
Take President Abdullah Gül. He might be considered more like the man of today among political elites. Since he became the head of the nation in 2007, he has always been criticized for not fully being impartial and neutral, in line with his presidential responsibilities. On many critical issues where he had to apply his own approval or disapproval, Gül has chosen to act in line with the administration that gave him his current position.
Except few constitutional and legal amendments, he has approved almost every bill coming from Parliament. But many critical amendments that he approved were later annulled by the Constitutional Court and this has created concerns that the presidency has lost its role as implementer of the check and balance system in the state. The bill on limiting the military’s jurisdiction is seen another litmus test for Gül.
Looking from this angle, one can conclude that Gül is actually doing politics in the old way, as he is still a man of yesterday.
However, when one considers Gül’s role in foreign policy as an experienced former foreign minister, it could also be thought that he is the man of today and even of tomorrow.
His role in the development of Turkey’s energy policy and even in next week’s ceremony for the intergovernmental agreement for the Nabucco natural gas pipeline is clear evidence for this argument.
At a time when Turkish politics is stuck in a vicious circle, he seems Ğ with of course Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu Ğ to be the only top Turkish official who cares for the country’s foreign policy interests. It’s an additional asset for Gül as the man of today.
How about the rest? Are they men of today or of yesterday or even of the day before yesterday?
When envisaging the matter of political discussions that are occupying the country’s agenda these past days, weeks and months, one can easily suppose that Turkey’s prominent politicians are all men of yesterday and have no intension to come anywhere near to today.
Today’s Turkey, which aspires for a prosperous, peaceful and stable future, however, requires men of today working for tomorrow.