“The new program does not aim to regress 90 years back but rather seeks to repair the republic, democracy, foreign policy and a model of the economy that has been ‘injured’ for the past 90 years” — that is, essentially for the whole life of the secular Turkish Republic. Ninety years ago was 1924, the year the new secular Turkish Republic abolished the caliphate. Davutoğlu is an ally of outgoing Prime Minister and incoming President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who is known to favor an Islamic state based on Islamic law. So if Davutoğlu doesn’t intend to restore the Ottoman Empire, perhaps he has in mind some new model of caliphate.
“Davutoğlu sets out with ‘restoration program,’” by Uğur Ergan and Nuray Babacan, Hürriyet Daily News, August 27, 2014 (thanks to Joshua):
Ahmet Davutoğlu, the sole candidate for the ruling party congress today and likely next prime minister, is set to chart a course of “restoration” in the government’s new program, according a source close to the PM-designate.
“The era of great restoration” was what Davutoğlu spelled out after being nominated as the candidate by President-elect Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Aug. 21. However, the term does not refer to restoring the Ottoman Empire, the Davutoğlu aide stressed to daily Hürriyet.
The struggle against the movement of U.S.-based Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, also dubbed by the government and Erdoğan as the “parallel structure,” is another concept to be included in the government program.
Davutoğlu and his team carried out two studies over the weekend on the eve of the convention in Ankara, with one of them focusing on his inauguration and the other group revising the government’s program.
Davutoğlu reportedly told allies that he already had a speech in mind and would emphasize that “We are Turkey all together” and that this call would include references to all ethnic roots.
Separate teams worked on revisions on items to the judiciary, the Constitution and the economy and merged them into one text based on “restoration.”
“Once it is read out in Parliament, you will find information on the 2023 targets, necessary work to improve Turkey in all fields and the vision for action,” the source said.
“Seeing all these, you will notice that the comments on ‘returning to the Ottoman Empire, an Islamic state, are all unreal and baseless,” he added.
The new program does not aim to regress 90 years back but rather seeks to repair the republic, democracy, foreign policy and a model of the economy that has been “injured” for the past 90 years, according to the source.
However, the party is not considering giving further information before the speech in Parliament. The changes in the government program will not be very large, the source also said.
Mahir Ünal, a deputy chair of the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) parliamentary group, said the target of the new government would be a “strong economy, strong defense and strong political will.” Ünal said the era would be called the “New Turkey and Process of Restoration,” with three focuses: The struggle against the parallel structure, the Kurdish peace process and the new Constitution.
The Gülen movement and the government have been at odds since Dec. 17, 2013, when a graft probe that engulfed Cabinet ministers and their families was launched. This was followed by government’s counter attack against civil servants and officials who were reportedly close to the Gülenists, who it accuses of organizing a “coup attempt” against the government.
Erdoğan has pledged to continue efforts to find a peaceful solution to the lingering Kurdish issue, as the government has already signaled that the military leaders of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) might be included in the ongoing talks.
The program is slated to be read out in Parliament on Sept. 1 while the legislature may hold a vote of confidence on Sept. 6.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç clarified his words on the need for ministers to resign before the new prime minister starts shaping his Cabinet.
Arınç said his Aug. 25 suggestion was about politeness to the incoming prime minister and did not mean that the whole Cabinet had resigned.
Also rouching on Arınç’s remarks, Justice and Development Party (AKP) spokesperson Hüseyin Çelik said the move was a “requirement.”
“Membership in the central executive board will automatically end with the election of the new prime minister,” he said.
The new chairman of the party can choose anyone for these posts as long as the member is from the AKP’s highest decision-making body, the Central Decision and Executive Board, he said.
Beagle says
Janissaries, caliphs, and genocide, the good old days. There is the small matter of an existing Sunni caliph on your doorstep. Don’t get ahead of yourselves.
tpellow says
“Turkey’s overlooked role in rise of latest ‘Islamic Caliphate’, and what’s coming next”
[Excerpt]:-
“What is profoundly obscured and ignored by the international media and policymakers, however, is Turkey’s key role in bringing the “caliphate” into being, and sustaining it now, even though Baghdadi’s people conveniently hold 49 Turkish diplomats hostage in the area of northern Iraq which the Islamists seized. There is evidence also that Turkish sources provided the IC [Islamic Caliphate] with intelligence which ensured that U.S. Special Forces, on July 4, were unable to locate and free foreign hostages, including U.S. journalist James Foley (who was subsequently beheaded on or about Aug, 19, by an IC “fighter” of apparently UK background).”
http://www.worldtribune.com/2014/08/26/turkeys-critical-role-rise-latest-islamic-caliphate-whats-coming-next/
tpellow says
“A CALIPHATE IN 90 SECONDS”
http://libertygb.org.uk/v1/index.php/home/root/news-libertygb/6541-a-caliphate-in-90-secoonds
Charli Main says
The renaissance of the Turkish Muslim dream—the conquest of Europe and the final destruction of Rome.
The Muslim hoards no longer have any need to batter down the gates of Vienna, Rome, Paris or London, they are just walking in, waving visas.
EmHotep says
The new Turkish PM is the main supporter of IS. In our so called secular country he is fully supporting IS and not even calling them as terrorists, instead he is saying they are “reactionists”. I believe this is end of secular Turkey unfortunately. Hello to radical islam in Turkey..
Aton says
Does this mean that he will destroy and exterminate another Greek city? Do remember that Smyrna (Izmir) was a Greek city until Kermal Ataturk destroyed it and its people, in 1922.
http://www.amazon.com/Paradise-Lost-Smyrna-Destruction-Tolerance-ebook/dp/B005LWQAYC
Aton
ConcernedObservor says
My concern is the pressure to return the Hagia Sophia back into a Mosque. Hagia Sophia is one of the most sacred sites in Christendom and the way muslims have treated the Christian cathedrals during their invasions is atrocious. The beautiful artworks and mosaics have been desecrated.