Days in Turkey (1)

Days in Turkey(1): Delight in the Egyptian Revolution is on Everyones LipsBy al-Sayed Hanyelsayedhany@yahoo.com

I was one of the members of the Egyptian journalists who visited Turkey last week.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul received us in the presidential palace in Istanbul. The meeting lasted for around an hour, then he accompanied us the palace garden overlooking the Bosphorus Straits to take souvenir photos. The meeting was attended by his Special Advisor Ersat Hormuzlu, who translated the discussion with the President from Turkish to Arabic. The newspaper Jumhurriyet published the most important details from the meeting last Thursday on page 13. President Gul was greatly pleased with the Egyptian revolution, which he described as a great revolution. He was pleased that state institutions were not destroyed during the events of the revolution, and remained at the service of citizens. In his view, this civilized conduct confirmed that the Egyptian people is able to get through this transitional period and bring Egypt to the highest levels of contemporary civilization. We heard the same impression from Mr. Ersat Hormuzlu before the beginning of the meeting with the President. According to him, there were two things in Egyptian revolution that pleased him and caused him to be dazzled by the conduct of the Egyptian people during the revolution: first, the fact that Egyptian men, women, and young people joined hands to protect the Egyptian museum and thereby saved the antiquities of their ancestors, whereas in Iraq the Iraqi museum was completely destroyed and had its holdings plundered! The second thing was the neighborhood watches that stood guard in the streets to protect homes and families from the thugs and thieves that had escaped from prison. Delight in the Egyptian revolution was first thing on everyones lips everywhere we went. The majority of the places we visited were media institutions, and most people we met had visited Egypt, or studied and lived there for some time, so they began to tell us about their memories and their impressions of the January 25 Revolution. In Ankara, we visited the Turkish television headquarter T.R.T., where we met with Mr. Ahmet Cavucoglu, General Director and President of the news department, who had lived in Egypt two separate times. His first stay was 25 years ago, which lasted only nine months, and which he spent in training in the Faculty of Mass Communication at Cairo University. His second stay was five years ago and lasted 8 eight months, during which he worked as a correspondent for Turkish television. He received us saying, Your revolution is wonderful. Congratulations! Then he began to tell us about his memories of Cairo from 25 years ago when he went to the headquarters of Egyptian television, saying: I found a nice building, unlike anything we had in Egypt, but when I went inside, I found a police officer every 10 meters. After that, I realized that the only way to stay in power in Egypt is by control of the media and that the portion of freedom given to the media went only to the service of tyrants! He also said that when they offered him work in Egypt five years ago, he initially refused, saying: When I was in Egypt 20 years ago, Mubarak was in power. Mubarak is still in power now, so what has changed in Egypt for me to see nothing! But they convinced him of the necessity of going to Egypt to work as a Turkish television correspondent, especially since he speaks Arabic. When the Israeli attack on Gaza occurred in December 2008, he went to cover a protest that came out of the al-Azhar mosque to denounce the attack, and he found that the number of police equaled the number of protesters, which made him say to himself: If the ruling power in Egypt repressed the people through the secret police, that would be the utmost oppression! Then he commented on the name National Democratic Party, saying: Autocratic ruling powers in any state in the world are keen to call themselves the democratic party. This happened in Turkey after the military coup that occurred on July 12, 1980, and in Pakistan in the time of Zia ul-Haq. This also happened in Egypt. These three countries are the three biggest Muslim countries in the world, and if they were governed in a proper, democratic way on a basis of transparency, impartiality, and a free media, that would change the image of Muslims in the world for the better. However, government corruption has placed Pakistan in the grip of poverty, and it hasnt been able to attain democracy. Egypt has also remained poor because until the revolution, it was unable to hold high officials to account, whereas the situation in Turkey has changed to the effect that everyone is held to account, including the army leadership. He added: Perhaps one of the reasons for the spread of corruption in the Islamic world is because in Islamic culture, we leave accountability to the afterlife, but in Turkey weve started to hold people to account in the world as well. Director of Turkish television Mr. Ahmed Cavucoglu spoke to us about the situation in Turkey, saying: Were not a totally free country, but we aspire to freedom. Then he explained the cause for this as being that the secularists in Turkey want to undertake a military coup and take things backwards in Turkey! As for the Kurds, he said that they just represent 10% of the Turkish people, and despite that, among the 550 representatives in the Turkish parliament, there are 200 representatives of Kurdish origin. But the Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party only attains 50% of the votes of the Kurdish region, which includes 7 provinces in the southeast of Turkey, and it has 30 members in the parliament. He added: We dont have any problem with the Kurdish people in Turkey, but the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) headed by Abullah Ocalan is the one that is striving to divide Turkey by force of arms. This party has a strong relationship with the Israeli Mossad, and is taking advantage of the democratic climate that has taken root in Tukey to increase its activities. It has begun to carry out operations using a high level of technology imported from Israel, but it wont be able to achieve its aim, since the Kurds, as I explained, are our partners in power, and since the government is exerting great efforts to give a boost to the Kurdish regions. The PKK is very active in the poor regions in Turkey, where it exploits peoples poverty to provoke their resentment against the government, and it hinders the governments efforts to boost these regions. As example of this is that the Turkish government is trying to establish an airport in the Kurdish region to link them to the world, but the PKK destroys every effort to set up this airport. Then Cavucoglu returned to the subject of his memories of Egypt, saying: During my stay in Egypt, I noticed that the customs, traditions, the way of life and way of thinking in Egypt are no different than in Turkey, as we rejoice in the same things, and feel sorrow for the same things, we bear the same feeling, and are brought together by the same hopes. There are strong and ancient popular links between us, which can never be weakened, and if some periods have witnessed chilly relations between Egypt and Turkey, that is attributable to the rulers, and not to the two peoples, since Egyptians and Turks love each other, and there is no competition between them; rather, there is cooperation and relations of kinship and marriage, and if they joined hands, they would become the greatest force in the region. Then he accompanied us on a short tour of the Turkish television building. He said: As you notice, the walls of the rooms are all transparent glass. This reflects our way of thinking, which is based on transparency, impartiality, and a lack of secret agendas. There are 14 channels broadcast by T.R.T. television, among which is an Arabic-language channel, and soon there will be an English-language channel as well. After the tour, the man shook hands with us warmly, and sent his greetings to the Nile and the Pyramids. He said, Egypt really is the mother of the world, as they say. But Im afraid that your revolution is not yet complete. Will you move on to a new stage of true democracy, or will a new Mubarak come to rule you?Erdogan in Our House!

by Megahed Khalafmegahedkh@hotmail.com Theres an obvious question that everyone in Egypt, and also in the region and the world is posing: what is the deal with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and what is the secret of his sweeping popularity even outside Turkey? Its reasonable in Turkey, among the partisans of the Justice and Development Party, and possibly among its supporters abroad, but why is there all this consensus in the Arab world? The simple answer can be narrowed down to a few simple expressions far from philosophy, analysis of personalities, palm reading and consulting the moon, which is that this man speaks your language, even if the letters are different, and he expresses your nationalistic and patriotic feelings. He stays within the framework of the natural chemistry between the citizen and the nation, and remains in constant contact with the peoples living, magnetic field, its problems, and its honor. He doesnt disassociate from them or trade in them on the international or local political slave market. In addition to this, he has correctly read the current reality and its comprehensive changes, and he has understood the reality of the balance of power in the region and the impact of these changes on all the players and dominant powers, who toy with the security and stability of peoples who were previously helpless. I think that this is also what Erdogan has said and done on the ground, and the Turkish leader is not coming out with anything new now. However, the genius is in unveiling a treasure in front of you that you cannot reach, just like a skillful writer does in translating reality with great simplicity to create a literary text of universal genius, in order for us to take up a shared national, Islamic issue, and not an internal Turkish issue. In his position towards Israel, specifically the attack on the Marmara vessel and the deaths of nine Turks by the perfidious bullets of Israeli occupying forces, which was the height of thuggery and brutality. Erdogan rejected all this and confronted it will total decisiveness, force, honor and dignity, and without drawing red lines. He put the honor and dignity of the citizen first. He didnt put the strategic ally first, or worry about who would be angered, he didnt worry aid, excuses, visits, assistance and things of that nature that the colonizer or semi-colonizer uses to put pressure on and harass its allies in order to protect brutality and aggression. As Erdogan said yesterday in a discussion with the great writer Fahmy Howeidy, Israel with its mentality doesnt want to recognize its mistakes, or that the world around it is changing. It doesnt want to understand that theres a democratic regime in Turkey eager to express the conscience of the people, and even more eager to defend its honor. At the same time, it doesnt grasp the reality of the changes that have happened in the Arab world, with the fall of some of the tyrannical regimes and the peoples recovering their awareness and raising their voices high in defense of freedom and dignity. Rather, Israel has stubbornly refused even to listen to the reasonable voices in the West that have understood the reality of the changes in the region, and have called on Israel to apologize to Turkey for her sons that they killed. He also exposes the Israeli game whereby they rush to accuse anyone who criticizes their policies of anti-Semitism, and speak about the return of the ghost of war to the lips of some of their extremists. When you respond to Israeli arrogance, and only speak about commitment to international law resorting to international justice, and protecting international water in the Mediterranean sea, Israel always prefers to ignore all that and behaves like a spoiled child that prefers to scream and cause a racket rather than recognize the mistakes it has committed.

Erdogan explains: Israel deals with the Mediterranean as though its an Israeli lake that it has a monopoly on, and it was our duty and the duty of the international community to set things right. When we said that Turkish battleships will protect Turkish vessels from attack while crossing international waters, thats our legitimate right which no one can oppose, but this angered Israel, which wanted to protect its seizure of the eastern Mediterranean.

Isnt this the logic we all know and remember about Israel ever since it has been planted in the region? Whats new is Erdogans insistence on confrontation, and from a logic of force, even with allies supportive of Israel. Erdogans success has enabled to stand on strong, solid group and to engage in confrontation, not just with bombastic words and humorous, humiliating voices that no one pays any attention to, whether enemies or strategic allies.

The Turkish PM presented another proof of his closeness to the people and his ability to speak in their language, when immediately upon his arrival at Cairo airport, he said, in Arabic, to the crowd assembled to receive him: Peace and blessings be upon you. Egypt and Turkey are one hand. Peace be upon Egypt and the Egyptian people. Peace be upon the youth of Egypt. How are you? And they replied, Were well.

Is this not the language and dialect of the revolution in Egypt? Greetings to the leader coming from Anatolia. Welcome to our home and yours. May we always be moving forward.Erdogan Studies

By Mutaz Billah Abdel Fattah

In the subject Strategic Leadership, I present different theoretical models to the students and ask them to select applied examples. Last semester, two of my students chose Recep Tayyip Erdogan after reading an article about Turkey in the American magazine Foreign Policy. I told them to ask a colleague of mine of Turkish origin to help them select references that assess the period of Erdogans rule from different perspectives. The American students went and returned with a research paper 30-pages long, with 26 references, and they also returned with admiration for the man and a number of conclusions. First: Hes a person who possesses leadership qualities inspiring to those around him. He doesnt try to be the only player; rather, he rises with those around him, through a logic whereby he puts the right person in the right place at the right time. Second: He has great respect for the law and the constitution, and no claims of corruption, profit-seeking, election fraud, or violating court rulings have yet been registered against him. Third: He knows how to choose his battles according to the right time; the first battle was the mayorship of Istanbul, in which he stood the test. His first basic executive battleground was in creating his own style in his work to specify precise goals and determine an action plan, then to delegate authority and follow the execution closely, rejecting any exploitation of the public post or even giving the impression of the existence of exploitation, then giving his partners appropriate honors, or accountability, without flattery. Then came his next five battles in which he succeeded with flying colors: gaining a parliamentary majority, becoming prime minister, then the presidential contest, then the battle to pare the claws of the National Security Council, then the battle to reform the Supreme Judicial Council.

Fourth: His success in managing the economic transformation from a sluggish, humdrum economy to a strong, competitive economy that has put Turkey among the top 20 economies in the world, and whose average growth competes with what China has achieved. Turkeys total output has doubled in a decade, per capita income has risen five times in ten years, and the illiteracy rate is down to less than 10%. Fifth: His foreign battles have been no less successful. By the force of democracy, he refused to let the Americans use Turkish army bases. Ankara is now becoming an essential player through its preservation of a balance between beneficial diplomatic and trade relations with Syria, Iran, and the Arabs on one hand, and its remaining a member of NATO on the other. Whats the difference between Turkey 10 years ago and Turkey now? The spirit of leadership that Erdogan and his companions possess. Whats the difference between Turkey and Egypt? Turkey has Erdogans production mechanisms, whereas Egypt now produces these mechanisms through new parties, or the coming elections, or effective civil society institutions. We need someone like him, whether he comes from conservative, liberal, socialist, or nationalist roots. The important thing is for him to be Egyptian, strong in knowledge and experience, trustworthy and impartial in his conduct, respectful of the law and the constitution. Search for him or someone like him, and dont confuse popularity with ability, between skill at writing and television presence, between administrative expertise and a charismatic personality. The writer and broadcaster whos clever on paper and in the studio is not necessarily able to administer and to act. Our country is too dear for us to experiment with it, or to let it be a tool for the personal ambitions of some of us.Lend Me Erdogan for a Month!By Mohamed Amin

The Turkish invasion didnt just begin now. It began years ago with the drama Muhannad and Noor. I said, expect the Turkish hordes. Some may imagine that this is a strange tune now, when the Turkish delegation headed by Erdogan enjoys a popular and official celebration. I only want to stress the meaning of what I see today before my eyes. Nevertheless, Recep Tayyip Erdogan did just undertake a visit to Egypt at the head of a delegation and high-level visitors, but he came with a state that is recovering its glories in Egypt. An unprecedented media celebration voluntary, not paid for is accompanying his visit, as happened in the past with some presidents, princes, and kings, some of the Gulf countries, and the meaning is that the Egyptians welcome the Turkish prime minister, and some of them are saying Lend me Erdogan for a month, and Ill create glory for you. The problem isnt in the peoples, but in the political leaders, the political will, and the political administration. These people also remember Mahathir Mohamed, inasmuch as he reflects a big interest in the Turkish and Malaysian experience equally. Hes not a normal visitor, and this isnt a normal visit. Erdogan must hold some stock with the Egyptians. Imagine that a good man does all this, he talks about Islam, and presents of moderate image of it, then he says of himself that hes neither a leader nor a commander; rather, hes one of the great servants of Turkey. The word servant gave me pause, since I called for an association of servants of Egypt, and I hoped to see the president as a servant, the minister as a servant, and the representative as a servant, until we were all servants of Egypt. Some people hesitated to call the association servants from above and said Why dont you change the name to head servants, and not servants. I said Im a servant and proud of it. And Erdogan came to say in a loud voice that hes a servant of his people, and its certain that the translation didnt have the word servant from above, or if it had it, I would have found it in better taste. Serving the people is a blessing, and serving the nation is an honor and a distinction. So Erdogans distinction is not that hes good, but that he knows the value of national service. Hes taken an interest in education, and considers it as essential as breathing, and when Ahmed Zuweil spoke on this subject, he said a lot about the Turkish experience.

The popular and official celebration must have been a great advertisement for Erdogan himself, and he must have noticed the Egypt of the revolution is different than the Egypt of Mubarak. He himself knows that Egypt under Mubarak hesitated to deal with regional powers, and rejected Turkey and Iran; rather, it preferred Israel. However, Erdogan knows Egypts status, and knows that it can lead the region into the future. He also knows that when Egypt rose up, the entire Arab street rose up as well. This is the story that Mubarak neglected, and that the whole toppled regime neglected. And this is why we respect Erdogans experience, since its the experience of a servant of his people, not a leader or a commander. Its an experience we should pause before, because it speaks for itself. The difference between the experience marketed by the media and the one marketed by its results is a big one. The Turkish experience is closer to the Malaysian one. Its true that we celebrated Malaysia, but our celebration of Turkey is beyond any celebration. Official Turkey knows that, and the state brought its pillars, and it knows its not a mere visit, but an invasion by every standard. And the Egyptians open their gates for them gladly!