President Gül: We should avoid attitudes that damage independent and impartial judiciary
Turkish President Abdullah Gül, seen as unifying figure who has largely stayed out of the latest corruption furore, made an appeal for unity in a New Year’s message, stressing the importance of a clear separation of powers. “It is the duty of all of us to avoid attitudes that damage the fact and perception of an independent and impartial judiciary,” he said in the message on the presidency website.
The graft inquiry became public on Dec. 17 with a series of raids and detentions of senior businessmen close to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and of the sons of three ministers. Since then, the media critical to Erdoğan has brimmed with tales of police raiding offices or homes and seizing caches of dollar bills.
Gül noted that it has been a tough year for the country and called on politicians to leave behind old political and bureaucratic ways.
“We should leave old political and bureaucratic habits behind as we step into the new year,” the president said.
Gül said taking into consideration the dynamics of Turkish society it is natural that the country goes through hard times and clashes of ideas from time to time, further adding that he is nevertheless hopeful about the coming year.
“It is our duty to avoid any kind of attitudes that could harm the independence and impartiality of the judiciary,” Gül stated.
“It is only through elections that the leadership can be changed since it is a democratic country and the judiciary is the only body that can resolve problems concerning laws,” Gül said, an indirect response to accusations the government is facing of intervening in the country’s judiciary in the current corruption scandal.
Gül stressed that democracy is a regime of regulations that are based on separation of powers, adding that no one and no institution can use an authority it didn’t derive from the Constitution.
He wished prosperity, peace and happiness for Turkey and stated that the progress the country has achieved should continue with the efforts of the nation to assure future generations a country developed both politically and economically.
Gül recalled that “important political and economic developments” took place in Turkey in the past year and said Turkey has continued with its economic stability despite financial crises in other countries.
He urged the public to avoid behaviors that would destabilize Turkey, shake the country’s secure economic atmopshere, deprive democratic state of rule of law and spoil the nation’s unity and integrity.
He said every citizen of Turkey are in the “same ship” and that making this country better is everyone’s responsibility.
31.12.2013
TODAYS ZAMAN
