Turkish reforms & EU
EVEN though the European Commission has publicly lauded the reforms package passed by the Turkish parliament, it has also sounded a note of caution. The legislative package on the whole appears quite radical from Turkey’s point of view. The reforms include the abolition of the death penalty and the granting of cultural rights to the Kurdish minority, including TV and radio broadcasts in the Kurdish language. Other laws relate to expanding the freedom of expression, lifting the curbs on demonstrations, stricter controls on illegal immigrants, and granting greater freedom to non-Muslim religious foundations. The Turkish deputies passed the package amidst scenes of great enthusiasm, hoping that it will ease Turkey’s entry into the European Union. However, the messages coming from Europe are not too encouraging for Ankara. The European Commission itself has added a rider to its welcome reaction, saying much will depend on how the laws are implemented, and the EU will “closely” monitor them. This is not what Ankara expected.
What Turkey wants is for the coming EU summit at Copenhagen in December to set a firm date for beginning membership negotiations. However, this looks highly unlikely. The EU expects more from Turkey, especially the need for a solution of the Cyprus issue and Ankara’s cooperation in giving it access to NATO’s military planning involving Turkey. On Cyprus, unfortunately, there has been no progress, despite some meetings between the Turkish and Greek Cypriot presidents. Nor is it possible for Ankara to make further concessions while the Ecevit government is tottering and a general election is close at hand. What is disturbing, however, is that the EU may conclude entry negotiations with the Greek Cypriot government while the island remains divided. This could trigger a very serious crisis between Turkey and the EU.
The truth is that several EU states have serious reservations about Turkey’s membership. Some European leaders have in fact openly declared that there is no place in the EU for a country whose borders meet Iraq, Syria and Iran. The other day, Mr Edmund Stoiber, who, according to opinion polls, may become German chancellor after next month’s elections, declared that Turkey should be kept out of the EU. Germany is especially opposed to Turkey’s entry because there are already millions of Turkish immigrants in that country. It thinks that since EU membership will mean free movement of goods and people, Turkey’s entry into the alliance could lead to a flood of more Turks into Germany. Other West European leaders also believe that Turkey still lags far behind the “Copenhagen criteria” which include not only more democratic reforms but also total civilian control over the generals.
Turkish leaders would do well not to raise their people’s hopes too high with regard to the EU membership. There are many obstacles in the way, including the serious economic crisis through which Turkey is passing. Europe is also worried that an Islamist party, Justice and Development Party (AK), may form the next government. However, opinion polls do not give it more than 20 per cent of votes, which means if at all it comes to power it will have to be as part of a coalition. Besides, AK is as much Europe-oriented as all Turkish parties, except the extreme nationalist National Action Party. Given the lack of progress on the Cyprus issue, Turkey’s political instability and the three years of economic recession, it seems Ankara will have to wait much longer than it thinks before it can get a firm date for entry negotiations.
Extortion at graveyard
EVEN the dead, it seems, are unable to rest in peace because of the curse of corruption at every level of our society. The recent incident at a Karachi graveyard, where a naib nazim of a union council allegedly demanded 25,000 rupees from a man who had come there to bury his father, forces attention to this shocking truth. According to a report, when a funeral procession comprising hundreds of mourners reached the Pehelwan Goth graveyard in Gulistan-i-Jauhar, the naib nazim accompanied by some policemen demanded a huge amount to allow the burial. He claimed that the money was to be split between himself and the local thana. When the mourners understandably refused to pay anything above the official burial fees, the councillor peremptorily ordered the grave-diggers to cover the freshly dug grave and asked the mourners to go elsewhere for burial. Already distressed, the mourners were forced to take the body to the Model Colony graveyard, where it was finally interred.
Could there be a more shocking example of greed and shamelessness and that too on the part of an elected civic bigwig? This one reflects the extreme callousness of a special breed of extortionists, who have no qualms about demanding money even from someone desperately in need of help or consideration. It also reveals the brazenness with which a bribe can now be demanded in broad daylight by the so-called servants of the people. While one has heard of bhatta being demanded from shopkeepers and businessmen, this is the first time that one has heard of a hefty sum being demanded to allow the burial of a dead person. The victims of this shameful episode have complained to the city government as well as the local TPO, who has ordered an inquiry and suspended one ASI. However, the case is serious enough to merit a probe by high-ranking officials who must deal with the case with the seriousness it deserves. Failure to act in this case will make even burying the dead in the city without greasing palms increasingly difficult.
Gold at Manchester
BOXER Haider Ali’s gold in the final of the Commonwealth Games in Manchester is a most welcome achievement, especially after the humiliating semi-final loss by our hockey team. Haider Ali, who also has a medal from the Asian Games to his credit, beat his Indian rival in the final of the featherweight round. The boxer from Quetta dominated the fight right from the start, managing to soften, to some extent, the national disappointment at the failure of the hockey team. Haider Ali’s win is a testimonial to the raw sporting talent found in the country which, despite the odds, manages to break through the web of apathy and indifference on the part of most of our official sports bodies to make its mark. The boxer’s achievement has now been recognized by his organization, Wapda, which has given him a cash prize of Rs 100,000 and promoted him.
However, in the larger context of the games, the Pakistani contingent has done rather miserably, especially when one sees some of the much smaller Caribbean nations beating us in the race for medals. Apart from the gold, another refreshing aspect to the Manchester Games, as far as Pakistan is concerned, has been the participation by our women athletes in swimming events. Though they failed to make their presence felt on the victory stand, participation of Pakistani women in international sporting events like swimming was long overdue. Haider Ali must be congratulated for his feat and for doing all of us proud, but any euphoric feeling on this score must be tempered with a quiet resolve that we need to get our act together and improve our performance in terms of the overall medals tally.