Turkey’s Top NGOs Call Everybody To Take A Step Back To Reduce Tensions

Seven of Turkey’s leading non-governmental organizations issued a statement on Wednesday calling for a scaling back of political tensions, warning that the nation is at risk of being polarized. The NGOs, who represent almost 50 million people, called everybody "to take a step back from their recent positions". The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) President Rifat Hisarciklioglu read a joint statement that said, “We are experiencing a historic day. Everybody should take a step back from their recent positions in order reduce the tensions”.

The NGOs that included the Turkish Confederation of Public Laborers' Unions (Kamu-Sen), Turkish Confederation of Labor (Turk-Is), Turkish Confederation of Tradesmen & Craftsmen (TESK), Moral Rights Workers Union (Hak-Is), Turkish Confederation of Employers' Unions (TISK) and Turkish Agricultural Chambers' Union (TZOB) represent about 50 million people. The statement said that Turkey is undergoing a difficult test of democracy and of rule of law, and needs common sense and calm more than ever. "It is our common wish to bring our country out of this critical time without any injuries and harm. Turkey should focus on economic and social problems, particularly unemployment, as soon as possible” it said.

The joint statement also said, “The Republic of Turkey is a democratic, secular and social state of law based on the first articles of the Constitution. These indispensable principles are keeping us together. Every issue other than these principles can be a matter of politics and be freely discussed. The political process in Turkey raises despair and pessimism. It jeopardizes political, economic and social stability. However, what should be done is to take the economic, political and social standards of our country to the level of developed countries, and speed up the EU process”.The statement said that Turkey should strengthen the principle of rule of law, and should prepare a new constitution with the participation of all segments of the society, after long and thorough discussion on the issues". Source: Hurriyet, Cumhuriyet, Turkey, March 26, 2008

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