Anasayfa
tarafından scarface Perş. Ekim 09, 2008 10:17 amEmployees at Parliament refer to him endearingly as �my president,� a name usually reserved for trade union representatives, as opposed to �my deputy,� which is given to other parliamentarians.
Ufuk Uras, the first declared socialist in Parliament in 38 years, says he feels like �the visiting team at an away game,� which is exactly why he has become the first point of call for parliamentary employees with any grievance about their working conditions. Even though few of them are likely to be part of the Freedom and Solidarity Party, or ÖDP, electorate, Uras says he tries to keep the working spirit alive in the dusty corridors of Parliament.
A former leader of the university lecturers' union, Uras was elected to lead the ÖDP in 1996, before resigning the post after the 2002 general elections. He was re-elected as leader in 2007, but in the general elections that year he ran as an independent candidate, receiving huge backing from the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party, or DTP. He was elected to Parliament from Istanbul and joined the ÖDP once again, becoming its leader and sole parliamentary representative.
Left in Turkey:
Uras said the main issue currently was whether the left was seen as a powerful force in Turkish politics.
He said if the opposition Republican People's Party, or CHP, were not considered a left-wing party, then leftist policies had almost no voice in Turkish politics.
�The long gap of 38 years shows that the Turkish left hit rock bottom. There is no similar failure lasting as long in Europe or Latin America,� Uras said. �When we see their election successes, we see the failure of the left here and its crushed state.�
The Sept. 12, 1980, military coup trampled the left, he said, but argued this could not be seen as an excuse. �Latin America also faced military coups.�
Political renewal:
The main problem of the left in Turkey is political renewal, according to Uras.
�The left somehow cannot escape its own intellectual prison and earn the ability to read the world in a different way,� he said. �The left has lost its intellectual guidance role.�
The left should win back the intellectuals, said Uras. �The current hegemony of liberalism means the failure of the left.�
However, people are not satisfied only with hearing criticisms of ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, policies.
�The important thing is what you offer as an alternative,� Uras said. �People want to have a strong conviction that their wealth, quality of life and income will increase.�
Uras gave the example of hazelnut producers gathering in the Black Sea province of Giresun last month to protest the low purchase price offered for hazelnuts. �There was a reaction there, but it was not against the AKP yet. It was against the merchants, moneylenders and the mediators,� he said.
�The greatest advantage of the AKP is that there is no strong opposition that can capitalize on grievances,� he said.
Uras said the AKP must be pleased with the opposition waged by the CHP, the second-largest party in Parliament. According to Uras, the CHP's opposition is weak, which strengthens the AKP government.
�That is why we need to construct a viable alternative to the AKP,� he said. �We do not have much time for that.�
Uras said he believed many people were currently seeking a viable left-wing alternative as they recognized that the lack of left-wing politics had weakened the adoption of social policies and undermined democratic reforms.
Left needs to unite:
Uras urged the left in Turkey to come together, saying it should unite around the lowest common denominators. �A society purified from violence, a peaceful solution to the Kurdish issue, libertarian secularism, and social rights are among the issues that can unite us all,� he said.
Uras said some groups in society could be depended on to back a leftist movement around basic values. He cited the Alevi community � a distinct and liberal movement within Islam, Kurds, and social democrats disillusioned with the way Deniz ****** has run the CHP.
Uras said ÖDP was already organizing meetings with the most receptive segments of society to discuss the unity of the left. They have already met with the Alevi community and also had talks with another group of leftists who were looking to unite the country's left wing.
Ufuk Uras, the first declared socialist in Parliament in 38 years, says he feels like �the visiting team at an away game,� which is exactly why he has become the first point of call for parliamentary employees with any grievance about their working conditions. Even though few of them are likely to be part of the Freedom and Solidarity Party, or ÖDP, electorate, Uras says he tries to keep the working spirit alive in the dusty corridors of Parliament.
A former leader of the university lecturers' union, Uras was elected to lead the ÖDP in 1996, before resigning the post after the 2002 general elections. He was re-elected as leader in 2007, but in the general elections that year he ran as an independent candidate, receiving huge backing from the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party, or DTP. He was elected to Parliament from Istanbul and joined the ÖDP once again, becoming its leader and sole parliamentary representative.
Left in Turkey:
Uras said the main issue currently was whether the left was seen as a powerful force in Turkish politics.
He said if the opposition Republican People's Party, or CHP, were not considered a left-wing party, then leftist policies had almost no voice in Turkish politics.
�The long gap of 38 years shows that the Turkish left hit rock bottom. There is no similar failure lasting as long in Europe or Latin America,� Uras said. �When we see their election successes, we see the failure of the left here and its crushed state.�
The Sept. 12, 1980, military coup trampled the left, he said, but argued this could not be seen as an excuse. �Latin America also faced military coups.�
Political renewal:
The main problem of the left in Turkey is political renewal, according to Uras.
�The left somehow cannot escape its own intellectual prison and earn the ability to read the world in a different way,� he said. �The left has lost its intellectual guidance role.�
The left should win back the intellectuals, said Uras. �The current hegemony of liberalism means the failure of the left.�
However, people are not satisfied only with hearing criticisms of ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, policies.
�The important thing is what you offer as an alternative,� Uras said. �People want to have a strong conviction that their wealth, quality of life and income will increase.�
Uras gave the example of hazelnut producers gathering in the Black Sea province of Giresun last month to protest the low purchase price offered for hazelnuts. �There was a reaction there, but it was not against the AKP yet. It was against the merchants, moneylenders and the mediators,� he said.
�The greatest advantage of the AKP is that there is no strong opposition that can capitalize on grievances,� he said.
Uras said the AKP must be pleased with the opposition waged by the CHP, the second-largest party in Parliament. According to Uras, the CHP's opposition is weak, which strengthens the AKP government.
�That is why we need to construct a viable alternative to the AKP,� he said. �We do not have much time for that.�
Uras said he believed many people were currently seeking a viable left-wing alternative as they recognized that the lack of left-wing politics had weakened the adoption of social policies and undermined democratic reforms.
Left needs to unite:
Uras urged the left in Turkey to come together, saying it should unite around the lowest common denominators. �A society purified from violence, a peaceful solution to the Kurdish issue, libertarian secularism, and social rights are among the issues that can unite us all,� he said.
Uras said some groups in society could be depended on to back a leftist movement around basic values. He cited the Alevi community � a distinct and liberal movement within Islam, Kurds, and social democrats disillusioned with the way Deniz ****** has run the CHP.
Uras said ÖDP was already organizing meetings with the most receptive segments of society to discuss the unity of the left. They have already met with the Alevi community and also had talks with another group of leftists who were looking to unite the country's left wing.
