Why do some people think that those elected to public office on a religion-based manifesto can do no wrong?
JUBAIL, SAUDI ARABIA: Apparently, it’s in our genes to always look for conspiracy theories to justify the status quo; and this obviously results in no introspection or correction. I wonder what some commentators want to prove in their articles and letters, while referring to turmoil in Turkey.
Why should anyone be looking for an external hand in the recent unrest in Turkey? Why do some people think that those elected to public office on a religion-based manifesto can do no wrong?
The main demand of the protesters in Turkey was that they wanted a stop to the government’s plan for redeveloping Istanbul’s historic Taksim Square. Later on, this expanded to include a ban on the use of tear gas by the Turkish police, releasing all detained protesters and lifting of restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly.
What’s wrong with these demands? If Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan still considers that he is not heading an authoritarian dictatorship, then he should respect these demands as the basic minimum for a truly functional democracy and remove the curbs.
At the same time, these demonstrations could serve to act as warning signals for the Egyptian government, which some people think is doing pretty much the same thing. Cairo has ordered the trial of top political activists and social media personalities, including some very popular bloggers, accusing them of inciting violence.
Governments should not be afraid of writers and bloggers and they should respect the rights of their citizens, especially since it is through these rights that they came to power. This is especially true for countries like Turkey and Egypt.
Masood Khan
Published in The Express Tribune, June 9th, 2013.
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