Trustees again: Erdoğan and his government’s standoff against the people

Not even five months have not passed since the local elections!

The HDP’s three metropolitan mayors who won the 31 March election with large majorities, all the duress and threats notwithstanding, were ousted yesterday from their offices by the Interior Ministry and the three provinces’ governors were appointed as “trustees” in their place.

President Erdoğan and Interior Minister Soylu thereby kept the promise they made to racist, nationalist circles in their pronouncements at various times prior to the 31 March election, “If people with connection and adherence to terrorism win the election (we need to understand this as meaning if their candidates are not elected) we will remove them from office and appoint trustees in their place.”(*)

The accusations couching the reasons for removing the mayors from office in the cliché of “connection and adherence to terrorism!” Of course, these accusations are based on absolutely no factual document or court ruling. On the contrary, they are reasons extending as far as business entirely within the jurisdiction of municipalities such as changing the names of parks and streets that have been cobbled together to serve as reasons. But not a single court ruling or compelling piece of evidence is adduced in connection with these claims. Just as no proof was presented to back up previous allegations whereby trustees were appointed!

THOSE ENTERING STANDOFFS WITH THE PEOPLE HAVE LOST IN THE END

Despite the threats implying “If you don’t vote for our candidates we’ll appoint trustees” that Erdoğan and Soylu kept up over the election campaign, the people once more clearly expressed their will. And, on 31 March, they yet again entrusted the municipalities to HDP-candidate mayors with large majorities as if to say, “No to trustees.”

Interior Minister Soylu has embarked on a standoff with the region’s people by removing the Diyarbakır, Van and Mardin mayors from office and appointing trustees in their place. This was a “repeat” standoff against the people’s will, to boot, because the people of the region had in fact taken these municipalities from the “trustees” and given them to elected mayors. Now, before even five months have passed, the power holders have once more appointed provincial governors as “trustees” to these three metropolitan cities in flagrant disregard of the popular will.

It is hard to determine how the people will respond to this “repeat standoff.” But it is a truth borne out countless times over human history that political parties and governments which enter into a standoff with the people do not come out of it well.

JOINT STRUGGLE OF ALL FORCES AGAINST THE SINGLE-MAN ADMINISTRATION

In fact, the trampling on the popular will in three provinces, having the appearance of being the AKP rulership’s settling of scores with the HDP, is a development that acquires meaning to the extent it is placed within a wider picture.

This is because the ousting of elected mayors and the appointing of “trustees” in their place is a threat to the entire opposition. It is not merely a settling of scores with the people of the three provinces for not voting for the AKP, it is at the same time a punishment of the HDP for voting for CHP candidates in the main metropolitan cities in the west and playing a key role in the AKP and People’s Alliance suffering a crushing defeat and for moving close to the CHP. This at the same time is the regional extension of the tactic of using majorities on municipal assemblies and sub-provincial municipalities (including expanding the powers of the central state to neutralize local authorities) to thwart the functioning of opposition municipalities in metropolitan cities. And if this tactic does not fail and, undoubtedly more crucially, if opposition to the appointing of trustees to municipalities in the provinces of the region is not brought to bear effectively enough, it harbingers the possibility of “trustees” being appointed to opposition municipalities in western provinces. It is the expression of the single-man aspiration at provincial level: It belongs to the tradition of “single-man administrations” for mayors and provincial governors to be the same person! On condition, for sure, of being appointed by the “single man” at the top. This explains Erdoğan and his government’s aspiration to this extent to reduce provincial and sub-provincial governors and mayors to a “single man” through trustees. In “single-party, single-man” administrations, provincial governors, mayors and the provincial chair of the “single party” being the same people is the most desired form of such administrations!

Do not say, “Can things regress to such an extent?” If today the wish of the people to stand up for its will can be supressed, it must be realized that such possibilities will cease to be possibilities and become reality.

In short, the appointing of trustees in the region is not just the issue of the people of these three metropolitan municipalities, nor just of the people of the region (Kurds) and the HDP. This issue is the issue of Turkey’s democratization and the struggle against the single-party, single-man regime. It is thus an issue of democratization of sufficient importance to warrant the joint struggle of all sections, democratic forces, advanced democratic circles, intellectuals, arts world people and academics, of all forces who are opposed to the “single-party, single-man administration.”

(*) In fact, Erdoğan, appearing on ATV on the evening of 27 March 2019, clearly stated that they would not accept any potential results not to their liking with three days to go before the election, saying, “We will remove those embroiled in terrorism from the edge, side or corner from office in local authorities. I reiterate this.”

(Translated by Tim DRAYTON)

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