A friend in Istanbul comments on the current demonstration:
How the hey could a small protest by several dozen people trying to defend a relatively small patch of green space in central Istanbul mushroom into what appears to be the largest sustained protest movement in recent years, one that is shaking the government to its foundations? This analysis by Ihsan Yılmaz, in the English language Today's Zaman newspaper was quite perceptive:
"The country is not being more Islamized. On the contrary, neo-liberal monstrous capitalism reigns in the country, banks generate unbelievable profits based on interest, and fat cats continue to abuse nature, the environment and workers. Corruption is on the rise. Transparency and accountability are the enemies of politicians. The freedoms of speech, expression and religion are still very limited."
Today's Zaman tends to be pro-government and conservative on social issues and carries the views of many Muslim intellectuals, such as Mr. Yılmaz. But especially more recently, it has been quite critical of the AK Party's development policies and particularly its stance on environmental issues.
Up until now, the AK Party government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, resting on a solid base of support from between 52 and 58% of the electorate, has been able to swat aside any and all criticisms and protests of its neo-liberal, pro-big business policies and projects. The third Bosphorus bridge project, the third airport project (projected to be the biggest in the world), and the Golden Horn metro bridge project, just to name a few, are being planned in secret and then pushed through with no consultation with the public, and if you don't like it, well then, lump it! Right now, it's as if the Gezi Park project has crystallized the discontent building over these projects and created a tipping point. Life in Istanbul is very hard indeed. Noise, pollution, crowds, hours in unbearable traffic to get to and from work, the constant stress of trying to make ends meet for working and poor people while a small minority become very, very rich. The plan to turn the last green space in the Taksim district into a commercial-residential center for the benefit of a few and to the detriment of the many seems to have been the straw that broke the camel's back.
At this point, it appears that the government, in its hubris, has overreached. The usually politically astute Prime Minister may very well have made a very serious miscalculation in refusing to reconsider the project in the face of the very deep opposition. Even members of his own party are joining in the criticism. Former Culture Minister and now AK Party Izmir Deputy Ertuğrul Günay had harsh words for the plan:
"Those attempting to cut down the 75-year-old trees on the anniversary of the Fall of Constantinople to build a shopping mall understand neither the spirit of Fatih Sultan Mehmed [Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, who conquered Istanbul] nor the orders of the Creator.”
Major companies who normally rent space in shopping malls have come out publicly against the establishment of a shopping mall in the park and have pledged not to set up shop there. In a recent development and a major victory for the protest movement, a lower court has issued a temporary stay of execution of the park project. What will happen now is anyone's guess. While Turkey may not be Syria, Egypt, Libya or Tunisia, it does seem like we are on the brink of a fairly significant transformation in Turkish politics. In the meantime, the entire Taksim area continues to be a war zone.
It's hard to understand how the AK Party government could persist in thumbing its nose at the public at this moment when it has historic issues on its agenda, such as the peace process with the PKK and the writing of a new constitution. Obviously, the government needs support from broader forces beyond its own ranks if it's going to complete these initiatives successfully. Its stance on the Gezi Park protests and the unleashing of the police in unprovoked attacks on protesters can only alienate those social forces that have been supportive of the peace initiative and are willing to cooperate on the drafting of a new constitution.
A socialist revolution it may not be; however the masses are awakening from their slumber.
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