AK Party announces long-term plans in election manifesto

18 April 2011, Monday / ERCAN YAVUZ, ANKARA

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Saturday announced his Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) election manifesto, with the adoption of a new and more democratic constitution for Turkey being a priority for the ruling party, but also setting tangible goals such as bringing up the level of the nation's per capita income to $ 25,000 by 2023.

Erdoğan outlined five major headings in the manifesto titled “Turkey is ready. Target 2023.” The five areas that the AK Party will concentrate on are achieving an advanced democracy, a greater economy, a strong society, a sustainable environment, cities that have their own brand identity and Turkey becoming a leading economy in the world.

Professor Özer Sencar, head of research and survey consultancy POLLMARK, maintains that the AK Party's 2023 vision is a successful move in terms of the party's political communication strategy. “Announcing such long-term plans in a country where things change at a fast rate within the space of a year shows commitment. Although I think these plans are well-thought and good goals, I do have question marks as to their do-ability. The prime minister has correctly identified the nation's need for political stability. Even Republican People's Party (CHP) and Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) voters say they would like to see a single-party government in our polls. The percentage of those who say they would like to see a coalition government is less than 15 percent. Knowing this, Erdoğan is promising stability.”

Political sociologist Hikmet Aydın said he viewed the AK Party's manifesto as a psychological plan prepared with the sole purpose of winning elections. “And it looks like it will be winning this election, too. You can't possibly plan for 2023 in a country where conditions and circumstances change at such a rapid rate. You can't plan for 2023, they won't let you. This is, at best, a move to guarantee a win in the elections. The prime minister wants everyone to discuss this and decide on the main agenda. The one who determines the agenda wins the election.”

The AK Party also promises a more democratic constitution completely free of the militaristic outlook of the current one, which was adopted after the 1980 coup. On Saturday, Erdoğan said the “advanced democracy” target of the election manifesto could only be realized with the adoption of a new constitution. “We will prepare a short, clear, people-oriented constitution that is pro-freedom,” he said.

However, Sencar, says he is not certain about what the AK Party will do about drafting a new constitution. He explained, “It is important and a realistic goal to say, ‘We’ll pull the inflation rate down to below five percent. But saying, ‘We’ll draft a new constitution,’ isn’t realistic. His economic targets are sound and feasible, but there are ambiguities in terms of constitutional and democratization promises. I have doubts as to whether they’ll be able to draft a new constitution and whether they’ll be able to reach a consensus with the other parties. I don’t think that the AK Party will be able to take strong steps toward a new constitution even if it can capture a strong presence in Parliament.” He said the AK Party failed to be convincing in its pledge for a new constitution.

Journalist Mehmet Altan also expressed skepticism about some of the AK Party’s plans. He said, “The AK Party had made very simple yet very important promises when it first came to power, such as a constitution to strengthen democracy and changes to the political parties law and the election law. However, this hasn’t been achieved during its eight-and-a-half years in power. As an ordinary citizen, it appears to be a good program but as an academic, I see more of a developmental attitude. I can’t see a mentality that seeks to address issues such as forming a knowledge-based industrial society, or other more pressing matters. Dramatic reforms are needed in education, but there is nothing being said about that. EU reforms have stopped, but it is not clear what’s going to be done about that. There are many issues that can be discussed as part of a serious and thorough review.”

In a brief comment on the AK Party’s election manifesto, CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said, “I think they forgot to include man,” in response a question on what he thought of the manifesto during a visit he held to Şanlıurfa on Sunday, expressing his opinion that he didn’t agree that the manifesto was people-focused.

Crazy İstanbul project

One of the most anticipated topics regarding the AK Party’s plans concerns what Erdoğan earlier called a “crazy project” for İstanbul, whose content wasn’t disclosed. However, he didn’t give details on that project on Saturday either, saying he will make that information public on Apr. 27. Although, the election manifesto includes a major project for İstanbul. The AK Party plans to establish two new cities on both sides of the city, although it wasn’t clear whether there are any plans to divide the city administratively.

Erdoğan elaborated on the headings a sustainable environment and brand-cities saying that they would establish two new cities in İstanbul, where the population has neared 17 million. “Let me make this clear, I am talking about two new cities. One on the European side and one on the Anatolian side,” he said. He said they will share the architectural details of the project with the public in various presentations.

Meanwhile, CHP Deputy Group Chairman Akif Hamzaçebi on Sunday accused Erdoğan of stealing a CHP project. “The two new cities project in İstanbul is essentially a CHP project,” he said, saying that he had proposed the same idea during 2008 budget talks. However, he said Erdoğan -- who has essentially been in charge of İstanbul since 1994, where he was mayor before becoming prime minister -- has finally reached a point that can produce a solution, as opposed to luring more migrants and constructing more buildings, which he says are the staples of the AK Party urban management mentality.

The prime minister also made promises about the judiciary. He said the AK Party was bent on building a judicial system in which people will have full confidence. He also said the AK Party’s fight against illegal groups inside state agencies will continue with determination.

The AK Party leader said their election manifesto was both a roadmap for Turkey and a vision of the future for the country. He also criticized election promises from the CHP leader, without mentioning his name. He said unlike other politicians, his party hadn’t included any project where the financial source isn’t clear; noting that they’d only included realistic and achievable goals.

“The targets were put forth distinctly and it was clearly expressed in what way and by what time these targets will be met. There is an enormous amount of sensitivity to stay clear from populism. You will not find Kaf Mountain [a legendary mountain found in Turkish fairy tales]. Nor will you find any unreachable target, or fictional promises. The AK Party’s election manifesto was not prepared for the sake of trading in hope and dreams; it was prepared as a powerful, reasonable and logical roadmap for Turkey. We didn’t promise anything we won’t be able to deliver,” Erdoğan said.

The second heading of the AK Party’s manifesto is “A Great Economy.” The AK Party has set a target for itself to make Turkey one of the world’s top 10 economies by the year 2023. By the same year, the AK Party wants to make Turkey one of the first biggest economies in the world in terms of agricultural economic growth. The target for Gross National Product (GNP) is set at $2 trillion 64 billion, and the per capita income target is $25,076. The manifesto seeks to make İstanbul one of the top 10 financial centers of the world and to bring down the unemployment rate to five percent, again by 2023. Erdoğan also announced plans to increase the length of intra-city highways to 365,000 km, by building 5,275 km of new roads and projects such as an underwater commuter tunnel for İstanbul, a third bridge over the Bosporus, and the completion of a project to build a new highway between İstanbul and İzmir.

The AK Party also plans to increase the duration of compulsory education to 13 years and change the structure of the Higher Education Board (YÖK), which oversees higher educational institutions. The government will also encourage Turkish universities to open campuses in other countries and will set up new giant city hospitals built on areas of 1 million square meters. The number of doctors will reach 200,000 from 120,000. The government also announced plans for new housing and a social support program for underprivileged families. The AK Party also has public health plans such as fighting obesity and tobacco addiction.

Economists evaluate AK Party election manifesto

The Justice and Development Party’s (AK Party) election manifesto, which sets ambitious social and economic goals for Turkey to be attained by the year 2023, offers exciting possibilities, but analysts also have concerns. Üstün Dikeç, a professor of economy at Çankaya University says, it is quite an ambitious endeavor for a government that is being elected for a period of four years to plan for 13 years. Dikeç said: “According to a World Bank report, in democratic countries a single party doesn’t last in power for a duration longer than a medium term, which is about 10 years. This will be the government’s third term, and if they win the election by a large margin then it may be possible for them to realize short-term targets. However, whether medium or long-term goals can be achieved will depend on the stability in the country. The prime minister says he will not run in the next term, which makes uncertain the fate of such commitments.”

Mustafa Acar, dean of the economic and administrative sciences faculty of Kırıkkale University, says it is a positive sign for Turkey to have become a country that can make such long-term plans, as opposed to earlier times when so much could change in just six months. “The key factor will be political stability and the continuation of economic growth,” he asserts, saying goals such as making Turkey the 10th biggest economy in the world, or brining the per capita income level to $25,000 are achievable. He also said the government’s track record in economy management lends it credibility. “They have been in power for the past nine years and achieved political and economic stability. So voters would take this into consideration, basing their decisions on the past acts of the government,” he stated.

City plan includes details of new İstanbul project

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Saturday spoke of the government's plans to create two new cities in İstanbul, but did not give any details on how that would be done except for saying that one will be on the Anatolian side and the other will be on the European side.

İstanbul has grown to an unmanageable size over the past few decades, due to incoming migrants and the continues rising of new apartment complexes. Erdoğan said the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) had a special plan to bring things in the city under control while announcing his election manifesto on Saturday. Urban planners say İstanbul's Environmental Order Plan – a key document seen as the city's own constitution – might include some hints. The plan envisages creating two new administrative units (possibly in the form of provinces) in İstanbul; one on the European side with Silivri being its center, and the other one on the Anatolian side with Kartal being its center. The first city will span the area that surrounds the D-100 and TEM highways between Silivri Province and Büyükçekmece district. Değirmenköy, Çanta, Hadımköy and the Kayabaşı and Ispartakule areas (north of the Büyükçekmece Lake) will be designated as new urban development regions. The area between the Büyükçekmece Lake until Tekirdağ will also develop in a controlled way. The new city will be supported by a university, setting up a technology campus, fair, congress and cultural centers and similar facilities. Railways, buses, metro and metrobus systems of the new city will also be integrated with the existing transportation network.

The second city, with Kartal being its central district, will cover the areas of Maltepe, Tuzla, Orhanlı, Şile and Ağva. All these districts will be designated as urban development regions. The Pendik, Yenişehir and Kurtköy areas are designated for technology development zones, while Orhanlı and its surroundings will be developed as a commercial center.

Source: Today's Zaman.
Link: http://www.todayszaman.com/news-241323-ak-party-announces-long-term-plans-in-election-manifesto.html.