44
what they already achieved and eventually the military intervention and movement that injured the country can be solved by Erdogan with his party.
106
This certainly has positive impact on the political journey in Turkey.
b. The Woman’s Rule in Turkish Government
The effort of Erdogan and his party to actualize the true democracy based on laws not only by over coming the Turkish military intervention in the government
but also providing some legislative seats to women. The number of women who currently sit in parliament increased compared to the previous government, the
proportion of women in the new parliament is higher 14 percent than in at least two European Union states, Romania and Cyprus, according to figures compiled
by the Inter-Parliamentary Union. The 2011 Turkish election resulted an increase number of women‟s seat parliament from 48 to 78 of 550 seat.
107
In addition, since October 2013, the Turkish government lifted a ban on headscarves in state
institutions.
108
This is such an additional positive value for Turkish democracy on the womens rights that had previously shackled by the Turkish secular system in
Turkey. Then now women both inside and outside of the parliament can take part in shaping Turkeys democratic contours and driving Turkeys development.
106
Gul Tuysuz and Sabrina Tavernise
, “Europe-Top Generals Quit in Group, Stunning Turks,”The New York
Times ,
July 29,
2011, [online
article], available
from: http:www.nytimes.com20110730worldeurope30turkey.html?pagewanted=all_r=0
, accessed
at 2272014
107
Diba Nigar, “Time for Turkish womens voices to be heard”, ALJAZEERA, 1762011, available from: http:www.aljazeera.comindepthopinion2011062011614125644439453.html
, accessed at 682014
108
Humeyra Pamuk, “Turkey Lifts Generation-old bann on Islamic Headscarfs”, Reuters US edition, 8102013, [online article], available from:
http:www.reuters.comarticle20131008us-turkey-headscarf-ban-idUSBRE99708720131008 , accessed at 6
august 2014
45
c. Minority Problem
The other serious problem for the Turkish government to purify the essence of democracy is to raise the rights of minorities, the minority here is the Kurds which
is the ethnic group who settled and lived in Kurdistan, the mountainous region in West Asia which includes parts of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Armenia. It is
inhabited by approximately 8 million Kurds.
109
In July 2009, Erdogan stated that the government he leads would attempt to resolve the Kurdish problem. One of
the government‟s ways to resolve this issue was by receiving any cultural activities with a language other than Turkish. The implication of this policy was
the emergence of a new television channel with the name of TRT-6 with Kurdish broadcasting. It was considered as an important historical views of Turkish history
because until the early 90s the state officially rejected the existence of Kurdish. From this phenomenon, many observers said that the success of Erdogan
leadership become the most important and strategic factor of AKP Party in attracting the Kurdish voters.
110
The problems above are what the Turkish government tried to resolve in term of domestic politics. In addition to fix the domestic politics, Turkey also seeks to
create an active foreign politics in order to bring positive value to the international world.
109
“Who Are the Kurds”, The Washington Post Company, 1999, [online article], available from: http:www.washingtonpost.comwp-srvinatldailyfeb99kurdprofile.htm
. 16 May, 2014
110
Syarif Taghian, Erdogan-Muadzin Istanbul Penakluk Sekularisme Turki, p: 84-87
46
d. Foreign Politics
