Those the Nation Alliance does not see: Kurds, minorities, secularism, LGBTQIA+, religious orders…

Those the Nation Alliance does not see: Kurds, minorities, secularism, LGBTQIA+, religious orders…
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In the Nation Alliance’s Consensus Paper, many topics such as the Kurdish problem, religious orders, secularism, and the Istanbul Convention went wholly unmentioned. The words “education, technology, investment, incentive” were most frequently used.

Arti Gercek reports that the Nation Alliance shared their Common Policies Consensus Paper with the public. In the text, which is also considered an outline of their government program, the Nation Alliance listed what they would do if they came to power. In a total of 244 pages, more than two thousand items were listed under nine headings. However, some of the topics that were at the top of the Turkish agenda were either not included in the text or these conversations were mentioned very indirectly. This becomes clear when the words in the text are analyzed. The words “Kurdish, Kurdish issue, LGBTQIA+, minority, secularism, Istanbul Convention, religious order,” were not included in the text even once. “Education,” “technology,” “investment,” and “incentive” became the most used words.

NO “KURD,” NO “PROBLEM”

The Nation Alliance members have spoken many times about the Kurdish issue. It was even known that there were differences of opinion and arguments in their views of the Kurdish issue. Although there is a consensus in politics and society that the Kurdish issue is one of Turkey's top priorities, this was not reflected in the released text. The words “Kurdish” or “the Kurdish issue” were not mentioned anywhere in the text, and there were no paragraphs or references to the solution of the Kurdish question in any of the nine headings and any of their sub-headings. Just as there was neither “Kurdish” nor “Kurdish problem,” the word “southeast” was also not included in the text.

A CONSENSUS WITHOUT MINORITIES

Another word that was not included in the text of the Consensus Paper was the word “minority.” Identities such as Circassians and Laz, and religious minorities such as Jews and Christians were not included in the text.

Apart from the two sentences that mentioned relations with Armenia, the word “Armenian” was not included in the agreement.

THERE ARE “WOMEN,” BUT NO ISTANBUL CONVENTION

One of the most frequently used words in the Nation Alliance's Consensus Paper was
“woman.” “Women” was a separate sub-title under the social policies section. The word “woman,” which was mentioned 94 times in the text, was generally used in articles referring to employment and business life. “Femicide” and “Istanbul Convention” were not included in the text. While the information that working women will be considered on administrative leave on March 8, which is International Women’s Day, is included in the text, “March 8” did not appear elsewhere.

“FAMILY” NOT DEFINED, BUT SUPPORTED

“Family” was also one of the frequent words in the text. However, no definition or reference was made to the family structure, an issue which came to the fore again with the headscarf proposal prepared by the Justice and Development Party and the Nationalist Movement Party. The usage of “family” was often in conjunction with economic and social support programs.

No reference was made in the text regarding the situation of LGBTQ+ individuals, a topic which also came to the fore with the family arrangement in the headscarf proposal.

THERE ARE NEITHER RELIGIOUS ORDERS NOR SECULARISM

The Nation Alliance's Consensus Paper was shared with the public within hours of the first hearing of the lawsuit filed regarding the sexual enslavement of H.G.K., the daughter of Yusuf Ziya Gumusel, the founder of the Hiranur Foundation affiliated with the Ismailaga Religious Order, from the age of six, under the guise of “marriage.” In the text, it was stated that all necessary measures will be taken against the sexual abuse of children and that the obligations of the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (Lanzarote Convention) will be fulfilled. However, neither in this context nor in the context of education, social life or economy, were the words “religious orders” mentioned. “Secularism” also became one of the words not included in the text.

REQUIRED RELIGION CLASSES AND IMAM HATIP HIGH SCHOOLS UNMENTIONED UNDER THE EDUCATION HEADING

One of the nine headings of the Paper was “Education and Learning,” and “Education” was one of the most frequently used words in the text and was mentioned 302 times. Many subjects, from the new compulsory education system to the curriculum content, were covered under the heading of education. However, there was no mention of “compulsory religion classes” and “Imam-Hatip schools” in the text.

PLENTY OF INCENTIVES, NOT AS MANY UNIONS

The “economy” was one of the topics covered in the Consensus Paper. The word “investment” appeared in 108 places and “incentive” appeared in 135 places throughout the paper. The word “worker,” used in 16 parts of the text, was included indirectly, such as part of the phrases “agricultural worker,” “child laborer,” etc. While “workers' rights” was not included in the text, sentences about “unions” and “trade union rights” were used in the context of ILO and EU standards.

“TECHNOLOGICAL” CONSENSUS

One of the most used words in the text was “technology.” It was used 174 times in total under many different headings, from industry to homeland security, from education to health.

ALMOST NO REFERENCE TO DEMOCRACY AND THE REPUBLIC

Another remarkable detail in the text is that the word “democracy” is only used six times. The word “democracy,” which was used once in the introduction of the text, was also used twice in the section about the election. While the word “republic” is mentioned five times in the text, four of these counts are used as part of the phrase “prosecutor of the republic.”

“NATION” USED IN DIFFERENT CONTEXTS

The word “judiciary” was used 40 times and the word “justice” 27 times in the text. The word “state” was used 60 times in different contexts. The word “nation,” for which the alliance is named, was used 51 times in the text. However, almost all of these uses were part of phrases such as “United Nations” or “National Assembly.”