Diyarbakir Speaks for the New Constitution The fourth stop of the Constitution Platform Citizens’ Assembly was Diyarbakır.

ANKARA – The fourth meeting of the Constitution Platform Citizens’ Assembly series was held in Diyarbakır on Sunday, February 19, 2012.

The fourth of the Citizens’ Assembly  which was started with the slogan “Turkey Speaks” by thirteen professional and civil society organizations comprising the Constitution Platform initiative group, was held in Diyarbakır with broad participation. Citizens from Diyarbakır discussed the issues they wanted to be covered by a new constitution. The meeting was attended also by TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, Parliament Speaker Cemil Çiçek, members of the Constitution Committee of the Turkish National Assembly (TNA), local administratives, and representatives from local and national civil society organizations.

Delivering opening remarks, TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu stressed that Diyarbakır was a city of thousands of years of civilization, scholarship and enlightenment and said, “We came here to ask you what kind of constitution Diyarbakır wants.”

Accentuating the need for a new constitution, Hisarcıklıoğlu continued:

“Because this nation is great and has ambitious goals, we aim to become one of the top 10 economies and leaders of the world. But our ideals no longer fit this mold. These garments are too small for us. This constitution is unable to support our goals. For this reason, we have come together. Now, we have a great opportunity in our hands. All parts of society and political parties in the TNA have agreed upon making a new constitution. The people will be the tailors of the new garments we will wear. This constitution should be made upon the consensus of the people, not experts.”

He said, “The new constitution should be one new that focuses on the individual, excludes all discrimination, strives to realize the ideal of equality in all fields of social life, enables individuals to benefit from rights and freedoms on a universal standard, is democratic, and maintains the principles of a secular state and rule of law. Today is the day to state your thoughts and contribute to the future of the country.”

“We share the same views and dreams”

Stating that people and NGOs of differing aims and views share the same dreams for Turkey, he said, “Hopefully, by the end of this process, our children will inherit a country with more freedom, prosperity and confidence. Previously, we held meetings in Ankara, Konya and Edirne. Today, many civil society organizations stand among us. This is the day to speak up. This is the day to lay the foundation of Turkey’s future.”

Expressing their desire that everyone should contribute to the formation of a new constitution, he concluded, “Whatever your political or religious views are, if you don’t speak up today, the responsibility for the consequences lies with you.”

“Each and every demand will be considered”

Stressing that they are working on a social contract, Parliament Speaker Cemil Çiçek said, “It is you, not us, who must decide the terms of this contract. Please voice your thoughts and views. The constitution shall reflect the expectations of citizens from the state. Please tell us openly what you desire and what you expect the state to do.'' Accentuating that each and every view and demand would definitely be considered and evaluated, he added, “Otherwise, we could have drafted the new constitution with a commission in Ankara and then submitted it to your information.” He added , “This method was tried before. But citizens opposed to it argued that they could not embrace a constitution which did not reflect their voices and views. We can do nothing contrary your will and demands, we won’t and we shouldn’t. That is why we have come to ask you. We ask you, what kind of constitution do you want?”

Stating that they had to make a better constitution, he spoke:

''We need a new constitution so as to achieve an advanced and contemporary democracy which respects rights and freedoms more and a state system that serves its people more efficiently. We need a new constitution that fulfills the demands of its people, which eliminates the majority, if not all, of the constitution-driven problems we face today. We need a constitution that gives political agencies the authority, room and means to solve problems, not one which causes problems itself.''

He emphasized that the political establishment had a lot to lose if they were unable to implement a new constitution and that everyone should be implicitly aware of this fact. He continued:

“Some people argue that Turkey cannot manage to make a new constitution. Just look at today’s papers. It is our obligation to show everyone that the representatives and MPs of this country are able to make a new constitution to replace the junta constitution. It is not time to blame each other. This time, we have to do it all right and overcome this barrier between us. Together, we have to make a constitution which will reassure the people.''

“The new constitution must have humans at the center”

During the meeting, members of the Constitution Committee delivered brief speeches, one member MP to represent each party in the Parliament. Justice and Development Party MP Mehmet Ali Şahin said that a constitution which does not have humans at the center would create instead of solve problems. He added, “Constitutions are made to solve problems. None of the four constitutions Turkey has used over eighty-nine years, however, has been able to solve problems. In fact, the constitutions aggravated problems in some cases.”

Peace and Democracy Party MP Altan Tan spoke: "There still is a pressing need for a new constitution. We have problems which have been prevailing since the Charter of Alliance, the Imperial Edict of Gülhane, the Ottoman Basic Law or the second constitutionalist period of the Ottoman Empire. Unless they are solved in the way the people ask, these problems will reproduce themselves as even bigger challenges."

Nationalist Movement Party MP Faruk Bal maintained that Kurdish and Turkish people have been experiencing grief and joy together for generations, and said, “These common experiences have made us inseparable.” Stating that it was the right time to solve the existing problems, he added, “We will make a new constitution not for ourselves, but for the next generations.”

“We need a democracy package”

Republican People’s Party MP Atilla Kart stated that society had to find a common ground and maintained that the constitution was not a magic wand that would solve all of the problems of the country. Stressing that Turkey needs a package of democracy, he underlined that it was time to make a constitution which could be embraced by all. During the meeting, representatives from organizations comprising the Constitution Platform also delivered speeches.

“Let a new social contract end the fight between brothers and sisters”

Diyarbakır Mayor Osman Baydemir also delivered a speech during the opening session. Greeting the crowd in Kurdish, Baydemir stated that it was possible to make a new constitution under the body of the current parliament. Stressing that it was necessary to end the fight between brothers and sisters with a brand new social contract, he said, “We have to write a text which will make sure dark news will not be heard in any family from Edirne to Hakkari.”

The new constitution debated under ten headings

Following the opening session, an interactive session which was attended by citizens was held. During the session, participants expressed their opinions and voted on the options about the new constitution under ten headings: “freedom of expression and political association, coexistence, economic and social rights, the principle of social state and positive discrimination, quality of public services, religion-state relationship, government system, independence of the judiciary, elections and political parties, local administrations, and nature and cultural assets."

Previously meetings were held in Ankara, Konya and Edirne

The first meeting of the Constitution Platform –Turkey Speaks Citizens’ Meetings was held on Sunday, January 8, 2012 in Ankara, followed by the second meeting in Konya and the third in Edirne.

The meetings started with opening remarks by TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu and Parliament Speaker Cemil Çiçek. The opening ceremony was attended by professional organizations, union confederations and civil society organizations as well as Constitutional Committee member MPs.