The recent coup attempt in Turkey has added a new level of complexity to the Middle East.
Turkey has long been seen as a model of stability in the region: an Islamic society that has simultaneously been democratic, moderate, and liberal.
Turkey and New Zealand share intimate historic links dating back to World War One, so we take a particular interest in what happens there.
During the recent coup attempt in Turkey, it was inspiring to see the numbers of people who went out in the streets to stop the coup in its tracks.
The question now is how the government responds to those who took part in the coup.
New Zealanders will be watching, concerned to see that the efforts of the people who bravely stood up for freedom and democracy in Turkey, and sacrificed their lives to ensure a coup wasn’t successful, aren’t eroded by clampdowns that could undermine Turkey’s modern political system.
Democracy isn’t just about elections; it’s about people being able to express themselves, about a free press, about the robust opposition, and genuine freedom of expression.
Turkey has declared a three-month state of emergency following the attempted coup.
This will enable President Erdogan and his cabinet to pass laws without going through parliament. There have been talks about voting back a reinstatement of the death penalty.
There is a growing risk that Turkey’s clampdown will undermine the very democracy that the people were able to protect when they took to the streets on the day of the coup.
New Zealanders will wish them every success in the future. Turkey has a special place in our hearts. Atatürk was the founding father of Turkey’s modern democracy, the same democracy that now faces a real challenge as the state of emergency is imposed.
My hope is that his vision for Turkey continues. He is famous in New Zealand for those immortal words, referring to the three thousand young Kiwi men who lost their lives on Gallipoli’s beaches:
“Those heroes who shed their blood and lost their lives! You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours. You, the mothers, who sent their sons from far away countries, wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well.”