Human Rights Association (IHD) criticized the programme of 61st Government for the absence of the “human rights” issue. Demanding an immediate revision of the programme, IHD said; “The new program was prepared hurriedly and the 61st Government has apparently left all our hopes to the new constitution.”
IHD has made evaluations on the human rights context within the government program’s main topics European Union, the new Constitution, Advanced Democracy, Security, Government Reform, Employment, Working Life and Social policies. IHD, finding the program wanting, underlined that there is a need for a serious government program to tackle with the problems of human rights and democracy.
NO CONCRETE TARGETS IN FULL MEMBERSHIP IN THE EU
IHD’s assessment is as follows; “We observe that the program doesn’t consist of any tangible developments under the title of the European Union except for the establishment of the European Union Ministry. The program doesn’t notify about the time for completion of the negotiations for full membership in the EU and about the standards of democracy in compliance with Copenhagen Political Criteria, superiority of law, human rights and minority rights and obeyance to the targets of national program declared earlier. We have observed that the 61st Government doesn’t have a concrete target in this period regarding full membership in the EU.”
“As to the issue of the New Constitution, the promises for a new collective agreement, pluralism, social diversity and a democratic state of law are positive but there are no detailed definitions about what exactly the new Constitution will consist of.
As to the issue of Advanced Democracy, while it is mentioned that the seeking for a multi-dimensional and permanent solution will be continued in respect of issues such as language, religion, sect and ethnic origin, there are no suggestions about the context of this solution. The program once again follows a line of national unity and brotherhood which in fact is applied on especially Kurdish people and social opposition focuses as an exact repression of the legal order. There are concepts such as one nation that arise from the mentality of religious communities. There are important emphasis that assimilation will end but it is not mentioned how it will be brought to an end. Besides, there is an insubstantial emphasis that the Emergency Rule was abolished by the AKP government because the Emergency Rule was abolished by Ecevit’s government in 2002.”
