Turkish Parliament's Tuesday Meetings Raise Political Temperature

Tuesdays are "Bashing Day" for the leaders of the political parties in the Turkish parliament. Every Tuesday at their party gatherings, they go on the attack, fiercely accusing one or the other of working against the best interests of Turkey, selling it off to foreign interests or paving the way for an independent Kurdistan. The regularly scheduled speeches by party leaders can sometimes border on hate speech. One should therefore not be deluded into thinking — or even hoping — that any of these leaders can speak the language of helping or healing needed to promote the resolution of issues by consensus. The parliamentary party meetings on Tuesday, Feb. 19, are prime examples.

Speaking at the gathering of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the country’s opposition of “chasing evil thoughts” and failing to support “inclusive” policies. The “evil” that Erdogan senses in the opposition resides in their understanding of "nationalism," which according to him, is no different from "racism." His outburst was triggered by an event that took place on Feb 18 in Sinop, on the Black Sea.