IN becoming and staying put for nearly six months as Turkey's first ever Islamist Prime Minister in 73 years of Ataturk's secular republic. Ne-jemettin Erbakan has achieved a remarkable feat. not withstanding carping by secular detractors inside Turkey and watchful unease and caution in the West, specially USA, and even Muslim,.coupjjieg ,W&h radical religious parties and groups, Erbakan's, : religion based Refah (Welfare) party emerged as the largest party in Turkey's single-chamber Parliament winning 160 seats out of 550 and 21.4 per cent of votes in the general election held a year ago. President Suleyman Demirel did ask Erbakan to form a government, but all the other party leaders treated him as a pariah. A similar fate was reserved for Atal Bihari Vajpayee. whose Hindutva Bhar-tiya Janata Party (BJP) also came out as the largest party in India's lower house of Parlia-'ment a few months later in May 1996. While India's 13 party conglomerate United Front (literally a Pandora's box) of secular centre, left of centre, regional and other hues parties with Congress party's support from outside, under PM Deve Gowda Is muddling through, a similar shotgun government formed, under pressure from local secular elite, business and trading groups, the Turkish Armed Forces and the West led by USA, by the two right of centre parties. Motherland Party (ANAP) of Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz and True Path Party (DYP) of former first ever lady Prime Minister of Turkey. Tansu Ciller (with qualified support from left of centre DSP of Bulent Ecevit), collapsed after a few months only, because of constant siblings like rivalry to lead Turkey's political centre.

It was not very clever of Yilmaz to support Parliamentary enquiries into corruption charges against Ciller (as if PM Deve Gowda supported Parliamentary enquiries against PVN Rao on Pathak allegations. St Kitts forgery case etc soon after being sworn in). Naturally the lady bucked and after an understanding with Erbakan joined up as Deputy Prime Minister (in the Parliamentary committees the two parties have cleared her of two of the charges and as quid pro quo Refan has also been cleared of Mercumek corruption case). Because of political instability and gridlock the secular elite, the Armed Forces and the West also acquiesced in Erbakan be-

coming the PM. Some hoped that Rafah wM make aLmess / and becom*t*tecrW«L white ' others, ma^JuCBwOPt dM, some in USA thought that perhaps, Refah. the most moderate of the Islamic parties in the world, might join the mainstream and play by the existing democratic rules.

While in the opposition, Erbakan had talked against NATO, opposed Customs Union with Europe, decried Operation Provide Comfort, which facilitates the Gulf coalition powers to monitor No Fly Zone in northern Iraq to protect Kurds, opposed defence cooperation with Israel (vehemently opposed by Arab countries). He used to talk of creating an Islamic NATO and Islamic Common Market, an Islamic Dinar and banking based on Sharia. He has made noises and gestures. but nothing to upset anyone. To please his constituency, he has preferred visiting Muslim countries (not that the west is waiting with open arms) i.e. Iran, Pakistan (where he maintained the usual Turkish bias on Kashmir in favour of the host). Malaysia. Indonesia (Singapore could not be excluded). a reluctant Egypt (having its own problems with radical Muslims). Libya, where Kaddafi's gratis advice to give freedom to Turkish Kurds (who are waging a rebellion since over 10 years) and jettison Western links caused red faces and acute embarrassment, and the West-shunned Nigeria. If anything, it might have shoed to Rafah loyalists that the Islamic Iran was not doing as well as the capitalist and democratic Indonesia and Malaysia, highlighting the limitations of Sharia economics.

An attempt has been made to bring together major Islamic countries under the umbrella of D-8 (Turkey, Iran. Pakistan. Bangladesh. Indonesia. Malaysia, Egypt and Nigeria) on the lines ofG-7 (as a counterpart!) and G-15 Lts Trade and industry affiliate, Muslad organised an international Business Forum on Global Business Network among Muslim Nations in the 3rd week of Novem-

ber. Iranians" and Indonesians were somewhat eqjhqpiastlc. It7 .mSSkSXi

D-8 early next year.

The key ministries like Home. Defence. Foreign Affairs are with Ciller's DYP (finance being shared sows confusion). In matters of crucial importance Erbakan has followed the Constitution and accepted centrist policies, externally and internally. Defence agreement with Israel is not only being implemented, but another one has been signed. But the most difficult act has been to gulp । down the recent decision of the i Supreme Military Council to dismiss a large number of military officers, mostly for their alleged religious affiliations and inclinations, causing much resentment and heart burn in the radical wing of Refah party. Operation Provide Comfort was extended till the US felt that it could be modified. It reminds one of a story of 1977. when the newly appointed Indian Foreign Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. who in opposition had held hawkish views on India making the nuclear bomb, was asked for his views then. He had laughed it off by stating. Well, then I was in the opposition".

But more and more Western leaders are showing willingness to talk to Erbakan or his confidantes. His government seems to be the most stable in the last two years and seems secure for the time being. According to the coalition power sharing agreement. he is to hand over power to Ciller in mid 1998 only, an eventuality not likely to give Refah a near majority. It will then need only a small party to form a government. As it is Yilmaz to get Ciller out of powpr is begging to form its coalition with Erbakan. But to reach 30 per cent vote Erbakan must move further to the centre. There are enough people sympathetic to his views in the right wings of ANAP and DYP. But then the radicals in his party either leave or are expelled. His main problem remains his party. How to keep the heterogeneous elements together. So far he has the overriding com-

mand and authority.

fah's mayors in Ankara and Istanbul. which they had won in 1994, more efficient and honest than in the past. Previously Istanbul's mayors have often been tarred with overlooking corruption. Refah mayors have also tried to look after the needs of the poor and needy by providing medical aid and cheap bread etc Shades of BJP; its honest and efficient running of Delhi and other Municipalities and earlier administrations In the states. At the October party congress, first time as a member of the ruling establishment. Refah unlike in the past, did not fly only party flags, but flags of Turkey and displayed large photographs of its founder Ataturk and his slogan Peace at home and peace abroad!' Erbakan even talked of true secularism (like BJP's LK Advani). Like BJP, Refah also has Mosque problem. The magnificent Byzantine St Sophia Church, constructed in 6th

(century AD was transformed into a mosque with’ the addition of minarets in 1453, after ottoman Sultan Fethi had conquered the city of Constantinople from the last Byzantine Emperor. After the abolition of the Caliphate, Ataturk had St Sophia mosque converted into a museum. Refah agenda has its conversion back into a mosque. Some ambivalent statements were made after Erbakan became the PM. When I had asked

ope of his close confidants the •ositiqnoLhfe jurty and the goyeriimaiit on tBs recently, he had distinctly. lioked uncomfortable and had said that they were not pursuing it then. Most secular Turks believe that the change back to the mosque will not be allowed as it would be a major blow eyeing a smaller mosque (not orthodox) In Bodrum (birthplace of Herodotus).

On the economic front, apart from deficit promoting steps like increase in the salaries and wages of government servants and workers, with an eye on the elections, nothing seems to have been done.(Fiscal) deficit now runs at 13 per cent compared to India's 5 to 6 per cent the annual inflation in Turkey runs at 80 to 85 per cent compared to India's 6 per cent). There has been a vague talk of massive privatisation to cut the deficit. But the past record Is not very encouraging. But then, the Turks have been living beyond their means since early nineties and except for a thwarted but valiant austerity package by Ciller in April 1994, no one has dared to annoy any section of electorate. Turkey continues to borrow internally excessively. The fact is that the West, with which Turkey is linked through NATO, OECD, Council of Europe etc and in January 1996 also entered into Customs Union with Europe, will not let it down. Even after the break up of the Soviet Union. Turkey remains a western bulwark in a turbulent and hostile region.

India and Turkey, after the two found themselves on the opposite sides of the Cold War and Jawahar Lal Nehru's ill-timed visit in I960, a few days before the coup-detat, the Turks maintain that they took the initiative to normalise bilateral relations, when Prime Minister Demirel sent his Foreign Minister I S Caglayangil to India in 1968 (also to soften the non-aligned movement leader India's support to MakarioS on Gyprus. as,Turkey's relations had not improved enough with the, Arab and other Muslim countries on the basis of reli-8on and economic exchanges;

IC had yet to materialise). But within a decade the two countries became engrossed In their own affairs. In mid 1980s. during a transit haft in Bombay. PM Turgut Ozal while returning from Far east was very charmed by a short drive along Bombay's Marine Drive (most Turks fall in love with it as it reminds them of Istanbul’s Bosplforous) and was very taken up by the young and dynamic Maharashtra Minister of Protocol. Ozal looked at his Ambassador and said. "Perhaps we have neglected this country”. At his meeting with Rajiv Gandhi at the gathering for UN in New York, the two leaders took to each other and he was duly invited to visit India, which he did in 1987. Next year Rajiv Gandhi was in Turkey and President Kenan Evren was sent to India in early 1989. President SD Sharma came to Turkey in 1993 and President Demirel returned the visit In January 1995. In the last year and a half, the two countries have been embroiled in elections and with uneasy coalition governments had little time for each other except for a path-breaking first ever visit by Turkey's Chief of General Staff — Mandira

The writer is a retired ambassador of India to Turkey.