Democracy and Freedoms Declaration from the TKP: 'Bring it on!'

The Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) has published a 6-point "Declaration of Democracy and Freedoms" and announced that it will soon share its proposals regarding political parties and election laws.

The declaration, announced on the TKP's website, begins with assessments that the concepts of democracy and freedom have been tainted by the capitalist class, religious reactionism, and imperialists. It clarifies that standing against this contamination does not mean the TKP does not want democracy and freedom, stating, "But we will not give the slightest credit to a democracy tainted by Sorosism, marketism, NATO-ism, and sectarianism, or to a freedom that is a prisoner to imperialism and exploitation."

Here is the full text of the declaration:

"Declaration of Democracy and Freedoms

Enemies of secularism and the republic demanded democracy for sects; freedom for sheikhs, imams, and clerics.

For the capitalist class, democracy meant the immunity of bosses, the freedom to plunder and loot, and the freedom to exploit the working people as they please.

For imperialists, democracy became a pretext for the invasion of countries and a code name for coup and 'color revolution' attempts.

According to imperialists, freedom was a pretext for the invasion of countries; democracy was the code name for coup and 'color revolution' attempts.

They tainted these concepts and values together.

Our standing against this contamination does not mean we do not want democracy and freedom.

We want the best of it; for humanity, for our people, for our country.

But we will not give the slightest credit to a democracy tainted by Sorosism, marketism, NATO-ism, and sectarianism, or to a freedom that is a prisoner to imperialism and exploitation.

Democracy means that the people's participation in decision-making processes is not restricted. In Turkey, the measures taken by governments for decades to prevent working people from engaging in politics and sending their own representatives to parliament have been taken to extremes by the AKP; the space for politics has been severely narrowed, politics has been reduced to elections, and ultimately, the right to vote and be elected has been brought to the brink of elimination.

The people's right to protest was accused of being coup-plotting by the highest authorities, politics was 'judged,' and the practice of appointing trustees was turned into a tool for blackmail and bargaining. Arbitrary moves against political actors—with whom our party feels not the slightest affinity in terms of class and ideology, and with whom it is in opposition for extremely deep-rooted, not personal, reasons—have turned into intimidation of the public with the message that the ballot box can be set aside when necessary.

The TKP states that an advanced democracy and true freedoms will be realized in a socialist order where the working people are in power. Where there is no equality, independence, and secularism, there is no democracy and freedom.

Precisely for this reason, a part of our struggle to defeat the dictatorship of capital is to link the quest for democracy and freedom to the liberation of the people from exploitation.

We say 'bring it on' to all the establishment parties.

So you thought you could feed our people bigotry, Americanism, boss tyranny, and liberal delusions in the name of 'democracy and freedom.' Go ahead then:

1. Today, the segment in this country that has no rights is the working class, the laborers. They are the ones crushed by the high cost of living, and they are the ones who are sought to be disciplined by the threat of unemployment. Their right to oppose low wages has been taken away from them. They have no say in the determination of the minimum wage. The right to strike, which comes from the past and was won by paying very heavy prices, has been almost completely eliminated.

2. Politics cannot be reduced to elections. The right to vote and be elected is very important. However, this right itself is not limited to casting a vote in a ballot box every few years. Politics is a form of social relationship that continues in every area of life and at all times. It is in no way a crime for laborers or social segments to protest the government, invite it to resign, or exert political and ideological pressure on it. The government invents crimes as it pleases and thinks it is untouchable.

3. We are in favor of an organized society. Our citizens should be organized in their workplaces, schools, and neighborhoods. Mass organizations, assemblies, unions, and political parties are different forms of this organization. While the government organizes a systematic attack on all these forms of organization, it has opened a wide space for the sects that the Republic's revolutions banned. These sects, which claim to be 'sacred,' carry out all kinds of activities without any supervision, take small children into their structures under the name of courses, settle into all state institutions, and earn huge tax-exempt profits. The definition of 'secularism is respect for beliefs' placed in textbooks was invented to leave sects free. Freedom of belief and worship is a fundamental human right; no one can touch it. Secularism, however, has only one definition: keeping religious affairs away from state affairs and politics.

4. Turkey must get rid of its current political parties and election law as soon as possible. Every article of this law is designed to keep the people away from politics. This law creates one-man parties. From the treasury aid given to political parties that comes out of the people's pockets, to the TRT—which should be impartial—turning into a mouthpiece for the government devoid of any aesthetics or reality, to the 7 percent threshold for entering parliament and alliances, it is full of provisions and practices that fundamentally undermine the principle of equality in the political structure.

5. Both the presidential system and the parliamentary system proposed against it restrict the powers of the Parliament. Yet, there should be no power above the will of the people. Ministers, the head of state, and the prime minister should be elected by the Parliament, be responsible to the Parliament, and be removable by the Parliament when deemed necessary. The Parliament that will exercise this power should not consist of professional politicians, but of workers, intellectuals, and students who continue to live and produce among the people. The Parliament should not be permanent but should meet at certain intervals, bringing all the important issues of the country to the agenda and in front of the eyes of the people.

6. The current government does not have the competence to draft a Constitution. The constitution of the September 12 counter-revolution cannot be replaced by another counter-revolutionary constitution. Turkey's next constitution must be a revolutionary constitution. If an update is needed today, the article 'the state shall meet all citizens' needs for education, health, housing, and heating free of charge' should be added to the immutable provisions of the Constitution, and 'the exploitation of man by man' should be prohibited.

Yes, now we ask all political parties, the government, and the opposition: What do you think about these fundamental issues?

Will you continue to say 'democracy and freedom' when it suits you, and bury your head in the sand when it does not? There is democracy, and then there is democracy... The one you defend and hide behind is the democracy of capital and bosses. In this democracy, there is no place for the working people, for the working class.

Starting with this statement, we will show our people one by one how you hide behind the words 'democracy' and 'freedom' that you never let fall from your lips.

If you say 'we are sincere,' you must respond to our proposals regarding political parties and election laws that you will receive shortly, and do what is necessary."