If you still have any doubts about the strength of the cycle of corruption and impunity in today\u2019s Turkey, look at the extraordinary session of the Parliament that convened on 19 March.<\/p>\n
The main opposition party CHP, \u00a0with the support of the other two opposition parties, recalled the Parliament in order to read and discuss prosecutors\u2019 files against the four government ministers that left the government following corruption allegations.<\/p>\n
First, the speaker of the Parliament Cemil \u00c7i\u00e7ek used his authority to change the deputy speaker managing the session. According to a previously published list of rotation, the session should have been presided by the opposition National Action Party\u2019s Meral Ak\u015fener. Mr \u00c7i\u00e7ek replaced her with a Justice and Development Party member Sadik Yakut.<\/p>\n
The governing party deputies initially stayed out of the chamber but once a quorum of 184 lawmakers was obtained with the opposition members being present, AKP deputies filed in.<\/p>\n
Amid raucous scenes, the deputy speaker turned down the opposition demand that proposals to be read out.<\/p>\n
The Parliament TV has refused to broadcast the session.<\/p>\n
The governing party claimed that the contents of the proposals were already in public domain and there was no need for them to be voiced again in the Parliament. Their representative denied the government was derailing the investigation, parliamentary privilege did not apply and the law prevented reading of the charges before an indictment has been submitted to court.<\/p>\n
The opposition called the decision a \u201cblack stain on Turkish democracy\u201d.<\/p>\n
As well as being a scandal, I would call it \u201cpower with impunity\u201d.<\/p>\n