Let's look at future, not past, says minister

Instead of dealing with the mistakes of the past, Turkey should try to build a future all together, said Culture Minister Ertuğrul Günay.

Günay held a press conference on Tuesday promoting the activities the ministry had carried out over the last two years. Günay also answered questions from the press members on the recent political developments.

Responding to a question regarding the political attempts to change the interim Article 15 of the Constitution, which gives immunity to the perpetrators of the 1980 military coup, Günay said many years had passed since the 1980 military coup.

“Turkey failed to establish its democracy and institutionalize its democracy by failing to face its past. But maybe it is now better for Turkey to build a future all together instead of dealing with the past,” Günay said.

“Maybe Turkey can give a good answer to those who wanted to make the different communities living in Turkey enemies to each other by ignoring the different religious and ethnic groups and showing that they all live in peace together. In such a way, we can give a historical answer to them and show that Turkey isn’t afraid of democracy but lives together with democracy.”

Noting that Turkey can give thanks to friendships not enmity, Günay said Turkey hosted different religious and ethnic groups. “The current Constitution ignores this fact but there are many different local languages that are like the different colors of a carpet. They don’t blacken the carpet but make it more beautiful.”

He said ironically some political powers who once harshly criticized the 1982 military constitution now support it. “We are in an absurd political atmosphere. This is not my topic and I don’t want to comment on such issues, but an irrational discussion atmosphere emerges once these issues are brought up,” Günay said.