The Rhetoric of Just Order

“The Zionists take the World imperialism under their control. They exploit the humanity via usurious capitalist order. They keep their political dominance on Earth via the imperialist states.” ²⁸⁶

According to the WP, the manufacturing and welfare were not shared fairly because of the order formed by Zionists. It defined this situation as ‘Slavery’

and gave five factors for it as ‘interest, unfair tax, mint, Exchange, and credit cards’. ²⁸⁷

In accordance with the pragmatism of Views of Ummah, the eclectical structure of the discourse was legalized by saying that ‘Just Order’ adopted the beneficial sides of capitalism and communism, but rejected the destructive ones. The literature and presentation model of ‘Just Order’, which was ²⁸⁸ enriched with metaphors, simple logic sampling, and Islamic patterns, besides being doctrinaire, was at such a level that it was easily understood and accepted as impressive by the people who have lower or mid-level intelligence and perception threshold. Let’s have a look a slice of statements in ‘Just Order’:

“In the order of Views of Ummah, there won’t be interest, and all the unfair taxes will be removed. Monetary value will be accepted as the right extent, and hard currency will be used. The unrequited money will not be minted, and money will not be devalued.

Everyone who yields by doing useful works with money will get credit fairly. Hence, everybody will get the opportunity to buy three loaves of bread with the same money that he buys just one formerly.

With the same fund, he will produce three times more than today.

Three times more people will work, and all the prices will decrease to one third. The people will have three times more financial

Adil Düzen, Refah Partisi Press, Ankara, 1991, p. 3 286

Adil Düzen, Ibid., p. 4.

287

Adil Düzen, Ibid., p. 12.

288

capability of purchasing. The cheapest production will belong to Turkey, and exportation will increase. The needs of Muslim countries will be met in Turkey by establishing a common market, so Turkey will become one of the strongest countries in the World.

Our nation was incapable owing to artificial reasons today, but hopefully, he will stand up as a great and unique wrestler, and serve the humanity soon!”²⁸⁹

When people were asked what the Just Order stands for their answers included justice, a secure social and economic environment, the protection of state property, an end to nepotism and corruption, cooperation between state and nation, protection of the unity of the state, and an end to undue Western influence over Turkey. These common responses indicate that the Just Order was seen as a way, not of bringing about an Islamic political system, but of addressing Turkey’s immediate social and economic problems. The protection of the state and its property were also seen as the main objectives of the Just Order, as many people believed that their economic protection presupposed a powerful state. ²⁹⁰

When focused on the election results in the 1990s, it was observed that the poor who immigrated from the countryside to cities preferred to be called as conservative and Muslim. Here, this section got what it wanted in the WP’s ²⁹¹

‘Just Order’ rhetoric. Thus, the WP proposed an institutional framework for social movements which were in search of changing silenced and depressed people for the better and redefining social, cultural and political interactions. ²⁹²

Just Order project also involved a series of Islamic elements, such as interest-free banking. WP’s Just Order rhetoric was based around a sense, which was different from the position of most of the centre-right parties, who lay more

Adil Düzen, Ibid., p. 10.

289

Yavuz, ibid., p. 73-74.

290

Available at: http://www.secimsonucu.com/GenelSecimSonuclari.asp?SY=1995.

291

Yavuz, ibid., p. 74-75.

292

emphasis on individuality and market, but less emphasis on social justice. It was also distinctly different from the position of social democratic parties in the left wing, which lay more emphasis on democratization, human rights, and social justice, but less on a private enterprise system. The ‘Just Order’ project ²⁹³ emphasized solidarity, alliance, justice and the communitarian traditions, which are seemed in all sections of Turkish society, and claim the necessity of using the modern technology to form a better society in future. In addition, it did not prevent the hope of modernity and improvement but presented in a different context. The ‘Just Order’ project, which was based on the main themes of rapid economic development and equitable distribution of national income, consisted of different but related fields such as ‘policy, economy, science, religion, and morality’. The policy, one of the fields, emphasized the necessity of getting ²⁹⁴ political power which aimed to reorganize the national income for better social organizations. The economy focused on social justice and elimination of bank interests in the economic field. Science encourages the freedom of expressions, and rejects all kinds of obstacles for scientific advances wherever they are.

Religion and morality propose a more spiritual lifestyle which is based on Islamic principles in order to minimize moral corrosion in society. Morality is claimed to be the basis of hard work, community services, fellowship and so the social peace. ²⁹⁵

While the WP’s policies were very conservative in form and were articulated in Islamic concepts, they were quite revolutionary in content. When 172 people were asked to identify the three most common characteristics of the WP in March 1995, over 70 percent said honesty, justice, and equality. Other commonly cited characteristics were resisting corruption and bribery, protecting tradition and mores, helping the needy and poor, sincerity, unity, and solidarity, and elimination of prostitution and social immorality. As the party was rooted in

Ziya Öniş, “The political economy of Islamic resurgance in Turkey: the rise of the Welfare Party in 293

perspective”, Third World Quarterly, Vol. 18, 1997, pp. 754.

Altan Tan, “Refah Değişiyor” (The WP is Changing), Yeni Zemin, May-June 1994, pp. 65.

294

Muzaffer Ercan Yılmaz, “The Rise of Political Islam in Turkey: The Case of the Welfare Party”, 295

Turkish Studies, 13 (3), 2012, p. 368.

a search for a conception of the community to cope with the collective problems of justice and identity, it sought to revise shared understandings of “morality” as well as to address social and economic problems. ²⁹⁶

In the interview with Ersonmez Yarbay, who was former Ankara deputy of the WP from 1996 to 1999, gave these informations about ‘Just Order’:

“‘Just Order’ was a system proposed by Erbakan against monopolization. It aimed to remove unfair income distribution and form non interest economy. Mr. Erbakan emphasized ‘Just Order’

rhetoric till his death. This system aimed to decrease the sentimental value of money in care of public and remove interest. As members of the WP, we represented the poor in society. These poor demanded the removal of interest, however just their demand was not enough to manage it entirely. Thus, there was not much improvement about interest problem and ‘Just Order’. Yet, this is a worth-stressing issue. Another destructive problem of World is absolutely monopolization and unfair income distribution. ‘Just Order’ can be a solution to these problems if it is improved.” ²⁹⁷

Finally, it can be suggested that the implications of Just Order were widely disputed by different circles, but the party itself did not show this with its actions. However, whatever the implications were, Just Order was successful in providing a utopia to masses, who were desperate with the current conditions and the system, abandoned hope in other political parties, and who were damaged and excluded from modernization process economically.