Parliament takes office at a critical point


Parliament, which was elected on Nov. 1, is now officially back in business after deputies took oath.When the oath-taking procedure was over, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu tendered his resignation as the boss of the caretaker elections government and was immediately asked by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to form the new government. The prime minister is expected to announce his new cabinet in the next few days.Both the new government and Parliament are facing huge tasks as our region and the world are undergoing a sensitive period with DAESH on the rampage, the Middle East in flames, the refugee crisis reaching huge proportions, the gap between the poor and the rich widening on a global scale and the world being hit by shrinking economies.At home, the government and Parliament face the task of taking effective steps to restart the reformation movement that Turkey seriously needs. This means a new constitution, new progressive laws and a mutual understanding by all political sides to bury the hatchet and seek reconciliation and end political and social polarization.Parliament, the government and the presidency led by Erdoğan have the task of pushing forward, to transform Turkey into a modern republic. We need to review and reform our judicial system, our autonomous regulating bodies and the state apparatus.It is cålear that the current system does not function properly. We need to revamp our election system as well as our laws on political parties to transform our democracy into a more representative and viable system.This will be the first step to enhance the role of Parliament in our system. Parliament has to be a strong supervisory body as well as a law-maker. It should be able to supervise the functions of all the state bodies including the armed forces. Its commissions should be able to act like a prosecutor and put Turkey's house in order.This is needed with or without a presidential system. Turkey has to enhance its parliamentary system and create a precedent for everyone in its region.The presidential system is something the Turkish nation will decide and it will be a system change that will help Turkey enter the new era as a more democratic country.Parliament and the government have to find the fine balance between religion, moral values and contemporary values.Turkey has to address the Kurdish issue in a bold manner. The moderate Kurdish voters have given the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) a mandate to solve the Kurdish issue and put an end to the current mess. Thus the AK Party has a responsibility to address the issue with an open mind while it also takes into account the sensitivities of the nation.The success of this Parliament will decide in which state we will reach 2023, the 100-year anniversary of the Turkish Republic.