Turkey's desperate political crisis

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The governmen in Turkey led by Bulent Ecevit remains in office by virtue only of boycotting parliament.

Meanwhile the right wing opposition-including the fascist NAP-remains a single vote short of the 226 needed to overturn Ecevit.

This cliff hanging situation has arisen as a result off the defection of severai MPs from Ecevit's Republican People's Party and some independent cabinet ministers-all of whom have joined the opposition.

The opposition has shrewdly pressed not for motions of confidence in the government, but for censure motions aimed at exposing the corruption of various government ministers.

A month ago this forced the hasty resignation of the social security minister; now the minister of Customs and Monopolies faces the same treatment.

It is in defence of him that Ecevit is forced to the humiliating tactic of boycotting Parliament.

But behind these farcical proceedings lies the deadly serious political crisis that threatens Turkey with a military-fascist dictatorship.

Ecevit's government has proved itself unable to resolve the country's economic crisis. He has finally complied with IMF demands and imposed a 13% devaluation in the Turkish lira-but the capitalist class has no confidence that he will foist the full burden of this onto the Turkish working class.

Strikes

Indeed strikes have already begun against this latest attack, which will drive inflation. far above its present 20% level.

The capitalist class fears an extension of these initially isolated strikes-and is financing the activities of the growing fascist movement as part of their strategy to crush organised working class.

The fascist NAP-with 1 million members-is continuing its campaign of terror against the labour movement and national minorities. An average of two to three people are shot dead every day.

Despițe Ecevit's talk of the army preventing such actions, the martial law regulations leave the fascists a free hand while violently repressing the left.

Not a single left wing paper is allowed to publish in the martial law areas-which include all the main working class concentrations. Strikes and demonstrations are under strict police and military scrutiny and open to fascist attack.

Once again the The PNV looks on with The PNV Inr especial horror at the present situation: on the one hand a mass movement which it cannot control and on the other hand a central government which everyday shows itself l little more hostile to any form of Basque is paying the price for the reactionary policies of the Popular Front-the attempts by Stalinist and reformist leaders to fight fascism through alliances with "democratic" capitalists.

In Turkey, both the reformists and the Stalinists remain tied completely to Ecevit and the RPP. proclaiming the government to be "democratic" even as its martial laws crack down on the working class.

Jailed

Only recently leaders of the left wing union confederation DISK and the Turkish Labour Party were jailed for a month following their speeches and calling of marches on May Day.

Yet still these leaders refuse to break from Ecevit or to mobilise the vast untapped strength of the labour movement in struggle to confront and defeat the fascists.

Meanwhile the imperialists bide their time, awaiting the moment to replace Ecevit with a dictatorial regime that will support their moves to stabilise the Middle East in the wake of the Iranian revolution.

The Turkish workers' moveTurkish police arrest young militant ment has no interest whatever in defending the Ecevit government. But it must organise and mobilise to defend its independent organisations and living standards.

This means breaking from the RPP and fighting for a united front of workers' organisations to form workers' defence squads that will defeat the fascists.