Error occured during this request! Please try again later.
Turkey
Students chant and hold placards in front of Bogazici University in Istanbul on January 4, 2021. Photo: Ozan Kose / AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Students at one of Turkey’s most prestigious universities are protesting what they call the “anti-democratic” appointment of a new rector by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Melih Bulu, a member of Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), was made the new rector of Bogazici University in Istanbul by presidential decree on January 1.
Bulu’s assumption of the role has angered many, who say that a rector should be elected rather than appointed.
Critics have claimed that Bulu, a candidate for the AKP in the 2015 general election, lacks the necessary credentials and faculty backing to assume the position, and instead acquired the role through political intervention.
Bulu has also been accused of committing plagiarism during his academic career.
Hundreds of students gathered in front of the university on Monday to reject the new rector, while others took to social media to launch the Twitter hashtag #KayyumRektörİstemiyoruz, which translates to “We do not want a trustee rector.”
Police did not intervene initially, but they later clashed with students and locked the gate of the university with handcuffs.
Before the failed coup of 2016, university rectors were elected to their position. Erdogan assumed wider powers after the coup, including the authority to appoint rectors.
Bogazici Solidarity, an independent student platform, said in a statement on Saturday that they “don't accept pro-government rectors who are appointed with total disregard for democratic processes.”
Academics from the university also slammed the appointment on Sunday as “yet another case of many ongoing anti-democratic practices since 2016, aiming at abolishing rectorial elections.”
"We do not accept it as it clearly violates academic freedom and scientific autonomy as well as the democratic values of our university," they added.
The new rector released a statement in defence of his appointment via Twitter on Sunday.
"Making Bogazici University a subject of the problems that it is not a party to will harm Bogazici the most”, Bulu said. “Let's not forget that we are all in the same boat."
He said that he had spent the “best” eight years of life at the university in the past, wishing to make it a top university in the world, reported independent outlet Bianet.
Political opposition leaders also denounced the appointment as an affront to academic freedom.
The AKP has since defended Bulu’s appointment.
"It is not a crime for a person to have a political identity," AKP spokesperson Omer Celik told reporters.
Erdogan’s appointment of Bulu’s predecessor Mehmed Ozkan in November 2016 also angered many students and academics.
Established in 1863 as Robert College, the university was the first American university founded outside the United States.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment