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SURVEY

What MPs Think on “small Provincial

Assemblies” December 6, 2010

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ParticipationAs the efforts of Turkish small National Assembly have reached the end of the second year we prepared a report of the last year’s inventory and sent it to political party executives. Not just an inventory but we also tried to show what it looks like from the aspect of the MPs. Thus prepared questionnaire was sent to the 72 MPs who have participated in TsNA and TGNA JWG and not the whole of the General Assembly. The total of MPs in the 30 porovinces where TsNA meetings took place all year actually is 295, and the participation is 24.4%, and the participation according to parties is thus:

Total Numberof MPs

Number of Attending MPs

Ratio%

AKP 175 49 28CHP 61 14 23MHP 32 3 9DTP/BDP 17 6 35DSP 5 0 0Independent 5 0 0Total 295 72 24.4

How well did the 72 respond to the questionnaire we sent?Not very heartening. 26 MPs responded, which makes 36.1%. (December 6, 2010)We had anticipated a month for the survey. Questionnaires were sent as e-mails and faxed on November 1, 2010, and were affirmed by phone. Later reminders were also made regularly. As a result 26 of these 72 MPs sent back their responses which makes a participation of 36.1%. Quite low to form an opinion. (In fact we were expecting a participation of 60-70 percent)

Summary:

72 of the 295 MPs of the 30 provinces where TsNA meetings were held have attended at least once..Therefore this survey is among the 24.4% of the total MPs.The number of responding MPs among the 72 is 26. that means 36.1%.Conclusion: the ratio of participating MPs to the total in 30 provinces is 8.8%.

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Survey Questions and Responses

1. How were you made aware of the small National Assembly activities in your province? Half of the participants was notified by our porter of their province. Another half received written invitations. 4 attended on notification by their own party

2. What is your opinion on the small National Assembly? Two MPs found it unnecessary. The rest is positive about it and find it helpful. Half of the participants believe it just to have regular monthly meetings.

3. How about the format of the meetings.?More than two thirds of the participants find it to be good and fine, and significant for the formation of social consciousness, a contribution to politics. Two of the participants have the opposite belief, and 7 MPs find it positive generally but suggest alterations on some points.

4. On T s NA’s basic principles: We have asked the participants to state their views on 13 principles individually.In general our principles are accepted and approved. There some criticisms on 4 issues.

5. Conclusions on meetings:Most of the responding MPs (21 MPs, 81%) find, different opinions even to be on the same platform, to be an important achievement and 2 MPs find them to be ineffective since TsNAs do not make resolutions. Also 8 MPs believe that joint decisions can be made with TGNA JWG workshops that these two complement each other.

6. On the reflections to the public of conclusions:However only 26% (7 MPs) of the MPs have put down their views on the impact of the minutes published on the website alongside the monthly press conferences at TGNA where reports consisting of the common denominators are announced. 6 MPs find the publishing of the minutes beneficial and 3 find it wasteful since no one peruses and uses them. The press conferences at TGNA 4 MPs find beneficial while 4 do not, saying that no one analyses and benefits from it. Yet 61% (16 MPs) of the participants converge on the continuation of the system even if it is not yet sufficiently beneficial.

7. On the future of these endeavours:Two thirds of the participants observe the necessity for the TsNA to survive and become a tradition. One third belives in the benefit of the survival but suggest certain transformations

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İstanbul sNA, January 2010

İstanbul sNA, December 2010

As you can see everything is in the open, and it has to be that way. For the course is long, ardous and definitely neither the job of just one group, cadre, sector nor a vast political formation. It can only be achieved collectively, together, side by side with our differences...