Former Islamist wins Turkish presidency

By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA, Associated Press Writer Tue Aug 28, 6:06 PM ET

ISTANBUL, Turkey - A devout Muslim won Turkey's presidency Tuesday after months of confrontation with the secular establishment, promising to be impartial and praising the idea that Islam and the state should be separate.

Still, in a sign that tension could lie ahead, top generals did not attend the swearing-in ceremony in parliament of Abdullah Gul, their new president and commander in chief. Local media interpreted their absence as a protest against the 56-year-old Gul, the former foreign minister in Turkey's Islamic-oriented government.

Gul, who has tried to engineer Turkey's entry into the European Union with sweeping reforms, received a majority of 339 votes in a parliamentary ballot in the capital, Ankara. The secular opposition had thwarted Gul's earlier bid for the presidency, but his triumph this time was assured by a ruling party that won a second term in general elections last month.

The burly and affable new president was careful to reach out to the many Turks who suspect he has a secret Islamic agenda.

"In democracy, which is a system of rights and liberties, secularism, one of the core principles of our republic, is as much a model that underpins freedom for different lifestyles as it is a rule of social harmony," Gul said. "I will continue my path, in a transparent and fully impartial manner, embracing all my citizens."

Gul, a former practitioner of political Islam who later cast himself as a moderate, vowed to campaign for gender equality and the rule of law, and he said "change and diversity" were not things to be feared.

"It is imperative for our country that we carry out the political and economic reforms geared toward EU membership more resolutely," he told lawmakers in a nationally televised speech.

He also praised the military as a necessary deterrent and a symbol of independence, a day after the military chief, Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, warned that "centers of evil" were plotting to corrode secular principles crafted nearly a century ago by Turkey's revered founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

The military has ousted four governments since 1960, and an initial presidential bid by Gul was derailed over fears that he planned to dilute secular traditions. Some commentators said the generals' failure to show up for Gul's oath-taking was ominous.

"It shows that his presidency is a source of tension from the onset," Rusen Cakir, a leading analyst on political Islam, said on Turkey's private NTV television. "We will need to wait and see if the tension turns into a crisis or whether some kind of harmony is reached."

One of Gul's sons attended the ceremony, but his wife, Hayrunnisa, did not. She wears an Islamic-style head scarf, which is banned in government offices and schools and is viewed by secularists as a troubling symbol of religious fervor, and even militancy. Some who wear the head scarf say the state's restrictions on Islamic attire amount to a curb on freedom of expression.

Turkey's president has the power to veto legislation and official appointments, and Gul has failed to allay secularist fears that he would eagerly approve any initiatives of the government of his close ally, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan said he planned to submit his new Cabinet to Gul on Wednesday. Erdogan had presented his list earlier this month to outgoing President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, who said the new president should approve it.

"I hope (Gul's presidency) is beneficial to the country, the people and the republic," Erdogan said. "God willing, together, shoulder to shoulder, we will carry Turkey forward."

Gul took over the post from Sezer, a staunch secularist, in a low-key ceremony that was closed to the media. On his way out of the palace, Sezer stopped his car to say goodbye to guards and journalists.

Outside the palace gates, secularists waved Turkish flags, threw flowers at his vehicle and shouted: "We are proud of you!"

Police also prevented two dozen demonstrators who were protesting Gul's election from approaching the palace.

Gul failed to win the presidency in two rounds of voting last week because the ruling Justice and Development Party lacked the two-thirds majority in parliament needed for him to secure the post. But the party — which holds 341 of the 550 seats — had a far easier hurdle Tuesday, when only a simple majority was required.

President Bush called Gul to congratulate him on his victory, White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said.

"The president reiterated the United States' commitment to a strong relationship with our partner and ally," said Stanzel.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said he hoped the government "will be able to resume work ... to give fresh, immediate and positive impetus" to EU entry talks.

In Gul's hometown of Kayseri, in Turkey's conservative heartland, hundreds gathered at a main square to celebrate his victory, private NTV television reported.

Secularist Turks had staged mass rallies and the military threatened to intervene when Erdogan nominated Gul for president in the spring. This time, Gul said his party's victory in the general elections gave him a strong mandate to run again.

Sinan Ogan, head of the Turkish Center for International Relations and Strategic Analysis, said Gul's election reflects the rising power of a middle class with religious values and mistrust of the old secular elite. But he warned that Gul's foes will scrutinize his conduct.

"If he slides into cronyism, then Turkey will see what instability really means," Ogan said.

___

Associated Press writers Suzan Fraser in Ankara and C. Onur Ant in Istanbul contributed to this report.

Dilema baru Dr Mahathir

15-08-2007 05:01:28 PM
Oleh SA'ODAH ELIAS

PUTRAJAYA: "Saya tidak pernah menyebelahi pembangkang. Saya tetap setia pada parti saya, negara saya, agama saya dan bangsa saya," demikian tegas Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad hari ini bagi menangkis persepsi pihak-pihak tertentu bahawa beliau kini menyokong pembangkang.

Bagaimanapun, kata bekas perdana menteri itu, pendiriannya yang tetap menyokong Umno itu tidak semestinya bermakna beliau juga menyokong sepenuhnya kepemimpinan parti.

Sebagai ahli Umno, Dr Mahathir berkata, beliau kini menghadapi dilema kerana jika terus menunjukkan sokongan padu kepada parti itu dalam pilihan raya umum nanti, ia mungkin diterjemahkan umum sebagai menyokong kepimpinan sekarang.

"Ia seperti telan mati emak, luah mati bapak. Kalau kita beri sokongan dan parti menang 90% atau lebih, pemimpin akan dakwa itu kemenangan mereka.

"Ini adalah satu masalah, tetapi jangan tanya saya bagaimana untuk menyelesaikannya," katanya ketika menjawab satu soalan dalam dialog bersama anggota Majlis Rakyat Prihatin di pejabatnya di Yayasan Kepimpinan Perdana di sini hari ini.

Dr Mahathir juga menyifatkan Umno kini tidak dapat membuat keputusan tegas dalam menangani isu-isu yang membabitkan kepentingan Melayu kerana tidak memberi keutamaan kepada membela nasib masyarakat.

Beliau mengajak orang Melayu agar bertindak “membetulkan keadaan” dan tidak membiarkan undi dan maruah mereka di beli.

"Saya terpaksa mengakui bahawa selama 22 tahun saya sebagai perdana menteri saya telah cuba mengubah pemikiran orang Melayu saya gagal, dan sehingga kini pun saya masih gagal. Saya sangat hampa dengan bangsa saya sendiri," katanya menjawab satu lagi soalan.

Katanya, tidak seperti bangsa lain, terutama orang Cina yang sangat pandai menggunakan undi mereka ketika pilihan raya secara strategik untuk menyampaikan sesuatu mesej, orang Melayu akan membuta tuli menyokong parti mereka walaupun calon yang diketengahkan adalah “tunggul”, tanpa mengira kepentingan bangsa, agama dan negara.

Ketika sebelum merdeka dahulu, katanya, orang Melayu setia pada Raja-Raja, tapi kini mereka telah mengubah kesetiaan itu kepada pemimpin parti-parti mereka.

Sifat inilah, menurut Dr Mahathir, yang mesti diubah supaya kedaulatan negara dapat terus dipertahankan.

"Yang penting, orang Melayu sepatutnya boleh menyampaikan mesej kepada pemimpin bahawa mereka mesti meletakkan kepentingan rakyat melebihi segalanya dan jika mereka membuat salah, mereka boleh ditarik turun," tambahnya.

Ditanya mengapa beliau tidak menggunakan zaman bersaranya untuk berehat daripada terus memikirkan tentang isu-isu sosial, politik dan ekonomi negara, Dr Mahathir menjawab: "Saya merasakan bertanggungjawab untuk berbuat demikian kerana apa yang berlaku sekarang sedikit sebanyak timbul daripada keputusan saya sendiri."

Ditanya mengenai kenyataan Naib Presiden Umno Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin baru-baru ini mengenai kemungkinan perlunya semua parti komponen mencapai satu konsensus baru mengenai kontrak sosial antara kaum beliau berkata: "Kontrak sosial yang telah kita persetujui dahulu mesti dipertahankan.

"Kalau ia ditukar-tukar, ia tidak akan mempunyai sebarang makna lagi."

Koridor Timur: Kerajaan Kelantan sedia berkerjasama

Salmah Mat Husain Wed | Aug 01, 07 | 04:45:07 PM

KOTA BHARU, 1 Ogos (Hrkh) – Kerajaan Kelantan sentiasa memberi kerjasama bagi memastikan Wilayah Pembangunan Ekonomi Koridor Timur yang bakal dilaksanakan kerajaan Pusat menjadi kenyataan. Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Pentadbiran Awam, Perancangan Ekonomi, Kewangan dan Pembangunan Masyarakat, Dato’ Husam Musa berkata, dakwaan yang mengatakan kerajaan negeri tidak memberi kerjasama terhadap penubuhan Koridor Timur, disifat tuduhan politik. “Pada masa yang sama kerajaan negeri mengambil sikap mana-mana pembangunan yang memberi faedah kepada rakyat akan diberi perhatian segera termasuk berkaitan sektor pertanian. “Mana-mana program yang dilaksanakan kerajaan Pusat sama ada kecil atau besar, Insya-Allah kerajaan negeri akan bekerjasama, misalnya dari aspek pengambilan tanah akan dibincangkan bersama,” katanya selepas mesyuarat Exco hari ini. Isnin lalu Perdana Menteri, Dato’ Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi melancarkan rangka tindakan Wilayah Ekonomi Koridor Utara yang melibatkan anggaran pelaburan sebanyak RM177 bilion. Wilayah itu meliputi Kedah, Perlis, Pulau Pinang dan Perak. Husam juga berkata, kerjasama dengan pemimpin Kerajaan Pusat khususnya Perdana Menteri dijangka dapat membuahkan hasil yang baik berikutan sikap keterbukaannya. “Cuma yang jadi masalah pemimpin (Umno) di peringkat bawahan (negeri) yang cuba merumitkan keadaan,” katanya. Kata beliau tidak ada sebab kerajaan negeri ingin meminggirkan perbincangan berhubung penubuhan Koridor Timur sekiranya ia untuk kepentingan rakyat. “Bahkan, idea kita turut ditambah bersama untuk memantapkan lagi perancangan koridor berkenaan ketika kerajaan negeri diberi taklimat berhubung perlaksanaannya oleh pihak Petronas. “Kita telah memberikan pandangan balas kita termasuk input-inputnya untuk membolehkan ia dilaksanakan dengan lebih berkesan,” ujarnya. Antara tambahan yang dikemukakan termasuk cadangan mengadakan landasan kereta api laju dari Kota Bharu ke Pulau Pinang bagi memberi sokongan kepada pelabuhan di Pulau Mutiara. Di samping itu dicadang pembinaan pelabuhan di Kota Bharu bagi membolehkan kapal berlabuh untuk menurunkan barangan dari dalam dan luar negara. “Itu adalah antara cadangan balas kita, jadi tidak timbul kita tidak mahu memberi kerjasama dalam menjayakan Koridor Timur,” katanya. Beliau juga berharap koridor berkenaan sama ada utara, timur atau lain-lain dapat direalisasikan sebaik mungkin demi kebaikan rakyat. Menurutnya, pada pandangan umumnya, perancangan tersebut begitu menarik, namun sekiranya tidak diimplimentasikan dengan baik, ia hanya akan menjadi sia-sia. “Kadang-kadang sesuatu benda yang kita garapkan hanya mengikut imiginasi semata-mata. Ia hanya kelihatan cantik sebab pemikiran kita tak ada limit, kita boleh impikan macam-macam. “Begitu juga dalam soal ini, kita kena sepadankan imiginasi dengan tahap kemampuan untuk dilaksanakan agar ia mampu dimanfaatkan untuk masyarakat,” ujarnya.

Kenali pemerintahan PAS, masyarakat Cina Ipoh lawat Kelantan

Johari Jaafar Wed | Aug 01, 07 | 01:02:01 PM

IPOH, 1 Ogos (Hrkh) - Lajnah Perpaduan Nasional Negeri Perak akan terus menghantar masyarakat Cina di negeri ini untuk melawat Kelantan bagi melihat sendiri tentang keadilan Kerajaan PAS terhadap masyarakat bukan Islam khususnya orang-orang Cina di negeri `Cik Siti Wan Kembang' tersebut. Demikian dinyatakan oleh Setiausaha Lajnah Perpaduan Negeri, Khalilul Rahman Abdul Samad, ketika ditemubual oleh wakil Harakah di Pejabat PAS Negeri. Menurut beliau program seumpama itu memberikan manfaat yang besar kepada masyarakat Cina kerana mereka dapat melihat sendiri apa yang telah dilakukan oleh Kerajaan PAS di Kelantan terhadap masyarakat Cina di Kelantan. "Pada 20 hingga 22 Ogos ini kita akan menghantar 44 orang Cina dari Ipoh untuk melawat Kelantan, perkara ini telah diberitahu kepada pihak Urusetia Penerangan Kerajaan Negeri Kelantan," ujar beliau. Rombongan masyarakat Cina Ipoh di ketuai oleh Ten Chong Yong dijangka akan mengikuti beberapa program yang disusun sewaktu berada di Kelantan, antaranya suai kenal dengan Menteri Besar Kelantan, Dato' Tuan Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat di kediaman rasmi Menteri Besar. Di samping itu, rombongan tersebut dijangka akan mengikuti majlis taklimat pembangunan Negeri Kelantan di Pejabat Menteri Besar serta taklimat dan jamuan tengah hari bersama Dato' Anuar Tan, Exco Kerajaan Negeri dan Pegawai Khas Menteri Besar, Hu Pang Chaw. Tidak ketinggalan rombongan Cina dari Ipoh tersebut akan mengunjungi rumah Menteri Besar Kelantan di Pulau Melaka dan tokong buddha di Tumpat . "Kita berharap rombongan masyarakat Cina Ipoh akan mendapat gambaran sebenar apa yang berlaku di Kelantan akan menceritakannya kepada masyarakat Cina di tempat lain tentang kebaikan pemerintahan Kerajaan PAS di Kelantan," ujar Khalilul. Beliau turut mengalu-alukan mana-mana rombongan dari masyarakat India yang ingin melawat Kelantan dan pihak Lajnah Perpaduan Nasional Negeri Perak akan mengaturkan program tersebut," katanya lagi.

Arizona Department of Revenue: Public Service Value

Client
State of Arizona Department of Revenue

On the Web
www.az.gov

Project
Public Service Value Project

Shortcut to
Business Challenge
How Accenture Helped
High Performance Delivered

Executive Summary
The State of Arizona's Department of Revenue worked with Accenture to link the recent performance improvements it realized from its Business Reengineering/Integrated Tax System and apply them to the agency's mission and strategic business planning goals as identified by the new director. The project used an analysis generated from the Accenture Public Service Value Model to help form a foundation for the agency's strategic planning process, performance measurement and performance management.

Business Challenge

Arizona Department of Revenue's (AZ DOR) mission is to administer tax laws fairly and efficiently for the people of Arizona. The agency has an annual operating budget of $58.5 million and approximately 1,000 employees. In 2002, in need of an agency-wide transformation, AZ DOR partnered with Accenture in a multi-year value-based project, the Business Reengineering/Integrated Tax System (BRITS), to reengineer key agency processes and implement Accenture's integrated tax system. At approximately the same time as the agency contracted Accenture, the governor appointed a new agency director, J. Elliott Hibbs. Director Hibbs is a firm believer in performance measurement and agency planning, and quickly redefined AZ DOR's strategic planning process. As the agency's business partner, Accenture sought to find a way to link the performance improvements from the BRITS project with the agency's mission and the strategic goals of the new director.

How Accenture Helped

In need of a framework to link the BRITS project with the agency's new focus, AZ DOR became the ideal candidate for a US pilot of the Accenture Public Service Value (PSV) Model (patent pending). Accenture's PSV Model aims to help agencies strike the right balance between competing pressures to increase citizen outcomes and operate cost effectively. The model hypothesizes that those agencies delivering improved outcomes and cost effectiveness over time can become high-performance government agencies.

The BRITS project is a benefits-funded agreement (paid from increases in revenue) between AZ DOR and Accenture. The contract was designed as a fiscally responsible way to accomplish the BRITS mission: To service the needs of our customers and stakeholders by redesigning and restructuring the Department of Revenue and its supporting systems. These two motives underpinning BRITS—improved service for stakeholders and fiscal responsibility—align perfectly with the public service values stressed by PSV (outcomes and cost effectiveness).

Tactics Employed

Accenture teamed with AZ DOR for the pilot PSV analysis in the spring/summer of 2003. The analysis focused on AZ DOR performance from fiscal years 1996 to 2002. Based on Director Hibbs' positive feedback and willingness to help refine the framework, Accenture tested the model at other Revenue clients and returned to Arizona in the fall of 2003 to complete a follow up analysis with a more polished analytical approach.

The model, created by Accenture Revenue industry experts, and validated by clients and the US Federation of Tax Administrators (FTA), focuses on the four key outcomes for state revenue agencies: maximizing tax revenue, maximizing compliance rates, minimizing taxpayer burden, and maximizing responsiveness to taxpayers.

These four outcomes represent a balance of a revenue agency's statutory responsibilities and citizens' expectations for service delivery. Agency performance for these four outcomes is measured by using a series of metrics that indicate the agency's ability to deliver on a specific outcome. For example, the PSV score for the maximizing taxpayer responsiveness outcome is measured by using a series of metrics that measure the quality of AZ DOR's processing and problem resolution capabilities, such as the cycle time for income tax refunds, the abandoned call rate, and the resolution time on taxpayer correspondence cases.

Using the Revenue industry model as the starting point, the key project activities for the Arizona Department of Revenue PSV project included:

• Tailoring and weighting the PSV excel-based model to reflect the current focus of AZ DOR. As a result of the state of Arizona's current fiscal challenges, the tax revenue and compliance outcomes were weighted more heavily (at 60 percent) than the service-oriented outcomes (at 40 percent). In addition to weighting the outcomes, the model was adjusted to reflect the available historical data which AZ DOR could provide for the analysis.
  
  
• Collecting historical data to measure performance for the metrics included in the model. In this phase of the project, FY03 data was added to the previous version of the PSV analysis. Also, using its PSV experience from other Revenue clients, the Accenture team added several new metrics to the model and refined some of the existing metrics.
  
  
• Providing insight on external and internal factors, which influenced agency performance. This activity was driven by AZ DOR employees. They used their experience with the department to provide Accenture with invaluable insight on the historical context for metric and outcome trends.
  
  
• "Running" the PSV model to assess performance for the identified PSV industry outcomes, metrics, and level of cost effectiveness. This phase of the project represents the culmination of the prior project activities. The Accenture team built a Microsoft Excel-based PSV model, which calculates scores based on the metric and outcome weightings and historical data.
  
  
• Analyzing PSV results to explain changes in the client's performance over the life of the analysis (fiscal years 1996 to 2003). An in-depth understanding of the department's recent history informed the analysis.
  
  
• Identifying areas of agency strength and making recommendations for future improvements.

High Performance Delivered

The Accenture team presented key findings from the FY03 PSV analysis to AZ DOR leadership in January 2004. Findings from the analysis aligned with the key changes in AZ DOR's recent history, including:

• FY 97-99: During this period, there was a shift in the organizational culture under a prior AZ DOR director. The department's emphasis on a team–based environment and customer orientation, at the expense of more fundamental DOR functions, led to a decline in outcomes and cost effectiveness.
  
  
• FY 99-01: AZ DOR's efforts to gear up for Y2K compliance led to increased automation, decreased taxpayer burden, and improved taxpayer responsiveness.
  
  
• FY 03: Under new Director J. Elliott Hibbs, the combination of multiple factors, including a reduced budget, the Revenue Enhancement and Tax Amnesty programs, and continued improvement in reducing taxpayer burden led to value creation.

In addition to illustrating the impact of agency changes on value creation for Arizona taxpayers, the PSV project highlighted some key findings that the department could use to form future agency decisions, including:

1. Resources Drive Outcomes. Arizona Department of Revenue experienced its highest levels of PSV outcomes in 1996 and 1997. Not coincidentally, these are the two years in the analysis time period when AZ DOR had the highest adjusted expenditure per taxpayer and the most employees.
   
   
2. Improving Cost Effectiveness. AZ DOR is capitalizing on limited resources to deliver an impressive level of outcomes. The department's PSV cost effectiveness score has improved each year since 1999, reaching its high point in 2003. The improving cost effectiveness trend indicates that AZ DOR is delivering a strong level of outcomes with their limited resources.
   
   
3. Compliance Gap: Growth in actual taxpayers for AZ DOR is not keeping pace with the growth in the potential taxpaying population, especially for corporate and individual taxpayers. The increasing gap in actual vs. expected taxpayers is resulting in declining voluntary revenue (as a percentage of overall economic growth in the state).

PSV will play a key role in AZ DOR's future, serving as the agency's foundation for strategic planning, performance measurement and performance management. As next steps, the PSV team is currently working with AZ DOR to create a PSV tool that the agency will be able to use to help justify budget requests from the state and make investment and resource allocation decisions. Moreover, the PSV tool will remain an integral piece of the BRITS project, serving as the one key indicator of how this reengineering effort creates value for Arizona taxpayers.