Democracy, free press vital for peace
In conversation with Turkish writer, journalist Ahmet Coskunaydin
If a country is living under a dictator or a president of that kind of system, it is very dangerous. If a country has democracy and free press, waging a war is not that easy.
Dictatorship is a dangerous way of rule. It can demolish a country and poses risks for more conflict, said Turkish writer and journalist Ahmet Coskunaydin.
"If a country is living under a dictator or a president of that kind of system, it is very dangerous. If a country has democracy and free press, waging a war is not that easy," said Coskunaydin, a member of Global Journalism Council based in Turkey.
"…we have seen this in Libya and Iraq. They [dictators] demolished their own countries and their systems," he said.
Coskunaydin, who wrote a book on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Turkish, visited Bangladesh recently. The book is expected to hit the shelves soon.
He was invited as a speaker at the World Peace Conference, organised by the foreign ministry in Dhaka on December 4-5.
Peace activists and a number of former heads of governments from 50 countries spoke at the conference, organised as part of "Mujib Year" and golden jubilee of the country's independence. It also marked the celebration of five decades of Bangladesh's peace-centric diplomacy.
In a conversation with The Daily Star, Coskunaydin lauded Bangladesh for its socio-economic growth and for sheltering more than a million Rohingyas, who had fled brutal military atrocities in Myanmar's Rakhine State.
He said he is a great admirer of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who advocated for social justice, freedom, democracy and peace with neighbours and all other countries, which he observed is similar to the values of Turkish founding father Kemal Ataturk.
The fact that Bangladesh organised such a global gathering means this country carries the flag for global peace. This has made its responsibilities even greater, he said. "It means you have the willingness to solve global conflict, to realise peace all over the world," Coskunaydin remarked. "Every conflict should be solved over the table through peaceful process."
He said Bangladesh has the commitment to establish peace, and this conference is a testimony to that. However, he said, there should be actions, rather than only words.
He went on to say that it is important to establish peace at home first.
"If your family has problems and fight each other, how can you help the neighbours for peace? Bangladesh… does not have internal problem. It is positive, it is an advantage," the journalist said.