Ernest Dempsey – Several members of the Turkish Academy of Science (TUBA) are worried about the increased political control exercised over the academy by the Turkish government. After the recent alterations made to TUBA’s administration and appointment rules, those concerned fear that TUBA may not remain a science academy or an academy at all.Founded in 1993, TUBA was originally an administratively autonomous organization, largely funded by the government and working under the patronage of the country’s Prime Minister. Promoting scientific activities in natural, social, and health sciences, TUBA also functioned as a scientific advisor to the government, publishing reports and books on science. Among TUBA’s many achievements was the establishment of the Young Scientists Award Program (GEBIP), which was praised and even copied by academies in Europe and Asia.
But more recently, the Turkish government took some disturbing decisions about the administrative control and membership policy of the academy. In June this year, a government ordinance demoted TUBA to the status of a directorate under the newly established Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology. This was followed, in August, by another government ordinance whereby one-third of TUBA members would be appointed directly by the government, one-third by the Higher Education Council, and the rest elected by the full members.
The new ordinance also specifies that the academy’s president will henceforth be selected jointly by President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, and the Minister of Science, Industry and Technology contrary to the previous rule of electing the academy’s president by the academy’s general assembly, which convened twice annually. By the new rules, the academy’s honorary members are no longer members of the General Assembly. Above all, there will be no elections for many years for full academy membership until the number of the present associate members comes down to 50.
These amendments made to the administrative setup of the academy are being seen by many academy members as enforcement of direct government control of the academy at the expense of academic merit. Many TUBA members are even considering resignation from the academy, thinking the academy will lose its respect as a credible body of scientific knowledge and research.
So far, two meetings of the academy’s members have discussed the issue in Ankara and Istanbul in the past week, and they have agreed on the point that the new law spells the end of the Turkish Academy of Sciences as an academy. Foreign academics, who have learnt about this issue, have also expressed their concern over the political control of TUBA. They mean to draw the Turkish government’s attention to the fact that science academies across the world are self-governing, autonomous entities.
TUBA members seriously concerned over the new law have indicated in the recent meetings that they would table their resignations in case the government does not resolve their worries over TUBA’s administration.