You can make mistakes. Just don't insist on repeating the same one

I am looking at the news that has been coming in one after another for the last few weeks. At first glance, they seem unrelated. The KVKK's decisions on cameras, the Advertising Board's practices regarding real estate listings, the Competition Board's fine of approximately 1 billion liras on QNB Bank, Arçelik's agreement with Hitachi, the uncertainties in energy policies, the opportunities missed by Vestel... In fact, these are all different faces of the same problem. In Turkey, sometimes the state makes a mistake, sometimes the private sector, and sometimes we, as a society, all repeat the same error together. The real problem is not learning from the mistake.

The duty of the state is to establish order. While establishing order, it must also protect citizens, companies, and the market. However, there is a fine line between regulating and making life unnecessarily difficult. Recently, the KVKK's decisions regarding camera applications and the Advertising Board's approach to the real estate sector make me think that this line is becoming increasingly blurred.

Personal data must, of course, be protected. Consumers must, of course, not be deceived. No one can object to this. However, if a regulation makes people's daily lives unpredictable, one needs to stop and rethink. If people have to calculate whether the cameras they use for security purposes will cause them trouble tomorrow, or if those operating in the real estate sector think, "Will I get fined?" before sharing a house on social media, then the balance between the goal and the result has been broken.

It is precisely at this point that the importance of the Council of State and judicial review emerges. The administration can also make mistakes. It does so everywhere in the world. A strong state is not a state that never makes mistakes; it is a state that can correct its wrong decisions within the legal mechanism. If results that make life difficult, unnecessarily restrict trade, or exceed the purpose of the law emerge in practice, these should not continue for years; they should be reviewed rapidly. The power of the rule of law comes partly from this.

A similar situation occurred in energy policies. For years, we told our industrialists, "Produce your own electricity." Organized industrial zones, factories, and producers made investments worth billions of liras. Roofs were covered with solar panels. People postponed their production investments, took out loans, and trusted the roadmap drawn by the state. Then, the net metering system was changed. There were other rules when the investment was made, and other rules began to be applied after the investment was completed. The state's greatest responsibility is not to change the rules of the game after the game has started.

Moreover, I think the real mistake doesn't end there. We still continue to think about energy through centralized power plants. Yet, the model the world is heading toward is the exact opposite. A distributed energy infrastructure where neighborhoods, housing complexes, organized industrial zones, and cooperatives can produce, store, and share their own electricity when necessary is no longer just an environmental choice; it is a matter of national security. When you spread electricity production to thousands of points, your system becomes much more resilient against wars, natural disasters, and cyberattacks. At the same time, the rate of renewable energy usage rises rapidly, carbon emissions fall, and our industrialists' hands are strengthened against the carbon costs that Europe is making increasingly heavy. Perhaps it is time to talk about democratizing energy instead of discussing new central power plants.

However, blaming the state for everything would also be taking the easy way out. Because the private sector also needs to engage in self-criticism.

The Competition Board's administrative fine of approximately 1 billion liras on QNB Bank is one of the important examples of this. Yes, the amount to be paid will be lower due to the settlement. But what is important here is not the figure, but the message given. Competition law now monitors not only prices but also the labor market. The fine given to this structure, which includes Enpara, which operates within the same group, as well as QNB Bank, is an important turning point in terms of leaving behind the era of large companies thinking, "Nothing will happen to us." A market economy only finds its true meaning when everyone follows the rules.

The second major problem of the private sector is the lack of a strategic perspective.

Recently, Arçelik's transfer of some of its brands to Hitachi was widely discussed. Some tried to explain this with economic conditions. I think differently. Arçelik has spread into too many areas for years. Too many products, too many categories, too many targets... Yet, the world now rewards companies that deepen their focus. While it is possible to be the best in the world in a few areas, the cost of trying to be present in every area can be heavy.

More importantly, Turkey's large technology companies have been repeating a significant error for years. They develop products, but they do not talk enough with the technology journalists, independent experts, and industry thought leaders who follow those products most closely. Yet, sometimes people who watch the field can say in a few sentences what million-dollar consulting reports cannot. Technology does not develop only with engineering; it also develops by listening to criticism.

The Vestel example is actually another face of the same debate. Europe is experiencing the hottest periods of recent years. Demand for air conditioning is growing rapidly. Energy transformation is creating new markets. Such periods are not crises for some companies, but opportunities. Those who can see that opportunity grow, while those who cannot are forced to watch others' success stories.

When I look at all these examples, I reach the same conclusion.

The state can make mistakes.

Companies can make mistakes.

Citizens can also make mistakes.

None of these are the end of the world.

The real problem is that the mistakes made are not corrected despite warnings, and the same errors appear before us again and again. What makes strong countries strong is not that they are flawless. It is that they have strong institutions, strong companies, and a strong legal system. Because strong institutions can admit and correct their mistakes when they make them.

And this is exactly what Turkey needs most today.