The 'as if' strategy!

After coming to power in 2002, he built his politics on two main strategies.

On one hand, by acting "as if", he shaped the perception of my country's people exactly as he wanted. On the other hand, he fortified this in a way that would kill several birds with one stone, and he moved forward.

These two mutually reinforcing strategies have kept Tayyip and the AKP in power until today.

However, with the local elections, the wind began to blow from the opposite direction.

Tayyip knows very well why he lost the election.

Corruption in the country and waste in the state have reached such dimensions that even the most die-hard supporters of the government have begun to react.

That is why he took action without wasting any time after March 31.

Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek, following instructions from the Palace, came out and announced a series of measures as if they were really going to practice austerity.

Of course, for those who are somewhat familiar with the country's issues, it is a case of "there is stuffed vine leaf in the fridge, if you believe it"...

Everyone knows that these measures will not prevent waste in the state, stop corruption, or reduce the budget deficit.

Unless the hoses connected to the Treasury that finance the government's politics are cut, it will be the same old story.

But for the government, the important thing is not whether the measures actually yield results.

For Tayyip, the real issue is whether the negative image directed at him and the AKP, which caused them to lose the election, will disappear or turn positive after this is carefully marketed to the people of my country.

In other words, they have launched another perception operation by acting "as if" again.

Now it is time to calculate how many birds they will kill with this stone they have thrown...

Let us try to explain this as far as we know the political Islamists and as best as we can.

It is no secret that they will resort to curbing domestic demand to lower inflation.

They will squeeze the throats of my country's people, who are already condemned to live at the hunger threshold, even more.

Austerity measures have become a good excuse for them. They will say:

"We will no longer buy new cars, we will not hold meetings in five-star luxury hotels, and we will not tastelessly redecorate our offices three times a year. We have even given up on going abroad to 'improve our knowledge and manners.' While we are making such sacrifices, please do not complain about being squeezed."

Then...

They will use this to cut the resources of CHP-run municipalities. They will try to tie their hands so they cannot provide services. They will do their best to make the people of my country regret voting for the CHP. They will scold those who raise their voices slightly by saying, "Look, we are practicing austerity. Sit where you are."

So far, that is two birds with one stone.

But this is not enough for this government. They will kill at least three or five birds so that the stone they threw has some value!

Let us continue.

The measures are said to be valid for three years.

That is, in the spring of 2027, the government will open the purse strings, saying, "We have saved enough."

A year before the presidential and parliamentary elections, an artificial prosperity will be created, and with inflation dropping a notch at the expense of my country's people going hungry, we will see an intense campaign period, and suddenly we will find that Tayyip is President again and the AKP is the leading party again...

Of course, if they can manage to make the constitutional amendment during these three years, which will pass with great suffering for all of us.

Considering that Tayyip has easily manipulated the CHP's adolescent Özgür Özel, that does not seem very difficult either.

The fact that the CHP-run municipalities, whose hands are tied during this period, will likely fail will give the government a major trump card.

Before finishing the article, let us emphasize that there will be no austerity regarding the prestige of the Palace.

In other words, Tayyip and his cronies will continue to live in the same opulence.

This is the soft underbelly of the government's strategy until 2028.

It should not be ignored!

If the CHP stops carrying water to Tayyip's mill with self-proclaimed approaches like "softening" or "normalization" and works hard on this soft underbelly, it might have a chance to disrupt the government's game, and with that, let us put a period to our article.