The New Turkey

I suggest that those who do not see that freedom of thought and expression in Turkey has reached a level unprecedented in the history of the Republic should refrain from being unfair.

We live in a country where it is not even a crime to openly violate the Constitution and the laws, to attack the founding values of the state, to tear the country apart, to divide it, to insult Turkishness, to issue threats, or to insult Atatürk. How can we dare to deny this climate of democracy?

HÜDA PAR, the Hezbollah-affiliated party, organized a workshop titled “A Humanitarian Solution to the Kurdish Issue.” Naturally, a “humanitarian solution” coming from an extension of an organization known for its brutal torture methods was very convincing.

Look at the beautiful things the partner of the Ruling Alliance said:

The denial and assimilation policies of the nationalist official ideology must be completely abandoned,

The theses of the official ideology that are contrary to reality must be removed from history and literature books,

Apologies must be made for the persecutions inflicted upon Kurdish scholars like Sheikh Said,

The concept of 'Turk' in the Constitution must be abandoned,

Kurdish must be granted constitutional protection, they said.

They must not have been able to slow down, as they also spoke in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM), stating, “Kemalism is poison,” and “As long as the scourge of Kemalism is not removed from this country, unity and solidarity are impossible; the solution is Islam,” thereby proposing an Islamic state. Thus, they also proved that freedom in Turkey exists only for those who think like them.

But were they satisfied with this? They were not... Benefiting from the fragrant winds of freedom, they continued their demands...

They also demanded that the SYKES-PICOT borders that separate Kurds from each other be made symbolic.

Let us return to this SYKES-PICOT and see what they meant.

SYKES-PICOT is a secret treaty. It was signed in 1916 between England, France, and Russia for the partition of Ottoman lands.

Russia was given Trabzon, Erzurum, Van, Bitlis, and a part of Southeastern Anatolia.

France was given the Eastern Mediterranean Region, Adana, Antep, Urfa, Mardin, Diyarbakır, Mosul, and the Syrian coast.

England was left with the ports of Haifa and Acre, Basra, and Southern Mesopotamia.

It was decided that an ARAB STATE CONFEDERATION or a single ARAB STATE under French and British control would be established in the lands acquired by France and England.

Iskenderun was designated as a free port, and Palestine was designated as an INTERNATIONAL ADMINISTRATION ZONE due to its status as a holy site.

As can be seen, it has been left to HÜDA PAR to revive this treaty, which was rendered dysfunctional by the victory of the War of Independence.

It seems that HÜDA PAR is not content with the National Pact (Misak-ı Milli) borders; it dreams of crossing borders, getting rid of the Nation-State, and establishing a Kurdish-Arab Islamic state within a confederative structure. It is trying to destroy the Nation-State. It does not recognize the secular, democratic Republic. It defends the Islamic Ummah. While it is represented within the ruling alliance with four deputies in the TBMM, the democratic and freedom-loving AKP administration welcomes this with tolerance. No Public Prosecutor is opening an investigation. No party closure case is being filed. There is no one to hold them accountable. Why? Because the Hezbollah-affiliated party called HÜDA PAR is adding fuel to the so-called “peace” process. It is making progress by contributing to the fire that will ignite the Republic of Turkey. It is openly committing crimes against the Constitution and the laws.

No voice is raised against the statements of the DEM Party and the PKK that lecture the State and the People, speaking of building a new Turkey, a new Middle East, and a new world. It is clear that these days, democracy exists only for the DESTROYERS.

Their actions and rhetoric have ceased to be the famous SECURITY THREAT. Even though they target Kemalism and Kemalists, they are not inciting the public to hatred and hostility. They are not committing a crime against the indivisible integrity of the state with its country and nation. They are not conspiring to eliminate secularism and the unitary structure, which are the two main pillars of the Republic's founding doctrine.

They do not create a security threat for the State. They are enjoying their democratic rights and freedom of thought and expression.

So, for whom does the SECURITY THREAT apply?

It applies to Ümit Özdağ. It applies to Suat Toktaş, Ayşe Barım, Çiğdem Bayraktar Ör, and the other Silivri prisoners. They are imprisoned because they tried to inform the public, warn against dangers, report the news, criticize the administration, and resist lawlessness. TÜSİAD executives are under judicial control for this reason. A silent society is aimed at through a climate of fear created so that journalists are afraid to report and comment, politicians stop warning the nation, and businessmen do not criticize the economy or lawlessness.

THE OLD TURKEY

The President frequently gives messages about the “Old Turkey” to mask the trauma inflicted upon society.

If I were him, I wouldn't. Because every “Old Turkey” message increases the longing for the “Old Turkey,” reminds people of what they have lost, and makes them regret even their past criticisms.

Shall we remember the Old Turkey?

In the Old Turkey, the streets would echo with the slogans, “Don't be silent, if you stay silent, your turn will come.” Now, those who dare to go out on the streets warn each other by saying, “Be silent, or your turn will come.”

The Old Turkey was a Turkey where unions, non-governmental organizations, universities, and intellectuals spoke out. It had leaders who said, “Roads are not worn out by walking.”

While leaders were harshly criticized and even mocked in political parodies and theater plays, they would go and watch these plays while laughing, and frame the caricatures to hang on their walls.

In the Old Turkey, political party chairmen and ministers would even resign when they were unsuccessful.

In the Old Turkey, state institutions were trusted. TURKSTAT (TÜİK) was among the most trusted institutions. It would not occur to anyone to doubt its data. The accuracy of election results was not debated, and no shadow was cast on the seriousness of the Supreme Election Council. TRT was accepted as the most accurate news source even after private radio and television stations were opened. Judges and prosecutors held the highest respect in society.

The Old Turkey had a meritocratic bureaucratic staff independent of the government. The state organization was reliable and respected.

In the Old Turkey, there were no cult-oriented parallel structures infiltrated into the capillaries of the state, nor were there cosmic rooms where state secrets could not be protected.

In the Old Turkey, education was secular, scientific, and national. The Law on Unification of Education was the strongest guarantee. The teacher was a respectable social model.

In the Old Turkey, medicine was among the most sacred professions; let alone being attacked, patients would race to show their gratitude and appreciation to them.

In the Old Turkey, the State held art and the artist in high regard, contributed to the spread of art to the public, and provided support.

The retirees of the Old Turkey could even own a home with their bonuses, live their lives comfortably, and did not collect food from the trash.

In the Old Turkey, it was possible to observe politics that was far from ostentation and close to the people in every field. You would feel at home in public buildings, ministries, and the Çankaya Presidential Palace. There were no chasms between you and those who governed the state.

The Old Turkey was a Turkey where limited resources were shared with justice, savings were considered sacred, and the people's money was used for the people.

THE “OLD TURKEY” HAD OVERCOME DIFFICULT DAYS AND WAS CREATED FROM NOTHING. NOW, WHILE IT EXISTS, IT IS BEING DESTROYED.