Where is the front line?

Is the CHP the front line that must not be abandoned until the very end? 

Everyone is trying to answer this question in their own way lately. Let us put it simply, starting from current debates…

Let us admit that for a political party, the organization corresponds to a very key point, and organizing is never easy. Moreover, it is impossible for any new party to reach the financial power of the established and longest-running party of republican history even decades later. There is much to consider economically. And if the front line to be abandoned is “Atatürk’s party,” there is also a difficult psychological dimension to the issue in today’s politics. I grant that. 

However, no one has the luxury of deceiving themselves anymore. With an organized party, there are only local elections won since 2002. Frankly, how much of that success can be attributed to the organization is a big question mark. Likewise, the point that success has reached is obvious. As for financial power, I do not think it has any meaning today. Do not misunderstand me, I am not trying to say it is unimportant.

What I am trying to say is this: Any asset you rely on is there one morning, and gone the next. Let us come to the issue of Atatürk’s party. The current administration—which was at the head of the party for a long time and was restructuring it—was never at peace with its own history and Atatürk’s historical legacy. It would be an exaggeration to say that the party has winked at or drifted toward a completely “post-Kemalist” paradigm in this century. It is already possible to say that the CHP has not been a uniform party throughout its own history in terms of ideology.

But we cannot say that the party has a “Kemalist” paradigm in this period either. Undoubtedly, this examination will be conducted within the scope of recent history studies, and the history of the CHP of the last 15 years will be rewritten. Those who want to think about this deep subject can start most simply with the party’s candidate preferences in key elections or joint lists. However, the answer to the question of whom the party turned its nose up at the most in terms of politicians and voters during this period is also important. What was the motto of change translated into? Who promised what to the core CHP voter? Everyone has an answer to these questions, of course, but in my opinion, Atatürk’s political legacy should now be sought elsewhere. 

Let us return to the initial question. Where is the current line of struggle? The answer is definitely not the CHP. The bitter truth that all republicans must accept is this: The CHP will not be at the center of opposition political life, at least for a while. The position it has gained since 2002 is gone. However, I do not think that the party’s political expiration date has been reached. Because, for over a century, it is a party that has experienced many troubles, had its assets seized, been closed down, even lost its archives, remained below the threshold, lost its seat, but somehow managed to return. It will return again. However, under these conditions, leaving it behind immediately will be for everyone’s benefit. In other words, creating plans A-B-C—if you will excuse me—will serve no purpose other than losing focus. This period of crisis in the opposition, if it can be overcome, can only be overcome by focusing on one goal. 

The thing that must be fought for, or the front line as referred to in the title, is not the Republican People’s Party. It is the republic itself, which was created from nothing. Leaving the former behind is a loss for the political class; leaving the latter behind is a loss for the Turkish people.

Then isn’t the answer to the question very simple? 

(I would also like to add a small personal note on the occasion of this article: Unfortunately, there was a mandatory change to my X account last month. You can now reach the explanation regarding the subject and my future articles and posts at @hpapuccular)