The problem of the CHP, which fails to organize the public and their justified reactions

There is much to be said about the detention of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. However, as a journalist and a citizen, my most fundamental observation is this: Turkey is exhausted from top to bottom.

The AKP, which has been in power for nearly a quarter of a century, has conducted massive perception operations through newspapers and television channels fed by public resources, hitmen on screen, and trolls on social media. It has succeeded in convincing the masses it has made economically dependent on itself. But the Turkish public is tired. People are weary.

To understand this fatigue, it is enough to look at a cosmopolitan district like Üsküdar. Those getting off the Marmaray, those coming out of the ferries; people from different social segments and different worlds intersect here. Recently, we conducted street interviews several times to get a pulse on the public. The most important thing I observed was that people now express their thoughts much more clearly. Retirees, the elderly, women, and men were all openly voicing both their satisfaction and their complaints. The feeling of fatigue was perhaps overriding their reservations about being angry. Some, however, said so much while seemingly saying nothing at all with the words, "Don't make us talk now, they'll arrest us."

One of the most interesting results emerged in the "Ekrem İmamoğlu or Mansur Yavaş?" survey we conducted. We asked this question to nearly three hundred people. Only one person said "Erdoğan," and one person said "Selahattin Demirtaş." In the past, these ratios would have been very different.

The government, which possesses all the resources of the state, keeps its finger on the pulse of the public through private research it commissions and is aware of the truth: Citizens of the Republic of Turkey are tired, they want change, and the government now sees that its rule cannot continue. That is precisely why political investigations, detentions, smear campaigns, and media manipulations are increasing.

However, the party that deserves the most criticism in this process is undoubtedly the opposition—especially the Republican People's Party (CHP). An ordinary citizen expresses their anger on Twitter, and you see that CHP members are giving similar reactions. Gentlemen, you cannot conduct opposition by sitting in chairs! Moreover, we know that you cannot even manage that. We also know how many CHP deputies were missing during the most critical votes.

While the government conducts political operations through the judiciary, the reflex shown by the opposition goes no further than insincere dialogues. If it weren't for the Istanbul University students, they might not have even been able to gather that crowd in Saraçhane.

Another issue is that the CHP appears to be trying to dampen the public's reaction. If you have 1 million 750 thousand members and aspire to govern Turkey, you must first know how to seek your rights! An opposition that cannot organize the millions overwhelmed by oppression and lawlessness, and cannot invite them to seek their rights, cannot be an alternative to the government.

Within the CHP, there will certainly be those who envy the profiteers of the AKP. There will also be those who say, "Let us use power to our advantage." But a management that cannot identify these people does not have the capability to govern Turkey. Transparency, courage, and an unwavering commitment to the values of the Republic are required.

This matter has now gone beyond the İmamoğlu issue. If there is no organized reaction to undemocratic processes of oppression, the darkness will deepen further, and Turkey will not be able to save itself from being a toy for a handful of power holders. There are examples of this in the world, and the end for the peoples of these countries has always been disappointment.

Let those who love their country stand up for it...

NOTES ON THE PROCESS

- During the detentions, citizens were victimized in every respect. Roads were closed. Transportation became a torment.

- The internet was slowed down. At times, access to the internet almost disappeared. News platforms could not reach their readers. Transactions could not be made from bank applications.

- Access to social media platforms was blocked. The public was prevented from expressing their reactions and following the process.

- Trolls were most likely mobilized from a center where they are managed. Untrue claims were served, and hashtag campaigns were launched.

- On the opposition side, the most impressive and clear speech was made by IYI Party Chairman Müsavat Dervişoğlu. Özgür Özel could not display the same clarity. Dervişoğlu said, "An integrated opposition must be formed." The discourse of "integrated opposition" is known to be a discourse on the left. Özgür Özel could not look at it from the left as much as Dervişoğlu. He was even booed in Saraçhane for stopping the crowd that wanted to march to Taksim.

- Those detained were prevented from meeting with their lawyers.

- The crowd in Saraçhane came together again thanks to socialist consciousness. It was clearly revealed that the most organized movements in Turkey can still be carried out by socialists. But the reaction of the youth, students, and the public was also important.

- Elderly men and women committed to the values of the Republic rushed to Saraçhane in the freezing weather with flags in their hands, putting the youth to shame.