Happy 15% of our Republic!

A full 101 years have passed since the founding of the Republic of Türkiye; we are entering our 102nd year...

I don't know about you, but every Republic Day, I ask myself the same question:

Honestly; what are we celebrating?

The republic proclaimed by Atatürk and his friends on October 29, 1923?

Or the “demoralized republic”, whose founding principles are long gone, whose institutions have been hollowed out, and whose most sacred concepts have been rendered controversial?

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Let no one be offended; there are four “republics”...

The first is the period from 1923 until 1938, when Atatürk passed into eternity... The Era of Rise!

So much was accomplished!

A new homeland and a new state were built from scratch, and everyone bound to that homeland by the bond of citizenship was called a citizen.

Tremendous strides were made in every field, from industry to education, from justice to the military, from human rights to science and art. The legacy of these 15 years could not be exhausted even after being squandered for the next 86 years!

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The second is the “Stagnation Period” between 1938-1950, which began with the death of Atatürk and covered the difficult days of the Second World War...

Our Second President İsmet İnönü, with great tactical skill, managed to keep our country out of the Second World War, which turned the world into a place of fire.

However, not only was this never appreciated, but it was also constantly exploited by opponents of the republic due to the deprivation and poverty experienced.

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The third is the “Betrayal of Principles and Revolutions” period, which began in 1950 when some figures serving at the highest levels of the CHP founded the Democrat Party and declared, “We are transitioning to a multi-party system.”

This period, which lasted until 2002 under the administration of various right-wing governments, became identified with the words Adnan Menderes said to voters: “If you wish, you can even bring back the caliphate.”

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And the fourth period; the Counter-Revolution Period that began in 2002 and is still ongoing...

During this period, right before our eyes, not a trace was left of the institutions founded by Atatürk.

A covert war was waged against secularism.

Cults and sects, which were closed by the Constitution, were turned a blind eye to.

The principle of unity in education was shelved.

The sultanate and caliphate were not brought back, but a “Neo-Sultanate” era was initiated.

The principle of the rule of law was ignored.

The principle of separation of powers was abandoned.

The country was left to one-man rule.

All contemporary achievements were deliberately abandoned.

In other words...

All the “fortresses” of the republic were captured.

All its shipyards were entered.

The armies were not disbanded for now, but were divided among sects.

The four corners of the country were occupied by a mentality that hates the founding values of the republic.

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The name of the fifth period for the Republic of Türkiye will either be the “Collapse Period” or the “Period of Re-Rise and Return to Factory Settings...”

This will be determined by the struggle to be waged by the millions who are committed to the republic...

That is why a great duty falls upon those of us who are alive today.

We will either be spectators to them digging the grave of the republic, or we will remember that even under these conditions and circumstances, our duty is to save Turkish independence and the republic.

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Yes; we are celebrating our republic entering its 101st year.

But in reality, we are only celebrating 15 percent of our republic!

We are celebrating those magnificent 15 years that passed between 1923-1938!

And the rest?

Decades wasted in negligence, betrayal, and delusion...

Because this truth is embedded in our subconscious, we cannot rejoice on Republic Day; in fact, we worry about our future...

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As for me, until that great day when we start the “re-rise” period, I will continue to celebrate only 15 percent of our republic.

Because I see nothing to celebrate in the rest!