Political ethics law

No matter how many laws a country may have, if there is no ethics in politics, justice in that country is lacking, the state is weak, and society is insecure.

Because politics is not merely the art of holding power. Politics is the responsibility of making decisions on behalf of the public and exercising authority on behalf of the nation. A politician entrusted with the nation's mandate cannot allocate the office they hold to the interests of their personal gain, their relatives, their party, or a narrow circle. A public office is not spoils; it is a trust.

Today, this is one of Turkey's most fundamental problems: Politics has legal rules; however, the ethical rules of politics are not strong enough.

Yet, political ethics is a law of conscience and responsibility that is unwritten but forms the foundation of democracy.

A politician should be able to openly disclose their assets when taking office; upon leaving office, they should be able to explain to the nation where they came from, what they possess, and what economic relationships they were involved in during their term.

A politician should not be able to transfer public resources to their relatives, friends, family, or political circle.

Tenders, zoning, licenses, incentives, taxes, public bank loans, and all of the state's economic opportunities should not be made tools for any political calculation.

Where politics is a gateway to enrichment, democracy degenerates.

For this reason, Turkey now needs not only economic reforms but a comprehensive Political Ethics Law.

This law must establish clear and binding rules for everyone who exercises public power, from members of parliament to mayors, from ministers to political party officials.

The boundary between political duty and commercial interest must be drawn definitively.

Economic relationships established with the public by the politician's own company, family, or close circle during their term of office must be audited.

The financing of political parties must be made transparent, and the sources and expenditures of funds used during election periods must be known by the nation.

Because politics that does not account for itself eventually turns into a power that cannot be held accountable.

Another important issue is merit.

State positions should not be a reward for political loyalty. A civil servant should be loyal to the state and the nation, not to a party. The basis should not be which party a person belongs to, but how well they can perform a job.

Where there is no merit, there is no justice; where there is no justice, there is no state order; and where there is no state order, there is no social trust.

Political ethics should not be expected only from the politician. Political parties must also establish democratic, transparent, and accountable structures within themselves. Party administrations should rise above common principles and public interest, not personal loyalties.

It must now be stated clearly:

Turkey needs a new understanding of politics.

An understanding where being a member of parliament is not a means of enrichment, where being a mayor does not turn into a personal sphere of power, where a ministry is not seen as an office to distribute opportunities to one's circle; an understanding where politics is service, not an office…

A political ethics law is not just a law of a few articles. The real issue is changing the mentality of politics.

Because it is not only the Court of Accounts that protects the state's treasury. It is not only the inspector who protects public property. The true protector is the politician's conscience.

Law cannot replace conscience.

But where conscience is silent, the law must speak.

This is exactly what Turkey needs:

A political order where those who clean up politics, not those who pollute it, are rewarded; where office is accepted as a responsibility, not a gain, and authority as a trust, not a privilege.

Because it must not be forgotten:

Politics that loses its ethics first loses trust; and a state that loses its trust eventually loses its reputation.

Politics exists to serve the people.

The nation's trust is the nation's right.

And no political understanding that reaches out to the nation's right can possess the moral foundation of legitimacy, no matter which ballot box it emerges from.