A sorrowful vote

On August 10, 2026, we witnessed a sorrowful vote, a session of shame. 

We watched some political party leaders attempt to absolve themselves. As they explained why they would vote "yes" to the law, we saw their struggles and how difficult it was for them to convince even themselves.

We witnessed how desperately they clung to the word "peace" to describe this law, how they turned a blind eye to the facts, and the shame they felt in sacrificing the homeland for the sake of politics.

We watched with tears in our eyes as the ruling partners and the political extensions of the PKK took over our Grand National Assembly, and how easily national sensitivities were sacrificed for the sake of Kurdish votes.

We felt ashamed on their behalf in the face of the sorrowful results created by a weak political leadership structure that could not stand tall or courageously shout the truth in the face of years of smear campaigns, slanders aimed at breaking the reflex of nationalism, and audacious dishonesty.

The decision of Özgür Özel, the chairman of the main opposition party, who had criticized the law from start to finish and even mentioned its unconstitutionality, to support the law by stating, "We will say 'yes' with historical consistency and responsibility," was undoubtedly very shocking for the masses who had pinned their hopes on him. Those who thought that a political party that takes Atatürk as a reference and includes adherence to the Six Arrows in its Party Program should have taken a decisive stance against a law containing threats to the Republic of Turkey were left disappointed. 

Although an attempt was made to save the party's image by ensuring that 56 deputies of the New Party did not vote "in favor" of the law through the strategy implemented, the reaction could not be prevented. The "no" votes, cast on the grounds of the sensitivities of voters in their own regions, cover exactly 34 provinces. Considering that some of the deputies elected from the provinces of Marmara, Aegean, Mediterranean, Thrace, Black Sea, Central Anatolia, Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia voted "no," and that even the province of Manisa, where the chairman himself was elected as a deputy, is among these provinces, the question of "why Özgür Özel did not take the nation's sensitivities into account" remains unanswered.

For the first time, we witnessed opposition parties other than the IYI Party avoiding making speeches on the articles of the law during this critical session of the TBMM. Were they ashamed to defend the articles they would vote "in favor" of, or was it not desired that those who would vote "no" should speak? The judgment belongs to the Nation.

This historical process, which our nation watched without taking a breath, will be a turning point for Turkish politics.

 TBMM Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş said that the law "laid the foundation for a historical beginning that will build the Turkey of future centuries" and that it was the construction of "a Turkey Model."

Wasn't it what the AKP and its imperialist friends had wanted for years: to get rid of the Atatürk Republic? Hadn't preparations for this been made with the "Century of Turkey" process initiated in 2023? The first step was taken on August 10, the anniversary of the acceptance of the Treaty of Sèvres.

What was pointed to with the New Turkey Model?

The explanations on this subject were not long in coming from DEM Party co-chair Bakırhan.

In his provocative and unrealistic statement, Bakırhan described the law as "the first step toward including Kurds in the law" and spoke of "them having been pushed outside the law for 100 years." He announced that the "carrying columns of the Democratic Republic" to be established would be "mother tongue, equal citizenship, and local democracy."

The "Democratic Republic" that Öcalan has been talking about for years was now a few steps away. No one objected to Bakırhan's words. There was no one to hold him accountable for the lie that Kurds had not been included in the law for 100 years.

The hours following the acceptance of the law were a harbinger of what is to come. Tülay Hatimoğulları started the attack on the founding philosophy of the Republic by explaining the "no" votes in the New Party with the words, "They did not vote because they continue the century-old mentality."

The DEM Party, which celebrated the acceptance of the law by ululating, proved once again how it has taken politics hostage.

These are just the beginning... 

More will follow, and the process that began with the PKK Law will end with a Separatist Constitution. 

Those who legitimize the PKK and declare Öcalan a "Founding Leader" are now preparing to take the second step. 

Did the Chairman of the New Party have the right to so easily squander the hope and excitement he created in the public, the words of the aunt who hugged his neck with teary eyes saying, "we will even buy you a bus," the donations made to the party from pension salaries, and the trust and love that the self-sacrificing Turkish Nation felt for him?

Only one pleasant sound remained under the dome of the Parliament from Müsavat Dervişoğlu;

"There is no statute of limitations for treason"...