The Law of the Strong

Seizures of municipalities won by the opposition through the judiciary,

Especially what has been experienced in the Üsküdar Municipality,

Is a clear indication of how the RTE-AKP wants to govern our country.

In a one-man regime, there is no place for the nation's right to vote, democracy, the rule of law, the constitution, or the laws,

The nation's Parliament has no authority to legislate or oversee the government,

There is no rule of law, no judicial independence, and no freedom of the press.

What prevails is the sovereignty, decisions, and power of a single person. 

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At this point, let us look at the definition of law,

“It is the body of written and unwritten rules enacted to ensure social order, regulate the relationships between individuals, society, and the state, and establish justice.”

The definition shows that;

If there is no law, it means there is no justice, social order, or peace,

If there is no law, it means there is no right to vote, no freedom of thought and expression, in short, no democracy,

It means there is an authoritarian form of government based on the law of the strong.

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What my guest on ADD TV, Önay Alpago, quoted from Turgut Özakman,

Shows where we have come from in a democratic state of law.

When Parliament Speaker Mustafa Kemal asked for a constitution to be prepared after the First Battle of İnönü, to those who said, “Is a constitution necessary during wartime?”

“Yes, it is necessary precisely now; we are currently strong, and a constitution will prevent us from misusing our power. Those who are strong must frame themselves with the law,” he says.

This statement is the core idea of a democratic state of law and serves as a lesson, especially for today's politics.

The rule of law is the foundation of democracy,

In a state of law, what is essential is the Nation, which is the unconditional owner of sovereignty.

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According to Article 1 of the Constitution of the Republic of Turkey, 

“The State of Turkey is a Republic.”

Let us see what a Republic means,

Through the explanation of the founding leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

“The form of government that provides the most modern and rational application of the principle of democracy is the Republic. 

…In a Republic, the final word rests with the parliament elected by the Nation.

… In a Republic, the parliament, the president, and the government can do nothing other than think about and strive to ensure the freedom, trust, and peace of the people. 

Because they know that the owner of the will and sovereignty that brought them to power and authorized positions for a certain period is the Nation, and they also know that they have been brought to positions of power not to reign, but to serve the Nation. 

If they abuse their responsibilities and duties toward the Nation, they may face the realization of the national will regarding themselves in one way or another. 

The obligation of those commissioned by the Nation to govern the state on behalf of the Nation to be held accountable to the Nation when necessary cannot be destroyed by frivolous and arbitrary behavior.” (Civic Knowledge, p. 32)

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Today, those in power who govern our country with the nation's right to vote and will,

Do not have the right or authority to use and change the authority and power to govern the State that the Nation has given them,

Or the characteristics and form of government of the Republic of Turkey,

For their own ideologies, goals, and interests.

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The rhetoric of a “new constitution” recently voiced by government representatives,

Must be watched carefully and evaluated correctly in terms of the future of our country and our Nation.

A new constitution means disregarding the existing constitution,

It means rendering its first 4 articles, which cannot even be proposed for amendment, null and void.

Primarily the main opposition, which says the Republic is entrusted to them,

Political parties, unions, professional chambers, and associations that owe their existence to democracy,

Intellectuals and all our citizens who define themselves as patriots, nationalists, democrats, republicans…

In the face of such rhetoric and initiatives aimed at changing the nature and form of government of the Republic of Turkey,

Must all stand together to protect the 'democratic, secular, social state of law' nature of our Republic.