100th-anniversary criticism from İlber Ortaylı: 'Turks did not take ownership of their republic!'

The Presidency's Directorate of Communications announced a program for the 100th anniversary of the Republic. Many institutions, primarily TRT, postponed celebrations due to the war in Gaza. 

"PEOPLE IN OUR COUNTRY HAVE NOT SHOWN RESPECT FOR THE REPUBLIC"

Ortaylı expressed his reaction on his social media account as follows:

"Our people are not aware of what the Republic has brought or its gains. What is Atatürk's vision, what kind of geography is this, what are the conditions surrounding it? There is no reflection on these. We live our lives without questioning, without awareness. This situation brings irresponsibility to both the voter and the elected. 

We are in the 100th year of our Republic. There cannot be a celebration like this. No other republic has celebrated its 100th anniversary in this way. The country in the world where the public conscience is weakest is the USA, because Americans are a strange nation. For them, the 'United States' is important; their own 'state' remains in the background or they boast about it but do not sanctify it with ceremonies. For example, any empire has minority members who are governed. The saying 'God save the Tsar and keep him away from us' comes from them. The existence of the state is a security, but it is viewed as 'let it stay away from us, it is not mine.' There is such a peculiarity in America, but even there, days that come once every 50 or 100 years are celebrated. 

In countries like France, the celebration of the Republic is entirely a national issue. The 200th or 300th anniversary of the monarchy is celebrated. People embrace this. Even though the Romanovs were not a very beloved Russian dynasty, the Russians celebrated the Romanovs.  

In our country, however, people have not shown respect for the Republic. No one should take offense; Turks have not shown respect for their Republic, they have not taken ownership of it. I hope a different picture emerges in the 150th year."

News Source: 12punto