I became speechless when I heard MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli’s evaluation related with the President’s call to convene the Ministerial Cabinet.
After I heard Bahçeli spill the words, “It’s an insult to the Prime Minister, Ministerial Cabinet, and also to the TBMM (Grand National Assembly of Turkey)”, I immediately sought recourse in my archives to prevent my memory from misguiding me.
The Ministerial Cabinet had convened under Süleyman Demirel’s presidency, and Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit had taken his seat on his right, while Deputy Prime Minister Devlet Bahçeli, with his respectful attitude as always, had settled in on his left.
Thank God, I have the knack of checking what exists in front of the word and what’s behind the word.
The MHP Chairman said, “We have nothing to say against Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan using his constitutional rights. Because, according to our Constitution, in the event that Presidents desire to do so, they can join the meeting of the Ministerial Cabinet.”
With the authority given by the 104th Clause of the Constitution, President Erdoğan assembled the cabinet. In the same way the previous six Presidents had done. Besides, Erdoğan declared that he’d do this before he becomes a Presidential candidate. He didn’t abstain from mentioning this in his election campaign. The nation voted for him knowing this fact.
In short, if there were no such practices, if he had no such given authority in the Constitution, and if Erdoğan had done this after stating that he wouldn’t chair the Ministerial Cabinet, then, and only then, it would have been surprising.
It’s important in the sense of breaking new grounds; however, it’s not a surprise.
Will this cause friction between Erdoğan and Davutoğlu? No, it will not… People, who had been expecting for years a fight between Erdoğan – Gül and for AK Party to crack, so that an opportunity will rise for them, were left empty handed.
Both Erdoğan and Gül, by performing a rare example of virtue, had carried out a painless alteration.
President Erdoğan, on top of directing the process regarding the Presidency with skill, performed a leadership, which in the past Özal and Demirel, the maestro of politics, couldn’t perform, and allowed Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu to take the lead of AK Party.
A synergy will rise between Erdoğan and Davutoğlu, not a friction. This is what the nation seeks, wants and misses.
Since their foundation on August 14, 2002, AK Party weathered great storms like; the party closure case, the 367 decision, the memorandum, their leader being prevented from entering elections, Ergenekon operations and, finally, the coup d’état attempt of the parallel structure.
While exceeding this, their biggest power was their ability to preserve their unity and solidarity.
Because the leading personnel of AK Party trusted each other, the nation trusted them.
Because AK Party preserved their unity and solidarity, the nation trusted them.
In this way, AK Party preserved their rulership for the past 13 years, and become a movement, which bring forth two Presidents and three Prime Ministers, that left its mark on Turkish politics.
AK Party is no longer the hope of the Turkish Nation only, but rather, became the hope of the religious community. From Yasin in Palestine and Esma in Egypt to the Algerian Ahmet in Paris…
The administering personnel of AK Party always felt the weight of this burden. They are obliged to do so.
If the hope of the religious community is a divine reality, then carrying that load requires that much virtue.
Today, AK Party has no luxury to act with personal ambitions and personal prosperity idea.
Not just the voting millions, but also the religious community ranging from Ethiopia to Malaysia and from Egypt to Pakistan has the right on AK Party.
This religious community is oppressed.
This religious community is unattended.
From all around the Islam world cries are rising and great pains are being experienced.
Look at Egypt, Iraq, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Syria…
However, this oppressed nation has seen an adopting willpower in President Erdoğan and Prime Minister Davutoğlu.
I’ve seen this in the eyes of the people shouting “Erdoğan, Erdoğan” in the streets of Jordan and Pakistan.
Due to carrying this mission, AK Party seems to be unrivalled for at least another 10 years.
Of course, AK Party encountered problems throughout their 13-year-long rulership.
However, Bülent Ecevit fought with Ahmet Necdet Sezer, whom he helped become President.
Turgut Özal had clashes with Mesut Yılmaz, who was the Chairman of his party. Also, we don’t need to remind everyone about the Demirel-Çiller fight.
What were the results? The nation deleted the ones fighting on the top.
AK Party even succeeded in avoiding problems with Ahmet Necdet Sezer and preventing them from turning into chaos.
They didn’t crack the vase.
On the contrary, AK Party managed to form a synergy with the harmony between Erdoğan-Gül and Erdoğan-Davutoğlu.
It’s necessary for this harmony to continue.
This precious vase shouldn’t crack.
Whoever cracks that vase, the nation won’t forgive them.
The indisputable leader of this movement is President Erdoğan. One of the greatest values of this movement is Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu.
What the nation desires is seeing the President and Prime Minister, the Master and the Hodja serving the nation together.
The Ministerial Cabinet meeting yesterday was the living picture of this. Was the Ministerial Cabinet under the chairmanship of the elected President a rehearsal of the presidential system?
Erdoğan is a different leader.
Until now, two styles of politics had been dominant.
One of them is the politics that represents the state and which CHP is representing.
As for the other, it’s the line that represents the nation, like DP, AP, ANAP, DYP and the national vision.
As for Erdoğan, he formed a new cult in politics with AK Party. AK Party had transformed itself and the nation. Erdoğan transformed the nation while developing AK Party.
If you look at the day he formed AK Party and at the Turkey nowadays, you’ll understand what I mean.
The man, who had been claimed to be unable to even become a mukhtar (village leader), had become a President, and now there are parliamentarians wearing headscarves of the party, which had faced a closure case because of headscarves, in the Parliament.
Is there anything beyond it? There is, as long as there is Erdoğan.
Is there anything beyond it? There is, as long as the harmony between Erdoğan and Davutoğlu continues.
