“Cultural and civilization restoration” was one of the elements of Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu’s speech in the congress on August 27, 2014, where he became the Chairman of AK Party.
During the meeting at the Haliç Culture Center on July 11, 2014, where Erdoğan declared his Presidency, he also announced the “Vision statement”.
In that statement, there was a part entitled “Pioneer Turkey”, in which “Turkey will be the civilization center of the world” was mentioned.
AK Party has presented a new thesis in Turkish politics, and, become a rulership party, which keeps evolving with change. At the same time, AK Party became successful in developing and transforming Turkey.
Who can say that the recent Turkey is the same Turkey before October 3, 2002? While achieving this, AK Party didn’t only stay on the basis of expression; they also presented a strong willpower for the change. Erdoğan’s strong leadership has come forth as the immersive power of the change.
AK Party was transformed into a service-oriented party. They had expanded Turkey in every field. However, AK Party didn’t become a party like Adalet Party, DP and ANAP, who had only blazed a trail and supplied water. AK Party put up a revolution fight. AK Party made constitutional amendments, and ensured the nation to elect their President.
AK Party’s expansion process can be divided into three periods.
The first rulership period, in which an attempt had been made to end it with the 367 decision between years 2002-2007 and the April 27 e-memorial. In that period, if Erdoğan didn’t reply back to the memorandum or didn’t make the decision of having an early election; the countdown would’ve started for AK Party.
The standing upright period between 2007 and 2011. Due to being successful in “standing upright without becoming steep”, AK Party came out of the elections with 47% and thus grew stronger. A closure case had been opened against AK Party. Instead of surrendering, AK Party chosen to fight and started the Ergenekon operation. They had taken the risk of settling accounts with the deep government. They’ve exerted their authority on the assignment of Chief of General Staff and Force Commanders. AK Party had gone to the ballot box for the Constitutional amendment, which ensured that the nation elected their President. On September 12, 2010, the Constitution, which was one of the important steps of the system change in Turkey, had been taken to referendum and came out triumphant. Also, AK Party started the Resolution process in the Kurdish issue.
From 2011 to 2015, the Mastership period… It became a period, in which the military guardianship had been downgraded, EMASYA had been removed and radical steps had been taken in the Resolution Process. In this period, AK Party came face to face with the Gezi incident and the December 17-25 coup attempts. The Fethullah Gülen coup, whose footsteps were heard with the MIT crisis on February 7th, aimed at directly overthrowing Erdoğan following the December 17-25 attempt. Erdoğan, who returned the memorandum of the military and opened the doors for the September 12 coup-minded people to stand on trial, had chosen to fight against Fethullah Gülen’s coup attempt and had become successful in that.
Meanwhile, AK Party ensured their internal transformation without being divided or shattered thanks to Erdoğan’s strong leadership. Unlike Özal and Demirel, Erdoğan had masterfully actualized the “Çankaya –Government” transformation. While Erdoğan became the President, Ahmet Davutoğlu, whom he supported, became the Prime Minister.
AK Party is not only going for elections in 2015, but also, entering a period that forms the first leg of 2023. AK Party’s objective is to move to the Presidential system and to carry the transformation, which AK Party actualized since 2002, to the climax. This is a process, where the construction of a civilization has been targeted.
Erdoğan had taken the road from the Pınarhisar Prison as the “Virtuous movement”. In the days of his candidacy for AK Party Chairmanship, Davutoğlu had named the new period as, “The process of restoration and construction”.
Erdoğan has never been alienated to the Islam world, rather, shared the grief of the Islam world. In a corner of his heart, Ahmet Davutoğlu always carries the question, “What will be the future of the Islam world”. After all, because of his worries, he had taken on the responsibility after Erdoğan. As we are nearing the 2015 elections, AK Party is preparing to make their public appearance with an assertive election declaration.
AK Party has assertive objectives like; the New Constitution, the Presidential System and Mega Projects. However, AK Party is not only a service party. Also, AK Party does not regard the rulership as a position, which will provide service to the nation and whose benefits can be exploited. If they did, what would be the difference between AK Party and the parties of the past like Adalet Party, ANAP or DYP? If they did, would they be able to ensure the Quran and our Prophet’s life as a lesson in our schools? AK Party is a party, to which masses, who possess the “Civilization envisagement” and who have a “Sacred fight”, had set their hearts on. They have a case. Can AK Party be uninterested to the period, where an anti-Islam mood is trying to be set in Europe as it happened in the post-September 11 US and where the attempts to advance Islamophobia even further are seen clearly?
AK Party is putting forth a new objective, which forms the moral bases of their political struggle. The “Holy Case”.
I don’t know how it will be described in the election statement; however, AK Party will come forward with a case consciousness, which will find a response from the voters.
AK Party will come up with a civilization construction project, which will find a response in Ahmet Davutoğlu’s intellectual identity and “Strategic Depth”. This has nothing to do with imperial objectives or Neo-Islamism.
This amounts to constructing Turkey with a civilization envisagement and having a say against the increasing anti-Islam in the West.
This is an attempt to raise our voices with a civilization project against the violence being performed in the name of Islam.
This nation has a holy case. They had supported AK Party after they’ve seen the response of this case in them. If AK Party is not going to be Adalet Party, DYP or ANAP, they require a holy case.
If AK Party doesn’t have such a case, how will they form the “Turkey, the civilization center of the world”?
“If we don’t have a holy case, then, we are not in.”
