It seems like the June 7 elections will result in a great opportunity to become acquainted with the new political actors in Turkey, the reinvigoration of cadres, and the entering into the political fray of people with fresh ideas and capabilities.
The AK Parti (Justice and Development Party) administration, which has been in power for 13 years, has faced severe reaction as it transformed Turkey, attempted to build a new Turkey, attempted to impart a sense of native belonging to the country and institutions, and expand freedoms as much as possible while the world was headed in the opposite direction.
The resistance, which was fueled by both domestic and external forces, and which was aimed at eliminating the pioneers within the AK Parti, was not just targeting the political cadre but was actually an attempt to stop Turkey. Quarters that in the past were run by tutelage, were elitist and had favors bestowed upon them waged a war to the death to prevent the state leadership and nation from forming a partnership. They were in the grips of an evil form of reaction that would destroy the country. Their struggle wasn’t about the country but about their own immunity.
A THIRD ATTEMPT WILL BE MADE…
They made the utmost use of areas of power within their control to this end. They left no means untried, ranging from trying to sink the economy to creating deadlock in the political system to inciting societal outrage to plotting civil war to fuelling ethnic and sectarian clashes.
This is why the Gezi events and the Dec. 17, 2013 intervention could be considered as a multinational enterprise. Currently, a scenario is being plotted on the basis of universities and they are investing in the next step i.e. street unrest. They will bring into play all their destructive arguments and theses in the run-up to the elections.
Sabotaging the resolution process and creating uncertainty along Turkey’s southern borders is also part of their plans. But their main and final attempt will come after the elections if the Turkish public decides to continue on this path by attempting to create situations that will also include the paranoia of “the country is being split up” and military provocation. I am persistently trying to point out that following Gezi and the Dec. 17 event, they will insist on “a third attempt.”
THEY FAILED TO PRODUCE ANYTHING OTHER THAN RAGE AND HATRED
This too will be a multinational enterprise. Those that are trying to dissolve our country, just like they have done to countries north and south of our borders, will try to make the utmost use of those full of resentment on the inside, those who were favored in the past, and their organizational and financial extensions on the inside.
But the main planning will once again be done from outside and the scenario will be directed externally. They will invest their energy in Turkey’s weak points, exploit these areas, and try to pass off their scenario as a local one by resorting to their media and social connections on the inside.
This much is certain: The political cadres that developed under the leadership of Tayyip Erdoğan have become the pioneers of a new Turkey and have set a new path for the country. This is a new stage in the struggle that has been ongoing since the end of World War I. This represents Turkey’s growth, becoming native, becoming aware of its environs, recalling its past, and the dream of a strong future. We might make enraged comments today and not perceive the truth of what is being experienced but this moment in time will be mentioned in history books as one of special transition and one marking a new rise.
It is not difficult to understand that those who have produced nothing other than abuse, insults, shallow reactions and extremely biased positions are incapable of judging current events. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like anything these circles produce, or look like producing, will provide any hope for Turkey. They don’t even have a single step to propose that won’t end up in a Gordian knot. If only they could, if only they were capable of opposing this political movement and presenting us all with something new.
THE VOICE OF ANATOLIA AND THE THIRD ATTEMPT
Erdoğan presented Turkey with a new yardstick for politics and leadership. Strong political movements and strong leaders are no longer a pipedream for Turkey. Ahmet Davutoğlu is the continuation of this tradition and is an indicator of opting for a strong leader.
I think the political trend to transform Turkey will continue for a long while yet and there will be no loss of motivation when it comes to attempting to build a new country. This is because I am talking of a tendency to become native. I am talking about a trend that will feed off the essence of these lands the more native it becomes… As a result what we have is not a political party but a political movement, and the transformative powers of the movement are quickly spreading to society and a common aim and understanding is being put in place.
The reason behind the AK Parti’s preservation of its votes during every election, despite all the chaotic scenarios and threats, is down to its success in making Turkish society a partner in its leadership and transformative power, and its ability for years to close the gap between the leadership and society.
As long as it continues in the same vein, continues to lend an ear to the native call and Anatolia’s call, and continues to speak to the people from the heart and not just with a political tongue, that “third attempt” won’t suffice to stop Turkey in its tracks. We will probably see all kinds of nastiness. They will try to promote societal slaughter through rancor and hatred and try to brainwash society but they will be faced with the hearts of the Anatolian people and will fail.
CREATING SPACE FOR NEW LEADERS OF THE STRUGGLE
Those who pay a bit of attention will see that the world has begun to recognize that certain international circles failed in their attempt to export unrest to Turkey and that Turkey was forced to become a trailblazing country due to global conjecture and that there are signs of it developing its own independent stance after a century. This is why a war is being waged by resorting to all types of dirty plots in an attempt to stop Turkey. This war is not against the AK Parti but against Turkey.
The most vital characteristic of this movement, for those who know Turkey and the world well, is the ability to attract people to the political arena; people who are dedicated to the country’s transformation and rebuilding, and people who feel the pain felt on the melancholic fronts of WW I. My guess is that the June 7 elections will provide an opportunity for new leaders of the struggle. Representatives of a younger generation will be elected to parliament.
New generation political actors, pioneers and cadres will come to prominence. New leadership elites will be created. This political movement will continue to clear the path for Turkey with new faces and young men and women that it has invested in and nurtured.
PEOPLE WITH BRAVE HEARTS
I believe a very different picture will emerge in parliament in this respect. I am looking at the list of those who have forwarded their names to be candidates. The strong interest shown could lead to confusion. But the list includes many people whom I know, value and who will join any struggle for the sake of the country and who are brave. For instance, Ahmet Selim Köroglu, who has put his name forward for Istanbul’s third electoral region, Ayhan Ogan from Kayseri and Mehmet Şahin from Tokat. These are just a few of them.
It is not my intention to list names here but due to heartfelt conversations I have had with these individuals, I felt it appropriate to name them here. I know many capable and valued people who have embarked on this path whose names I haven’t mentioned. There are plenty of such people and youths and they have been conducting the struggle for years regardless of being candidates.
AS SUCCESSFUL AS THEIR LOVE FOR COUNTRY
There are many of our friends like them for whom politics is part of that great struggle of transformation. Their hearts encompass Konya, Kayseri, Trabzon, Istanbul and extend to Damascus, Baghdad and Gaza.
Anatolia is the homeland of those who mobilize and are willing to sacrifice a lifetime for a cause. Every province and region has plenty of such brave people who are open-hearted and sound in mind. The key to politics is to find them and bring them out into the open. This is what long-lived and self-regenerating movements have to do. I wish for Turkey’s grand march to continue with more certainty and stronger steps in the new period with the emergence of these people.
May Allah grant them all with success commensurate to the patriotism in their hearts!
