Impudence

Why is the prime minister so angry about the use of the AKP abbreviation? What is in an abbreviation? Indeed, it is the established tradition in Turkey and elsewhere to abbreviate the name of an organization or a party using the first characters of its name. The Republican People’s Party, for example, is simply referred to as the CHP, an abbreviation composed of the first characters of the party’s Turkish name.

Similarly, the Nationalist Movement Party is referred to as the MHP, the Democrat Party is referred to as the DP, and the Felicity Party is referred to as the SP. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, for example, is abbreviated as NATO, while the United States of America is often referred to as the U.S.A. or just the U.S. The abbreviation of the name of parties, organizations or even countries along the lines of established traditions cannot of course imply any sort of impudent behavior toward them.

Abbreviations are not products of impudence, but an effort to make references shorter and easier. But, why is the tall, angry, bald man, or the sultan-aspiring premier of Turkey, so angry with those using the "AKP" abbreviation in referring to his ruling party and not with the "official" AK Party acronym he preferred?

One major reason is the obsession with semantics. While AKP is nothing further than an abbreviation, very much like the CHP, MHP, DP, NATO or the U.S.A., with no further meaning that what it is intended to refer to with the use of it, the word "AK" has quite an important meaning in Turkish. More than that, the word has a very strong connotation in Islam. The word "AK" literally means clear or white in Turkish, but it has some very strong connotations such as being wise, respectful, clean, correct, just or even divine. Thus, rather than a simple AKP reference, the premier insists that people must use the "AK Party" acronym (obviously it is not an abbreviation) in referring to his party.

That is, the premier is, on one hand, refuting those who say his party is an "Islamist" one by claiming that his party is a "conservative democrat" party. One that is "more secular" than any other party in the country even though it was condemned and fined by the Constitutional Court with a 10-to-1 verdict as a focus of anti-secular activities. On the other hand, he insists that in referring to his party people must use the "AK Party" acronym, which has a rather strong religious connotation, in the hopes that by using a word that implies cleanliness, correctness and such he may give a clean image to his party.

A poor joke

What the prime minister said was very much like a joke, but a very bad one.

Even if we may wish to forget allegations against many of his ministers and deputies in addition to many allegations on which no judicial process can be launched because of his parliamentary judicial immunity, there are scores of court verdicts against Erdoğan himself ridiculing that aspiration for a clean image.

With what magic wand did some municipal clerks and some contractors doing business with the Istanbul municipality join the group of the richest Turks while the tall, angry and bald man was serving as the Istanbul mayor? Or, what about the success stories of the former finance minister’s son and daughter? Or, what about the shipping and jewelry trading successes of some people carrying the Erdoğan surname? What about the corruption claims that forced out two top aides of the premier last year from party administration?

A very long list of allegations can be composed; though we have to underline no one can be considered guilty unless convicted by a judge. The premier, however, must understand that accusing people of impudence just because they refuse to accept his dictate and instead preferring to use a traditional abbreviation in referring to his party is nothing but impudence itself.

Yes, in backward societies people may attempt to silence others by shouting louder or by challenging to use his physical power (in this case government power as demonstrated by the Finance Ministry attacks on the Doğan Media Group, to which this paper belongs) against them, but in a civilized society such attitudes cannot go further than becoming laughing stock.