Erdoğan surrendered to the system

The AKP that promised change by dragging down ossified formal politics and taboos, and that received votes by saying it would change this country into a real democratic one, has today become a part of the formal system.

What made this party interesting was its attitude toward change.

We were to leave old attitudes that were weary and led to no conclusion. The party at first really took steps that made everybody curious and collected applause from a great segment of both the domestic and international society. Prime Minister Erdoğan did not receive this much support for nothing. He was supported for his attitude toward the formal and ossified system. For that he was awarded at international forums. Let’s take a short look at how far we’ve come.

Everything started with the EU
The most unexpected step the AKP took, was its courageous step toward the full membership in the European Union. It took decisions nobody could take up until then. It made reforms. As a matter of fact, as you will remember, it threw away a draft law draft regarding adultery, suiting their own philosophy, because the EU did not like it.

It became widespread that a party that exhibited such an important attitude toward the EU could not be pro-Shariah. The party received great support from local and international secular liberals and democrats.

What happened next?

All those in favor of the system became active. They talked about Turkey’s exceptional position. They said the Copenhagen criteria would split the country.

The social democratic Republican People’s Party, or CHP, which was supposed to be the banner bearer and the Nationalist Movement Party, or MHP, which was in a position of harboring nationalists, announced the EU their enemy. The military was up in arms. Some scientists and even businessmen showed reaction. The AKP strongly resisted, but finally gave up. If you look at today’s situation you’ll understand what I mean.

In Cyprus first he roared, then receded
The same was the case with Cyprus. Within the frame of the Annan plan, he took courageous steps in Cyprus that no administration had even dared take before. He changed formal statements. He took decisions that horrified those who supported the status quo. He took steps like fill-in-the-blanks for the secretary general of the United Nations that nobody had expected. All those in favor of the system revolted. Those who supported the status quo and formal system put Erdoğan in a witch’s cauldron. We found out later that some generals even thought of over-throwing him in a military coup. Then we noticed Erdoğan change. He forgot about Cyprus. We were back to old days. We surrendered to the system.

No solution to the Kurdish problem
There was belief that Turkey’s most important problem would have been solved in a more healthy way. Especially when Erdoğan stated acceptance of the Kurdish problem and drew attention to old mistakes in his speech in Diyarbakır, he raised hope. He was to change apprehension by stepping out of the system. Erdoğan was to finish what he started no matter what and important steps were to be taken.

Years have since past and at this point in time Erdoğan, who speaks even more abruptly than a military officer, is in a position where he is sending signals to the constitutional court for closing the State Planning Agency, or DTP. Meaning, he again has surrendered to the system.

Apology to Armenians was final straw
The Armenian Apology movement, however, was the final example that showed Erdoğan has now become an inseparable part of the system.

As much as President Gül’s visit to Yerevan was a historical one, Erdoğan’s reaction to this civil society movement is a clear sign of the AKP’s overall attitude not having changed.

So why?

Maybe Erdoğan wanted to change the system, but couldn’t handle it. Was he forced to give in because he couldn’t bend the wrist?

Or has he fallen back to his real personality? Or has he understood that the formal ideology or system was correct, so he changed and surrendered. I believe that Erdoğan still wants to change things, but what holds him back is sometimes his concern for votes, sometimes it’s because he doesn’t want to fight those protecting the system, sometimes he is incapable or unwilling to do so, sometimes because he has not adopted the change, and sometimes his vision is insufficient. What a pity, isn’t it? The country has missed out on an opportunity.