Intestinal Cleansing is Essential
Allegations of corruption now seem to be presented as normal in the public eye. Contractors known as the “gang of five” are said to be draining state resources. It is claimed that 80 per cent of public contracts are awarded to specific parties.
When the body becomes clogged, it produces toxins. If waste is not expelled, even the smallest microbe can paralyse the body. This is why bowel cleansing is performed: to purify, clear blockages, and restore healthy functioning. Today, Turkish politics is writhing in pain, just like a body with clogged bowels.
The Weary and Corrupt Organs of Power
With over 20 years in power, the ruling party has made the state dependent on the breath of a single person. Every institution, from the Central Bank to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), from universities to the judiciary, has become a single voice. The major economic crisis is the result of misguided policies. The bread taken from millions of people's pockets with the slogan ‘interest rates are the cause, inflation is the result’ has now turned into a kitchen fire. Inflation is being concealed with TÜİK's cosmetic adjustments, but market prices reveal the stark reality.
Moreover, it is not just the economy: allegations of corruption are now being presented as if they were normal. Contractors, known as the ‘gang of five’, are sucking up the state's resources. Eighty per cent of public tenders are awarded to specific contractors. Responsibility for the buildings destroyed in the earthquake is still unclear. The organs of the state have become sluggish, like a body covered in fat.
The Disarray of the Main Opposition
What about the opposition? The 2023 elections laid bare the disappointment that is the main opposition. The ‘Six-Party Table’ was presented as a source of hope, but seat bargaining, ministerial squabbles and personal ambitions took precedence over Turkey's future. Change was promised in the CHP, but the same old faces took to the stage. Instead of bringing the people's struggle for bread and young people's concerns about the future to the agenda, we have a main opposition that is busy trading barbs.
Yes, there are services in municipalities such as Istanbul and Ankara, but there too, issues of transparency and internal conflicts are coming to the fore. The municipalities won in the last local elections are turning into arenas for internal party strife instead of strengthening the people's trust. This is another bottleneck delaying the clean-up.
The Decay of the Other Opposition
The other opposition parties are a separate headache. Although the İYİ Party is in the process of regrouping, it has not yet fully recovered from its post-election disarray; its claim to be centre-right has turned into internal conflict. Time will tell for parties such as Zafer and Anahtar. The newly established parties – DEVA, Gelecek, Saadet – scored zero in the election and are now trying to remind people of their existence on the fringes of politics. They are unable to offer any new words of hope to society.
This political landscape emerging in our country is like the pain of a body whose bowels are swollen but cannot be emptied. Everything that has accumulated inside is poisoning society; politics cannot breathe.
Historical Warning
The Ottoman Empire collapsed in the 17th century because it could not cleanse itself of decay. The Tanzimat and Islahat decrees did not go beyond cosmetic changes. By the beginning of the 20th century, there was no power left to keep the empire's body standing. But the Republic emerged from those ruins because a thorough cleansing was carried out: the monarchy was abolished, the caliphate ended, and new institutions were established.
We are at the same point today. If Turkey does not undertake a courageous cleansing of its bowels, that is, if it does not cleanse its government, its opposition, and all the grime and rust of politics, this country will fall prey to a serious illness.
Conclusion: The State Mind is Still Here
But we are not hopeless. This nation has repeatedly known how to rid itself of its excesses. During the War of Independence, a brand new state was established from the ruins of a collapsed empire. On 15 July, FETÖ, which had infiltrated the state, was purged by the reflexes of the nation.
What needs to be done today is clear: to courageously cast out the arrogance of those in power, the inertia of the opposition, and all the networks of vested interests in politics. Because there is no crisis from which this nation cannot cleanse itself and rise again. When the state mind comes into play, Turkey has always risen from its ashes; it will do so again.
Long live the Republic of Turkey!
