Erdoğan’s new Turkey manifest


After participating in his ninth election, President-elect Recep Tayyip Erdoğan increased his votes once again and is now waiting to be inaugurated as the first president elected by the public in Turkey's history. This is a noteworthy success. Turkey is now getting rid of its old state regime with a strong collective movement led by Erdoğan. The country is gradually moving away from its former role of being manipulated. This new movement is using political means without shedding blood and without importing any models, it is building a unique culture of democracy parallel to public demands and politics.In the 12th president's balcony speech on Aug. 10, Erdoğan was the new Turkey manifest. Let's review some highlights of that speech. "With all my heart, I would like to say that among the 77 million citizens of our country, there is no loser as a result of this election. There is no loser of this election within our nation. The only loser is the status-quo.Of course [the military and bureaucratic] dominance has experienced its most dramatic failure. Immoral policy makers and non-political pressure groups have learned a noteworthy lesson. I believe the opposition will revise its policies from now on and build a new political style that would comply with the new Turkey. However, those who did not vote for us, do not approve of us or do not love us are not the losers of this election. They have also won today. I want to express with all my sincerity that I wish to initiate a new collective consensus period together. I want to leave the old disputes in old Turkey. I would like to leave tensions, conflicts and imaginary problems behind in the old Turkey. Those calling us dictatorial or authoritarian must take a look at themselves first. Those blaming us for having a one-man-regime, being oppressive or imposing public pressure should sincerely review themselves. Those regarding themselves as elites while marginalizing others and considering them as ignorant should review their consciences.We are the successors of the same ancestry, same culture, same civilization and same history. We might have different political views or different lifestyles. We might have different beliefs, sects, ethnicities or languages. But we are all children of this country. We are all under the same flag. Above all, we are all from Turkey as Turks, Kurds, Arabs, Laz, Georgians, Bosnians, Circassians, Greeks, Armenians, Alevis, Sunnis, Muslims, Christians, Jews, Syriacs, Yazidis … I would like to construct a new future by emphasizing our common values. Let's all review our own consciences today. Let's all question one more time the politics of tension and intimidation of the opposition. I would like you to sincerely question one more time the politics of fear and polarization triggered by some media organs. If we question it really sincerely, we will see more clearly how many common traits we actually have regardless of being Turks, Kurds, Laz, Circassians, without making any distinction between women with and without headscarves."Within the last 12 years, Erdoğan has made many democratic reforms that could hardly be made in maybe 100 years, but he has always been exposed to the heavy assaults of the status-quo. If he were not a character open to challenges, he would have been already overthrown. The rigidity of this struggle has stemmed from the plots of bureaucracy, opposition parties, and media that are willing to preserve the status-quo. Those complaining about polarization are actually the source of the polarization. They even showed the ''succes'' of perceiving Erdoğan's self-defence efforts as actions that trigger polarization.Erdoğan, who is called a dictator by some groups, proposed to the opposition and those who consider him an enemy, "let's establish a new Turkey together" just after his great victory, at a time when he is most influential. I hope those obsessed with opposing Erdoğan will listen to his words since this is the point of no return.