Current Events

Our tour guide for our overnight trip to Konya, Suat, was part of the protests in Ankara and shared his story with us.  First, I have to apologize for incorrectly telling everyone nothing is happening.  Something is happening.  Second, I have to say this is a big deal.  Both Suat, who was in the thick of things, and our Turkish coordinator Dr. Gökhan Çapoglu, who happens to be a former Parliament member AND economic policy professor, agree these protests could lead to change in the Turkish government.  Specifically, the removal of Prime Minister Erdogan (Erdogan).  

Suat's very memorable line was, "This all started with a tree."  The protesters, along with a Kurdish Parliament Party Parliament member, were attempting to stop the construction of a shopping mall in Taksim Park.  The polis (police, just in case you couldn't make that translation) were "containing" the protests at first but then it turned to dispersing them using plastic bullets and tear gas.  In Ankara, which is where Suat was and therefore my primary source for this information, protesters started taking scarves for their faces, and then the next night gas masks, and then the next night full suits like firemen.  Protesters then began to construct barricades against the polis and throwing the tear gas bombs back.  The protests are building.  It began in Istanbul and is now in almost all of Turkey's 81 provinces.  The movement is largely on social media since the Turkish media isn't airing coverage of the events here in Turkey. 

Dr. Gökhan gave a fascinating and incredibly relevant lecture this evening.  The topic of the lecture:  The Turkish Political System.  So fitting considering we are here at a time of social unrest and protests against the government.  We are going with Dr. Gökhan this Friday to Parliament, the Embassy, and the Constitutional Law Court (wish you were here, sis!).  I’m about to be real familiar with the Turkish government.  

Now I will attempt to relay the information we learned in a manner that is brief yet informative and will hopefully help the readers of this blog, all three of you, understand what’s going on.  I will do no justice to Dr. Gökhan and the Turkish government as I'm not a writer, scholar, or political aficionado even though I pretend to be all three.  I'm just a girl with a laptop.  Here's how Turkish Parliament works in the broadest summation of all broad summations.  (Deep breath).  There are several political parties in Turkey.  People become members of these parties.  Unlike other European parliament systems, in Turkey you do not pay dues to be a member.  Each party selects a leader.  The party leader controls the party.  If/when the party gets the majority of the vote then that party's leader is Prime Minister and controls Parliament.  The Prime Minister then enacts the laws he wants… in addition to determining the high court justices.  Aside from all of this (pause for breath), as a Parliament member of the party in power, you canNOT vote against the party leader.  Thus creating an "elected dictator."  

Here's how things get sticky (stickier?).  The leaders of these parties do not always rise to power on a shiny cloud of good morals and strong ethics.  Gasp!  In order to become leader, you need the majority of votes of the delegates in your party.  So, for example if there are 1,200 delegates in your party voting for leader, you need 601 votes.  The problem arises when an eager politician seeks to become leader and does it by any means necessary.  Bribery, not always with money such as promising people jobs or contacts, can do the trick.   Such is the case with Prime Minister Erdogan.  In summation of this paragraph, you don’t have to be educated, honest, have integrity, or well-intended ideas to become the leader of your party, which sometimes leads to a seat in the Prime Minister’s chair. 

P.M. Erdogan’s party, The Party of Justice and Development or as they’re known here:  AK Part, is more conservative than they claimed to be when they first won the election.  They promised to preserve secularism and personal freedoms, something Turkey was founded on under first president Ataturk.  But as most politicians do from time to time, Erdogan is no longer keeping the promises made at election time.  The people in the streets want the government to stay out of their business. They want the protection of their lifestyle and freedoms without censorship. Makes sense to me… 

I’ll continue to update as we’re here in Turkey during this time of what could be great change.  I’m also going to keep closer tabs on Syria as I was informed that Turkey could be directly affected by the dissolution of Syria.  Oh yes, the plot thickens.  Turkey and Syria as well as other surrounding countries have Kurdish populations.  Without a country of their own and if they lose Syria, a moment to create a Kurdish country would create some issues in Turkey.   For now I have a front row seat to history in the making.