Finally the day has arrived! For decades, Turkish citizens appeased themselves by thinking that Turkey is an agriculturally self-sufficient country. This was supposedly – in many and my opinion insufficient- a trade-off for not being a country who manufactures its own heavy industry.
But now the day has arrived! No no, don’t get me wrong. We are not now a country who manufactures its own heavy industry. Oh no! Instead, we are no longer agriculturally self-sufficient.
Yes yes, I know that the rules of global economics do not play that way. You need to be an open market and progressive. That’s all fine.
But how is it that a Mediterranean country, so fertile where everything grows, now has to import all fruits and vegetables? It doesn’t stop there! Now we have to import meat as well, as there is none left in the country! I am not exaggerating. This is what’s being reported in Turkish dailies for the last couple of weeks. What’s next? As a Mediterranean country, will we need to import fish as well, as we will not be able to fish anymore?
Here’s the catch! The imported agricultural products and meat are not necessarily cheaper for the citizens. Not only Turkish citizens pay the most expensive fuel tax in the world, now they have to buy their food (which they can normally grow) for higher prices as well.
We are all aware of the sad effects of global warming on agriculture. However, what’s happening in Turkey is not only that.
The ruling party in government, AKP (beloved by so many outside of Turkey for supposedly being more “liberal” and yet inside the country we feel more and more trapped by the iron fist of Erdogan dictatorship) has its eyes on infiltrating every bloodline of the country. The public sector tenders are open and won only by groups and institutions supporting the AKP. Similarly, countries with somewhat similar Islamic agendas as AKP win a foothold in the country through international tenders. One wonders why and how…and yet for ones who live in or are from the country and who understand its dynamics, it is so clear.
The current constitution surely needs updating with the times we live in. And yet, what we are experiencing is an AKP who works tirelessly to create a set of laws, which work only in their benefit and not the people. And each time they pass a law with the help of AKP MP votes, they cheer and hi5 as if they are in a football match.
The sad part is that even 30 or 40 million of us cannot get together to make one inspirer and change maker for the better like Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
Where is Montesquieu’s separation of powers? This is the core of democracy. With all its faults, hiccups and imperfections, the Turkish democracy, at least, used to have separation of powers. Now with their new constitution, AKP are erasing the separation between judicial, legislative and executive powers whilst infiltrating their people in all public institutions. Their perseverance, commitment and organisational skills are praiseworthy.
Yet, they are not doing anything to increase employment, help the manufacturing industry, improve peace in the country, offer equal opportunity of education for the poor, assist the farmers, advance women’s, children’s and animal rights, ameliorate the good old diversity we used to have in the country. Quite the opposite actually…
The new constitution will go to referendum and it should do. It will be interesting to see the results as the socio-political trend in Turkey right now is to vote with pure fanatical emotion. One hopes that people will study each and every new law and make an erudite decision over their benefits and disadvantages for the people.
Let me also point out here briefly that all the economic success stories, which the non-Turkish analysts and commentators relate to AKP coming to power, have their base in the 2001 financial crisis that the country had to endure. At the time, AKP was not in the scene yet and the left-right coalition government had implemented very strict measures and policies, which have cleaned up the financial industry. Now, AKP are reaping the benefits…
What I am going to write next doesn’t come from a place of suspicion, anger or fanaticism as some non-Turkish analysts and commentators may think. For years, I have supported Turkey’s efforts to become an EU member, albeit knowingly it would never happen because let’s face the truth: the EU wishes to remain as a Christian club and does not want to border with Iran, Syria and Iraq as Sarkozy said it himself.
Nevertheless, I had always thought that it was good for Turkey to at least aspire and make efforts to comply with the requirements to improve its human rights conditions, economy, so on and so forth.
What’s happening in neighbouring Greece now proves once again the weakness of this congregation and vulnerability of Euro.
Don’t get me wrong; if it was up to me, there would be no borders, no nations, no religion (I am not referring to belief in God). In the bigger picture of things, we need togetherness and harmony. We need to forget our differences and live in peace. At least, this is my utopia. So in theory, EU was almost a dream come true for the region.
But not only the EU has acted discriminatively toward Turkey, now the EU is the “sick man of Europe” as some British papers have put it and there is no reason why Turkey should wish to join. Again, this doesn’t come from an ultra-nationalist place. Simply an observation.
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