Necip F. Bahadir
The ’empty seat’ quickly fell off the agenda. Frankly, its mystery was never fully solved. Its wisdom was not understood. Was it a message to Özel or just a simple mistake? When the AKP said, “Do not attribute any special meaning to it!”, the pro-government writers did not make a significant comment. It’s best to leave it to history with its secrets, saying, “Even if it was nothing, it was something!” Its mystery will surely be revealed one day.
Despite no comments on the ‘content and results’, the echoes of the summit continue at full speed. Previously, the public would be informed after such important and historic meetings. With the AKP, a tradition of ‘remaining silent’ in politics began. Erdoğan went to Bahçeli’s house, they talked for 45 minutes. He talked with Özel for 1 hour and 35 minutes. And then came a ‘deep’ silence.
What is this silence? Why do the parties insistently avoid informing the media or the public? If it had been a ‘Biden – Erdoğan’ meeting, would there have been no statement either? We know Erdoğan doesn’t care about the media. But what about Özel, the new leader of the CHP? Why does he shy away from shedding light on the ‘fog’ over the summit?
Okay, not everything can be disclosed. At least the general outline should be sketched, and topics provided. Media members would infer from between the lines, making analyses. Honestly, answering three questions after a brief statement following the summit… If not, a written statement should be given to the public. Both Erdoğan and Özel, known for their defining speeches, remained silent.
Although both the AKP and CHP avoid informing the public, ‘tiny bits of information, broken sentences’ leak to the media from party headquarters, or more precisely, from the CHP side. We learn from those incomplete backroom talks that Özel brought up the ‘Gezi and February 28 prisoners’. If true, Özel reportedly said about July 15, “I never called it a theater.” I wonder what Erdoğan responded?
This area is problematic… I highly doubt Özgür Özel would try hard to gain favor or a pat on the back from Erdoğan. Because the main agenda of the summit isn’t ‘July 15’. Could it have been a gesture? Maybe…
What did Erdoğan want from Özel?
Doesn’t the CHP leader know even the Parliament’s July 15 report wasn’t published? July 15 remains a big question mark… A very complex equation. Let alone discussing it, even asking questions is forbidden. Anyone who asks an innocent question like “What happened that day?” or poses questions involving Hulusi Akar while looking through the case files ends up in prison.
Isn’t the summit a turning point for Turkish politics? Didn’t the spokespersons of both parties describe it as ‘a great meeting or historical’? Weren’t all eyes focused on the summit?
Yes…
After 8 years, the meeting of the leaders of the government and the opposition is of course very important… But what came out of the summit? What were the results of the meeting? What made Özel say ‘I am optimistic!’ after the summit?
We somewhat know Özel’s hand. We are more or less aware of his agenda. Besides ‘a new constitution’, what did Erdoğan say? What did he ask from Özel regarding the constitution? Backing down from the partisan presidency? The right to be elected more than twice? How and in what ways did the system’s revision come up on the agenda? What did Özel say to Erdoğan? Did he crack the door open, or did he show a green light? Did Erdoğan, by meeting Özel, stick his hand into the CHP? Was his goal to bring Özel forward and neutralize İmamoğlu? Is he setting up the ‘game plan’ for the election that will be held in 4 years?
I try to answer these questions in my writings. Nevertheless, none of these questions have dropped from the agenda. And it doesn’t look like they will.
Yes, Erdoğan is after a ‘new game’… But he is not in a strong position. Let alone stirring up the inside of the CHP, he doesn’t even have the strength to rally his party and prepare for new elections. He is in a state of great helplessness. The summit itself is a picture of desperation. Until March 31, Erdoğan had positioned himself ‘among the immortals’. He had nothing to do with mortals. That’s why he didn’t reach out, ignored, and denied. The March 31 defeat brought him down among the mortals. And he met with Özel. Now he is also a mortal or mortal… The untouchable, unreachable era is over.
What will be the first step of ‘softening’ politics?
Can you believe he said ‘softening’? The words that came out during the Friday greetings were exactly as follows: ‘I want to start a softening process in politics in Turkey’. Erdoğan has thrived on tension until now, adopted polarization as the fundamental strategy to grow the AKP, consolidated his base with conflict, and could only sustain his power in an extraordinary climate. ‘I have the wrath of Caliph Omar,’ he said. He only took Caliph Omar’s anger. He trampled on his other virtues, especially Justice.
So, ‘softening politics’, huh? How will this work? Can it set Turkey back on its course? Can it normalize the country? What will be the first step of the softening policy? Will the decisions of the Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights be considered? Will Erdoğan pull his hand from the judiciary? Will he leave the judges and prosecutors to their own devices? What about the prisons filled to the brim with innocents? Can a country without justice be normalized? Softening is not just in words, action is needed.
Can the ‘softening policy’ stop the disintegration within the AKP? Erdoğan’s concern is not Turkey, but the disintegration within the AKP… But it’s a futile effort. Neither tension nor softening can cure the AKP’s woes. Maybe he thinks, “The sooner I turn back, the better!” But it’s too late. The ‘bag of crimes and sins’ is so full that it’s impossible for him to turn hearts and feelings in his favor. The pains he caused do not subside, the wounds he opened do not heal. Eventually, he will have to face these realities.
It’s too late, he can’t draw the opposition back to his path.
It doesn’t seem right to me to interpret and evaluate the summit solely within the framework of Erdoğan’s ‘game plan’. It’s impossible for Erdoğan to draw the opposition back to his path. Because there is no longer a path left. Erdoğan has lost his orbit. He is drifting in a vacuum. He is being dragged in front of the waves. Occasionally, he wobbles towards the opposition’s path. Erdoğan’s process of becoming like Ecevit has begun. There’s no turning back.
The ‘Özel – İmamoğlu – Yavaş’ political triangle certainly has potential problems. I see that too. But the reason is not Erdoğan’s meeting with Özel. It’s inherent in the nature of politics and the internal dynamics of the CHP. Even if there had been no Erdoğan – Özel summit, we would still be discussing the same scenarios. Politics should be interpreted by centering on the political forces outside of power, not through the disoriented AKP and Erdoğan.
