The view changes depending on which of the two sides of the mountain you look at. One side exudes majesty, the other harshness; one side radiates splendor, the other stark reality. We must look at Ararat this way as well: to remember the difference between merely seeing and truly looking.
History is the same. Official records are often a mirror of those in power; they present a narrative that has been polished, smoothed over, and, when necessary, erased from memory. Yet the other side of history is the story of the oppressed, the silenced, and those whose stories never make it into the records. That is why those who rely solely on official documents see not the truth, but only the permitted version of it. And this is nothing more than the transmission of history’s dirt from one generation to the next.
We must view today’s political debates through this lens as well. Because the issue is not merely an internal matter for a single party; the issue is how truth is perceived and how it is distorted. The rift currently being experienced within the CHP’s base stems precisely from this point. While one segment is still looking at the image on display, the other sees the cracks in the background.
The sense of disorientation accompanying the new administration is not merely a loss of political direction; it is also the result of a lack of principled clarity. As the gap between words and actions widens, the base’s trust erodes accordingly. Because people are no longer looking only at what is said, but also at what is being kept hidden.
What keeps a party afloat is not just its share of the vote; it is its credibility. If a movement cannot even convince its own base, the message it sends to the outside world will also be weak. The CHP stands at this very crossroads today: It must either confront the contradictions within itself or watch as this turmoil deepens and continues.
It takes courage to confront the other side of history. Because that side is often unsettling. But if we fail to confront it, those truths accumulate, and eventually they lead to even greater ruptures. What we are witnessing today may well be an expression of that accumulation.
The conclusion is simple but harsh: The truth will come out sooner or later. Those who refuse to see it can only delay it—but they cannot change it.