Politics in Turkey is in the grip of a strange simplicity. Instead of confronting the real problems, scapegoats are created and anger is directed to the wrong addresses. One of the latest examples of this simplicity is the endless attacks on Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.
Hit the bull's eye...
Those who do not speak out against the deepening poverty in the country, those who watch the laborers getting poorer and poorer every day as if it were fate, those who do not object to the transfer of public resources to certain circles, suddenly show great courage and determination when it comes to Kılıçdaroğlu.
However, one of the topics Kılıçdaroğlu has emphasized the most in politics for years has been clean politics. He argued that politics should be cleansed of dirty relations, networks of interest, rent-seeking and personal calculations. What he meant by “we will purify” was not only the internal accounting of a party, but the ethical renewal of the entire political institution.
But interestingly, instead of discussing this call, it was preferred to target the person who made the call. Instead of talking about what clean politics means, they tried to discredit the person demanding clean politics.
Those who remain silent while millions struggle to make ends meet, those who do not utter a single sentence against the rent system, those who watch as cities are plundered, are spending all their political energy on attacking Kılıçdaroğlu. Because it is easier. Because fighting the real power centers requires risk, cost and determination.
Those who did not show up in the squares against the imprisonment of Can Atalay despite his election as an MP, those who did not raise a flag against the open suspension of the law, are today defending their internal party power struggles under the guise of democracy. Factional loyalty has replaced a principled stance.
A significant number of those who once spoke loudly in the name of democracy, law and the right to representation now interpret the same principles according to individuals. If the victimized is not from their own political camp, silence is preferred. If the violation of law does not serve political calculations, it is ignored.
On the other hand, rent projects are rising all over the country. Cities are being shaped with the logic of contractors. Nature, coasts, forests and living spaces are left to the mercy of the market. However, those who do not raise their voices against this picture suddenly become democracy watchers when it comes to Ekrem İmamoğlu.
This is where the disturbing aspect of Kılıçdaroğlu's call for clean politics emerges. Because clean politics requires questioning not only the government but also the opposition. It requires being able to look not only at the mistakes of the opponent but also at the mistakes of one's own neighborhood. This is precisely why the call for purification is important, because it suggests starting with oneself before demanding accountability from others.
The problem is not to criticize individuals. No one is exempt from criticism. The problem is that criticism is not based on principles but on camps. The problem is that the demand for justice has become partisan, not universal. The problem is to remain silent in the face of the real issues of the country and to spend all the energy on intra-party showdowns.
What Turkey needs is not to create new enemies, but to face the real problems. It is to fight poverty, the rent system, lawlessness and political decay. Those who avoid talking about clean politics, those who mock the call for purification should first answer this question: If politics is to be cleaned up, who is bothered by this?
Otherwise, the unbearable lightness of attacking Kılıçdaroğlu will continue, but the country's grave problems will remain in place.