ARTICLE SERIES 1
How Were the Institutions of the Republic Eroded?
Countries are not made up solely of flags, buildings, and laws.
The true strength that keeps a state standing is its institutions.
Because institutions outlive individuals.
Governments come and go.
Political parties rise and fall.
Leaders rise to prominence and then fade from the scene.
But the state's memory lives on in its institutions.
A country's future also depends to a large extent on the strength of these institutions.
The Republic of Turkey was not a perfect state.
Its bureaucracy was sometimes cumbersome.
His rulings have been the subject of criticism in every era.
Its democracy has been interrupted by coups.
However, despite all its shortcomings, the Republic had spent decades building an institutional state structure.
There were ministries.
There were regulatory agencies.
There were organizations involved in planning.
There were certain traditions and customs in decision-making processes.
The continuity of the state was ensured by these institutions.
When the AKP came to power, it inherited a state like this.
Looking back today, however, the following question inevitably arises:
Have these institutions been strengthened or weakened?
The collapse of an institution doesn’t happen overnight.
It starts quietly.
Expertise takes a back seat.
Then the issue of merit becomes controversial.
Then, tasks begin to be assigned based on loyalty rather than competence.
The building looks the same from the outside.
The same sign is hanging on the door.
However, the internal workings have changed.
This is largely what has unfolded in Turkey over the past twenty-three years.
Criticism that political connections, rather than experience and expertise, are the deciding factor in government appointments has been growing.
The focus of discussions regarding the country’s most critical institutions has shifted from performance to independence and impartiality.
The damage caused by this situation is not limited to the present.
Because institutions build trust.
Citizens trust the government if they believe they will be treated fairly when they seek justice.
Investors invest when they believe the rules won’t change.
If a student trusts the exam system, they can plan for their future.
If a civil servant believes they will be fairly compensated for their work, they will perform better.
You don’t have to look at major political debates to understand why institutions are important.
A simple example will suffice.
When an earthquake strikes, people look to the government first.
It reports to AFAD.
It falls under the jurisdiction of the governor's office.
He looks at the city hall.
He oversees the search and rescue teams.
Because in times of disaster, it’s not slogans that save lives—it’s institutions that take action.
If institutions are strong, the crisis can be managed.
If it is weak, the crisis will escalate.
For this reason, institutional capacity is not an abstract concept.
Sometimes it’s what determines how many hours a person will have to wait under the rubble.
When trust is lost, the system may appear to keep functioning, but it begins to rot from the inside out.
This is precisely one of the fundamental problems Turkey faces today.
Another example is a young person who has just graduated from college.
A young person takes an exam.
It lasts for years.
He receives his diploma.
Then he applies for the job.
If that young person believes that their knowledge, hard work, and talent were taken into account when they were hired, they will trust the system.
But if he thinks that it’s connections—not merit—that determine the outcome, he won’t just lose the job.
He also begins to lose faith in the country.
That is the invisible influence of institutions.
Organizations do more than just make decisions.
It also shapes society's sense of justice.
Economic crises can be overcome.
Inflation can be brought down.
Debts can be restructured.
However, once institutional trust is lost, it takes years to rebuild it.
Perhaps that is why one of the most frequently heard phrases in recent years is:
“No one knows what tomorrow will bring.”
In fact, the most important characteristic of strong states is that they are predictable.
Citizens, investors, and entrepreneurs alike need to be able to see what lies ahead.
That is precisely the purpose of these organizations.
Reduce uncertainty.
Enforce the rules based on principles, not on individuals.
Keeping the state above day-to-day politics.
However, an increasing number of people in Turkey have begun to feel that the line between the state and the government is becoming blurred.
This perception in and of itself is a problem.
Because in democratic states, governments are temporary.
The state, however, is permanent.
The success of a political movement is not measured by its ability to reshape the state in its own image, but by its ability to allow the state to function independently.
What Turkey needs again today is not new slogans.
Nor are they new divisions.
What is needed are strong institutions.
Independent organizations.
Accountable institutions.
Organizations managed on the basis of merit.
Because it is not strong leaders but strong institutions that secure a country’s future.
Leaders come and go.
Institutions endure.
And a country is only as strong as its institutions.