May 19, 1919.
It was the day a nation broke the chain of surrender.
The Bandırma Ferry on which Mustafa Kemal Pasha sailed from Istanbul to Samsun was not a symbol of luxury, ostentation and the comfort of power, but of a war of independence fought in poverty.
There were no palace tables on that ferry.
There were no tender negotiations.
They had no executive car designs.
“There was no calculation of ”who will be the mayor, who will be close to the headquarters".
There was only the country.
Today, we are looking at the same picture that emerged on May 19th:
On the one hand, the spirit of independence represented by the Bandirma Ferry...
On the other side, poses on the yachts of business people, shady relationships, power networks formed with municipal resources, an understanding that turns politics into a career ladder rather than a principle...
This is where the real tragedy begins.
Because today the CHP is not only criticized politically;
is criticized for contradicting its own historical memory.
The cadres of the party that founded the Republic;
He represented the legacy of the teachers, peasants, and the Kuvayı Milliye (Revolutionary Forces) fighters who walked with sandals in Anatolia.
Today's CHP photo shows more “network” than people, more PR work than revolutionism, more clique warfare than ideals.
And large sections of society are now asking the question:
“Are these the heirs of the Bandirma Ferry?”
Because people now look at images, not words.
On the one hand, pensioners cannot make ends meet, young people want to flee the country, rents have exploded, the kitchen is on fire...
On the other hand, there is talk of shady dealings, luxurious relationships and political schemes built with the power of the municipality around the cadres who came in for “change”.
And it is not just about alleged corruption.
The real issue is that the CHP has turned into the psychology of the system it has criticized for years.
Because it is a political movement;
When it starts to turn into the things it criticizes the government for, then decay has begun.
And this is exactly what is felt in the CHP today:
He has lost his fighting spirit,
has reduced a historical legacy to the level of a slogan,
A political image that has transformed May 19 from an ideal of youth and revolution into a social media decoration...
The Bandirma Ferry was a journey of risk.
Today's politics has turned into a journey of comfort.
People see this now:
Where once there was a movement that set out to bring independence to Anatolia, today there are professional political networks sharing power in the corridors of municipalities.
And here's the most serious thing:
People who had pinned their hopes on the CHP for years are no longer angry with the outside, but with the transformation inside.
Because disappointment comes not from the enemy, but from becoming like him.
“FROM THE ”PEOPLE'S PARTY" TO THE NEW PRIVILEGED CLASS: THE ANATOMY OF DECAY IN THE CHP
Do you know when a political party starts to rot?
When it starts to resemble the order it criticizes.
And this is precisely the biggest crisis the CHP is facing today.
What has been told to this country for years?
“AKP has established a system of privilege.”
“The state has become a party.”
“Municipalities have turned into crony networks.”
“Public resources have been turned into a tool to generate political power.”
So what does the public see when they look at the CHP now?
New power centers emerging in municipal circles...
Close relationships with business people...
The cliques within the party that have become untouchable...
Mechanisms that protect each other when there are allegations...
And the professional propaganda language that covers it all up...
This is where people's anger grows.
Because the issue is no longer just “corruption allegations”.
The issue is the CHP's transformation into the political culture it has opposed for years.
Let's be very clear:
Today, millions of people in Turkey no longer look at some CHP municipalities as centers of hope, but as a new area of privilege.
This is a very serious break.
Because this was the raison d'être of the Republican People's Party:
Standing against the understanding that surrenders the state to interest networks.
But what is the picture that emerges today?
On the one hand, the people crushed by the economic crisis...
On the other side, photographs taken in luxury venues.
On one side, young people are losing hope for the future...
On the other side are the networks of political careers growing in municipal circles.
On the one hand, pensioners are calculating medicine...
On the other side, there are discussions about million-dollar office cars, special designs and VIP relations.
Then they turn to the people and say, “We are the party of the people”.
People are rightly asking:
“Which people's party?”
Because populism now exists in speeches but not in life.
And the biggest problem of the CHP leadership is this:
They still think they can govern society with old reflexes.
So they think like this:
“Let's say Atatürk's name,
Let's make a few harsh criticisms of the government,
let's organize a rally,
Let's print slogans on social media,
The grassroots does not question anyway.”
But Turkey has changed.
Now people are not only looking at what you say, but how you live.
And this is exactly why the CHP's claim of “moral superiority” is eroding day by day.
Because people see this:
The arrogance that used to be criticized is now being reproduced in another cadre.
And the most dangerous thing is this:
Even failure no longer has a political price in the CHP.
It is becoming a scandal...
Nobody resigns.
The sham is emerging...
No one takes responsibility.
Municipalities are being discussed...
Three days later, the party leadership will launch a new slogan campaign.
Because politics is no longer a struggle for principles, it has turned into a crisis management industry.
And here is the historical question that should be asked to the CHP leadership:
Are you really the leaders of the founding party of the Republic?,
or are you just a new political elite that thrives on municipal resources?
Because being Mustafa Kemal's party is not just about hanging his photo.
It is necessary to carry his morality.
What was that morality?
Accountability.
Sacrifice.
State seriousness.
Sensitivity to public property.
And most importantly: not putting self-interest before the country.
This is exactly the crisis the CHP is facing today.
The party is still trying to derive its historical legitimacy from 1923...
But its political practice increasingly resembles the corrupt power relations of the 2020s.
And society now sees this gap.
The spirit of May 19th;
lives not at yacht tables, but in the character that can afford to pay the price.
The real problem of today's CHP leadership starts right here:
They are trying to write a heroic story without paying the price.
IN THE SHADOW OF BANDIRMA: CHP WILL EITHER RETURN TO ITSELF OR FACE THE HARSH JUDGMENT OF HISTORY
Today, people in Turkey are not only experiencing an economic crisis.
It is also experiencing a major crisis of representation.
Because millions of people, fed up with the government, turned their eyes to the CHP for years.
“Maybe another politics is possible,” he said.
“Maybe the founding party of the Republic still has the seriousness of a state,” he said.
“Maybe one day Atatürk's legacy will really stand up again,” he said.
But what do they see when they look back today?
The congress discussions...
Allegations of fraud...
Political cliques protecting each other...
Municipality-based power struggles...
Images of luxury
And worst of all: an arrogant management language with no self-criticism.
This is where the CHP's biggest collapse began.
Because the moment a political movement loses its tolerance for criticism, it starts to rot.
The reflex in the CHP leadership today is exactly this:
“Any criticism against us is hostility.”
No, no, no.
On the contrary.
Today, many of the people who criticize the CHP the harshest are speaking out because they still believe in the historical weight of this party.
Because this is not just a party issue.
The issue is how the founding memory of the Republic has been consumed.
When Mustafa Kemal set out for Samsun, he was not accompanied by holding company bosses.
There were no poses on yachts.
They did not have a network of political careers that were nurtured with municipal resources.
Because that struggle was not a “coalition of comfort” but a movement for independence.
Today, a significant part of the CHP leadership uses May 19 not as a historical responsibility but as a ceremonial decoration.
Atatürk's name is constantly mentioned...
But he has no political ethics.
The Republic is being emphasized...
But public seriousness, a fundamental principle of the Republic, is eroding.
“It is called ”the people's party"...
But the gap between the anger and poverty of the people and the way of life of the ruling cadres is growing.
That's what people are angry about.
Because the people of this country sometimes endure poverty.
But it does not forgive insincerity.
And the biggest threat facing the CHP today is not losing elections.
The real threat is this:
The founding party has lost the meaning of its own founding.
If one day, when the public looks at the CHP, they will feel that:
“These are no different from the others...”
On that day, not only a party but also the political memory of the Republic was severely wounded.
Therefore, the issue is not personal, but historical.
The spirit of May 19th;
not chanting Ataturk slogans at the microphone,
to stand up for what is right, if necessary, in spite of your own environment.
The meaning of the Bandirma Ferry;
not to get closer to the blessings of power,
is to be willing to lose everything if necessary.
Today, the CHP leadership has two paths in front of it:
Either they will really go back to the foundation settings...
Or they will turn Atatürk's legacy into a political brand used only during election periods and be responsible for a major break in front of history.
Because history is sometimes very cruel.
Especially against those who have forgotten their own founding values.
And let it not be forgotten:
The passengers of the Bandırma Ferry were going to save the country.
The biggest part of today's politics is trying to save seats.