What Does a Country Lose When Justice Is Lost?
When does a country begin to become poorer?
Most of the answers to this question are economic in nature.
High inflation.
Unemployment.
Debt.
Low income.
In fact, the primary factor that impoverishes a country is often not economic.
It is justice.
Because justice is not merely the name given to the rulings handed down in courtrooms.
Justice is the foundation of people's confidence in the future.
If a citizen believes they can obtain justice when they go to court, then there is the rule of law.
If an entrepreneur believes that the rules won’t be arbitrarily changed when they make an investment, then the rule of law prevails.
If a journalist does not have to worry about the consequences of expressing their views, then the rule of law prevails.
Justice is not just a matter for lawyers.
It is a matter of concern for the entire community.
Because when justice is lost, it is not only the parties to the case who lose out.
The whole country loses out.
Throughout the history of the Republic of Turkey, the judiciary has never been entirely free from controversy.
Criticisms have been leveled at different times.
Political interference was discussed.
Judicial decisions were questioned.
However, the changes that have taken place over the past twenty-three years have altered the nature of the debate.
The issue is no longer simply whether certain decisions are right or wrong.
The issue is that broad segments of society have begun to ask whether the judiciary is truly independent.
There could be no greater cause for alarm for a state governed by the rule of law.
Because courts do more than just administer justice.
It builds trust.
People sometimes accept decisions they don’t even like.
Why?
Because they believe the decision was made independently.
That is precisely where the power of justice lies.
Not because it pleases everyone, but because it is applied equally to everyone.
However, when this trust is undermined, the system appears to be functioning but begins to lose its legitimacy.
This is one of the fundamental challenges Turkey faces today.
You don’t have to look at high-profile cases to understand why justice is important.
A simple example from everyday life will suffice.
A citizen buys a house.
He pays his bill.
He gets the title deed.
Years later, when a dispute arises over the property, he goes to court.
If people believe that their rights will be protected not by political power, wealth, or influence, but by the rule of law, then there is trust in that country.
But if he believes that it is power, not justice, that determines the outcome, he will not merely lose the case.
He also begins to lose his trust in the government.
This is the invisible impact of justice on society.
Regardless of the content of the rulings issued by the courts, a significant portion of the public finds it difficult to trust the processes behind those rulings.
This is not only a legal issue, but also an economic one.
Because capital requires confidence.
Investors want confidence.
An entrepreneur needs confidence.
If the legal system in a country is not predictable, neither is its economic future.
For this reason, the common trait of the world’s most advanced economies is not merely that they produce technology.
It is that they have strong legal systems.
When court rulings are overshadowed by political debates, it undermines not only the sense of justice but also economic vitality.
Another example is an ordinary shopkeeper.
He opens a store.
He invests.
He borrows.
It works.
He pays his taxes.
However, if they cannot predict how the rules will be applied tomorrow, they cannot look to the future with confidence.
Because people invest not just to make money, but because they believe the rules will be applied equally to everyone.
Where there is no justice, the risk increases.
When risk increases, investment decreases.
When investment declines, it is not only the economy that weakens, but also society’s confidence in the future.
However, the loss of justice inflicts deeper wounds than the economy.
It wounds the conscience of society.
When people begin to think that the distinction between being right and being powerful has disappeared, a major moral decline sets in.
At that point, people start relying on relationships rather than rules.
Not the law, but connections.
Not based on merit, but on connections.
This, in turn, erodes not only the state but also social morality.
If a country’s children lose their sense of justice as they grow up, the citizens of the future will also be left wanting.
Because justice isn’t something you learn in school.
You learn by doing.
People understand what justice is by observing how the government treats them.
What Turkey needs today is not new slogans.
Nor is it about creating new enemies.
What is needed is to restore confidence in the law.
Not everyone can agree with court rulings.
But it is possible for everyone to believe that those decisions were made independently.
This is precisely where a true rule of law begins.
Justice is not merely a decoration of the state.
It is fundamental.
Even if the building appears to be standing, it is at risk if the foundation is weak.
One of Turkey’s most pressing tasks is to rebuild not only the economy but also the sense of justice.
Because when justice is lost, it is not just cases that are lost.
Trust is lost.
Merit is lost.
The investment is lost.
Social conscience is lost.
And in the end, a country’s future is lost.
Hakan URUN