The real break in Turkey is not a corruption case. The real break is the moment when society loses its reflex to be surprised. Because not being surprised signals the threshold where decay becomes institutionalized.
Societies are not polluted overnight.
Pollution first starts in the language, then settles in the mind, and finally becomes institutionalized.
It is not the existence of corruption that is dangerous; it is the habitualization of corruption that is dangerous.
It is not the violations of law themselves, but the lack of reaction to them that corrupts the system.
There are breaking moments in Turkey's political and institutional history. The Susurluk scandal in 1996 was not just a traffic accident; it was a threshold where state-political-underground networks became visible. Society reacted and demanded transparency. However, that reflex did not evolve into a permanent institutional transformation.
The Deniz Feneri case in the 2000s raised suspicions in the public conscience that even social aid mechanisms could be transformed into political spheres of influence.
The December 17-25 Corruption Investigations in 2013 created a deeper rupture. Regardless of the legal fate of the files, the following has become ingrained in the public mind: There is no reckoning, there is a changing of ranks.
The July 15 Coup Attempt in 2016 was a severe trauma for state capacity. However, trust was not rebuilt in the post-trauma period; the trust deficit deepened.
Today it is no longer about individual cases.
The issue is a structural breakdown in which loyalty replaces merit, oversight mechanisms are weakened and accountability is eroded.
And the most dangerous thing is this:
Society is no longer surprised.
When the surprise reflex disappears, the sense of control also weakens.
When the reaction disappears, the system does not self-correct.
This is exactly what normalized contamination is.
Where did the contamination start?
Contamination starts where the rule of law becomes questionable.
Contamination; “from us” It starts at the moment when one's mistake is ignored.
Contamination starts where public property is thought to be unclaimed.
The state is not an abstract concept. The State is a contract of common life.
Failure to manage public resources transparently, undermining the principle of competition in tenders, and favoring loyalty over merit in appointments erode not only the economy but also social trust.
Economic crises can be repaired.
A crisis of trust lasts for generations.
Note to the State Mind
The state is not a party.
The state is not a cadre.
The state is not a period.
The state is institutional continuity.
If the law is applied with exceptions, tomorrow that exception will weaken the system from within.
If control is replaced by loyalty, state capacity is reduced.
If transparency is reduced, legitimacy is eroded.
Power can sustain the system for a while.
But without trust, no system can survive for long.
Where Should Purification Start?
Purification is not possible through individual anger but through institutional restoration.
1. Unconditional establishment of the rule of law
2. Strengthening independent and effective audit mechanisms
3. Merit-based public administration
4. Transparent and accountable decision-making processes
Purification does not come through slogans, but through system building.
Cleaning is not only about blaming the dirty, but also about consolidating the ground.
Let's ask the question again:
When did we get dirty?
Maybe for the first time “the snake that doesn't touch me” not the day we said...
Perhaps the first time we chose not to be surprised.
Because contamination is not an event.
Contamination is a habit.
And habitual decay is the most dangerous decay.
A society that can be surprised controls.
A controlling society cleans up.
A clean society becomes stronger.
The day we regain our reflex to be surprised, pollution will cease to be normal.