Losing one’s sense of proportion in politics, setting courtesy aside, and reducing political competition to the level of personal insults actually reveals a person’s true political caliber. The remarks made about Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu in recent days are one of the clearest examples of this.
Ali Mahir Başarır’s use of the phrase “I’ll slap you across the face” is a tone unbecoming of a politician, one that crosses the boundaries of respect and undermines the culture of democratic debate. Those who cannot engage in intellectual debate resort to harsh language, and those with weak arguments raise their voices.
Those who try to ignore the current state of the CHP and place all the blame on Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu should first take a look at their own political track records. Those who have steered the party for years in pursuit of their own interests, treating the CHP as if it were their personal fiefdom, must realize that they cannot escape accountability today.
Mr. Başarır, the public will certainly judge which side you are aligned with and from which power centers you draw your courage. However, you should know that making grandiose threats, issuing arrogant statements, and using insulting language will not save you or the political ideology you represent.
What the CHP needs is not a language of threats, but accountability. What it needs is not slogans, but transparency. What it needs is not networks of personal loyalty, but clean politics.
That is why the message today is clear:
You will be purified.
You will rid yourselves of the scandals within the party, personal agendas, political arrogance, and the mindset that has viewed the CHP as a stepping stone for years. Because in politics, no position is permanent; what endures is the conscience of the people. Sooner or later, that conscience will hold everyone to account.