{"id":286025,"date":"2026-05-19T05:37:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T05:37:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/halkweb.com.tr\/?p=286025"},"modified":"2026-05-19T05:37:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T05:37:25","slug":"bandirmadan-yata-from-the-spirit-of-liberation-to-the-politics-of-comfort","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/halkweb.com.tr\/en\/bandirmadan-yata-from-the-spirit-of-liberation-to-the-politics-of-comfort\/","title":{"rendered":"From Bandirma to Yata: From the Spirit of Liberation to the Politics of Comfort"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>May 19, 1919.<\/p>\n<p>It was the day a nation broke the chain of surrender.<br \/>\nThe Band\u0131rma 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.<\/p>\n<p>There were no palace tables on that ferry.<br \/>\nThere were no tender negotiations.<br \/>\nThey had no executive car designs.<br \/>\n\u201cThere was no calculation of \u201dwho will be the mayor, who will be close to the headquarters\".<\/p>\n<p>There was only the country.<\/p>\n<p>Today, we are looking at the same picture that emerged on May 19th:<br \/>\nOn the one hand, the spirit of independence represented by the Bandirma Ferry...<br \/>\nOn 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...<\/p>\n<p>This is where the real tragedy begins.<\/p>\n<p>Because today the CHP is not only criticized politically;<br \/>\nis criticized for contradicting its own historical memory.<\/p>\n<p>The cadres of the party that founded the Republic;<br \/>\nHe represented the legacy of the teachers, peasants, and the Kuvay\u0131 Milliye (Revolutionary Forces) fighters who walked with sandals in Anatolia.<\/p>\n<p>Today's CHP photo shows more \u201cnetwork\u201d than people, more PR work than revolutionism, more clique warfare than ideals.<\/p>\n<p>And large sections of society are now asking the question:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAre these the heirs of the Bandirma Ferry?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Because people now look at images, not words.<br \/>\nOn the one hand, pensioners cannot make ends meet, young people want to flee the country, rents have exploded, the kitchen is on fire...<br \/>\nOn 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 \u201cchange\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>And it is not just about alleged corruption.<\/p>\n<p>The real issue is that the CHP has turned into the psychology of the system it has criticized for years.<\/p>\n<p>Because it is a political movement;<br \/>\nWhen it starts to turn into the things it criticizes the government for, then decay has begun.<\/p>\n<p>And this is exactly what is felt in the CHP today:<\/p>\n<p>He has lost his fighting spirit,<br \/>\nhas reduced a historical legacy to the level of a slogan,<br \/>\nA political image that has transformed May 19 from an ideal of youth and revolution into a social media decoration...<\/p>\n<p>The Bandirma Ferry was a journey of risk.<br \/>\nToday's politics has turned into a journey of comfort.<\/p>\n<p>People see this now:<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>And here's the most serious thing:<\/p>\n<p>People who had pinned their hopes on the CHP for years are no longer angry with the outside, but with the transformation inside.<\/p>\n<p>Because disappointment comes not from the enemy, but from becoming like him.<\/p>\n<p><strong> \u201cFROM THE \u201dPEOPLE'S PARTY\" TO THE NEW PRIVILEGED CLASS: THE ANATOMY OF DECAY IN THE CHP<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Do you know when a political party starts to rot?<\/p>\n<p>When it starts to resemble the order it criticizes.<\/p>\n<p>And this is precisely the biggest crisis the CHP is facing today.<\/p>\n<p>What has been told to this country for years?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAKP has established a system of privilege.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cThe state has become a party.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cMunicipalities have turned into crony networks.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cPublic resources have been turned into a tool to generate political power.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So what does the public see when they look at the CHP now?<\/p>\n<p>New power centers emerging in municipal circles...<br \/>\nClose relationships with business people...<br \/>\nThe cliques within the party that have become untouchable...<br \/>\nMechanisms that protect each other when there are allegations...<br \/>\nAnd the professional propaganda language that covers it all up...<\/p>\n<p>This is where people's anger grows.<\/p>\n<p>Because the issue is no longer just \u201ccorruption allegations\u201d.<br \/>\nThe issue is the CHP's transformation into the political culture it has opposed for years.<\/p>\n<p>Let's be very clear:<\/p>\n<p>Today, millions of people in Turkey no longer look at some CHP municipalities as centers of hope, but as a new area of privilege.<\/p>\n<p>This is a very serious break.<\/p>\n<p>Because this was the raison d'\u00eatre of the Republican People's Party:<br \/>\nStanding against the understanding that surrenders the state to interest networks.<\/p>\n<p>But what is the picture that emerges today?<\/p>\n<p>On the one hand, the people crushed by the economic crisis...<br \/>\nOn the other side, photographs taken in luxury venues.<\/p>\n<p>On one side, young people are losing hope for the future...<br \/>\nOn the other side are the networks of political careers growing in municipal circles.<\/p>\n<p>On the one hand, pensioners are calculating medicine...<br \/>\nOn the other side, there are discussions about million-dollar office cars, special designs and VIP relations.<\/p>\n<p>Then they turn to the people and say, \u201cWe are the party of the people\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>People are rightly asking:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhich people's party?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Because populism now exists in speeches but not in life.<\/p>\n<p>And the biggest problem of the CHP leadership is this:<\/p>\n<p>They still think they can govern society with old reflexes.<\/p>\n<p>So they think like this:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLet's say Atat\u00fcrk's name,<br \/>\nLet's make a few harsh criticisms of the government,<br \/>\nlet's organize a rally,<br \/>\nLet's print slogans on social media,<br \/>\nThe grassroots does not question anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But Turkey has changed.<\/p>\n<p>Now people are not only looking at what you say, but how you live.<\/p>\n<p>And this is exactly why the CHP's claim of \u201cmoral superiority\u201d is eroding day by day.<\/p>\n<p>Because people see this:<\/p>\n<p>The arrogance that used to be criticized is now being reproduced in another cadre.<\/p>\n<p>And the most dangerous thing is this:<\/p>\n<p>Even failure no longer has a political price in the CHP.<\/p>\n<p>It is becoming a scandal...<br \/>\nNobody resigns.<\/p>\n<p>The sham is emerging...<br \/>\nNo one takes responsibility.<\/p>\n<p>Municipalities are being discussed...<br \/>\nThree days later, the party leadership will launch a new slogan campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Because politics is no longer a struggle for principles, it has turned into a crisis management industry.<\/p>\n<p>And here is the historical question that should be asked to the CHP leadership:<\/p>\n<p>Are you really the leaders of the founding party of the Republic?,<br \/>\nor are you just a new political elite that thrives on municipal resources?<\/p>\n<p>Because being Mustafa Kemal's party is not just about hanging his photo.<\/p>\n<p>It is necessary to carry his morality.<\/p>\n<p>What was that morality?<\/p>\n<p>Accountability.<br \/>\nSacrifice.<br \/>\nState seriousness.<br \/>\nSensitivity to public property.<br \/>\nAnd most importantly: not putting self-interest before the country.<\/p>\n<p>This is exactly the crisis the CHP is facing today.<\/p>\n<p>The party is still trying to derive its historical legitimacy from 1923...<br \/>\nBut its political practice increasingly resembles the corrupt power relations of the 2020s.<\/p>\n<p>And society now sees this gap.<\/p>\n<p>The spirit of May 19th;<br \/>\nlives not at yacht tables, but in the character that can afford to pay the price.<\/p>\n<p>The real problem of today's CHP leadership starts right here:<\/p>\n<p>They are trying to write a heroic story without paying the price.<\/p>\n<p><strong>IN THE SHADOW OF BANDIRMA: CHP WILL EITHER RETURN TO ITSELF OR FACE THE HARSH JUDGMENT OF HISTORY<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Today, people in Turkey are not only experiencing an economic crisis.<br \/>\nIt is also experiencing a major crisis of representation.<\/p>\n<p>Because millions of people, fed up with the government, turned their eyes to the CHP for years.<br \/>\n\u201cMaybe another politics is possible,\u201d he said.<br \/>\n\u201cMaybe the founding party of the Republic still has the seriousness of a state,\u201d he said.<br \/>\n\u201cMaybe one day Atat\u00fcrk's legacy will really stand up again,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>But what do they see when they look back today?<\/p>\n<p>The congress discussions...<br \/>\nAllegations of fraud...<br \/>\nPolitical cliques protecting each other...<br \/>\nMunicipality-based power struggles...<br \/>\nImages of luxury<br \/>\nAnd worst of all: an arrogant management language with no self-criticism.<\/p>\n<p>This is where the CHP's biggest collapse began.<\/p>\n<p>Because the moment a political movement loses its tolerance for criticism, it starts to rot.<\/p>\n<p>The reflex in the CHP leadership today is exactly this:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAny criticism against us is hostility.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>No, no, no.<\/p>\n<p>On the contrary.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Because this is not just a party issue.<br \/>\nThe issue is how the founding memory of the Republic has been consumed.<\/p>\n<p>When Mustafa Kemal set out for Samsun, he was not accompanied by holding company bosses.<br \/>\nThere were no poses on yachts.<br \/>\nThey did not have a network of political careers that were nurtured with municipal resources.<\/p>\n<p>Because that struggle was not a \u201ccoalition of comfort\u201d but a movement for independence.<\/p>\n<p>Today, a significant part of the CHP leadership uses May 19 not as a historical responsibility but as a ceremonial decoration.<\/p>\n<p>Atat\u00fcrk's name is constantly mentioned...<br \/>\nBut he has no political ethics.<\/p>\n<p>The Republic is being emphasized...<br \/>\nBut public seriousness, a fundamental principle of the Republic, is eroding.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is called \u201dthe people's party\"...<br \/>\nBut the gap between the anger and poverty of the people and the way of life of the ruling cadres is growing.<\/p>\n<p>That's what people are angry about.<\/p>\n<p>Because the people of this country sometimes endure poverty.<br \/>\nBut it does not forgive insincerity.<\/p>\n<p>And the biggest threat facing the CHP today is not losing elections.<\/p>\n<p>The real threat is this:<\/p>\n<p>The founding party has lost the meaning of its own founding.<\/p>\n<p>If one day, when the public looks at the CHP, they will feel that:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese are no different from the others...\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On that day, not only a party but also the political memory of the Republic was severely wounded.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore, the issue is not personal, but historical.<\/p>\n<p>The spirit of May 19th;<br \/>\nnot chanting Ataturk slogans at the microphone,<br \/>\nto stand up for what is right, if necessary, in spite of your own environment.<\/p>\n<p>The meaning of the Bandirma Ferry;<br \/>\nnot to get closer to the blessings of power,<br \/>\nis to be willing to lose everything if necessary.<\/p>\n<p>Today, the CHP leadership has two paths in front of it:<\/p>\n<p>Either they will really go back to the foundation settings...<br \/>\nOr they will turn Atat\u00fcrk's legacy into a political brand used only during election periods and be responsible for a major break in front of history.<\/p>\n<p>Because history is sometimes very cruel.<\/p>\n<p>Especially against those who have forgotten their own founding values.<\/p>\n<p>And let it not be forgotten:<\/p>\n<p>The passengers of the Band\u0131rma Ferry were going to save the country.<br \/>\nThe biggest part of today's politics is trying to save seats.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Because the issue is no longer just \u201ccorruption allegations\u201d.<br \/>\nThe issue is the CHP's transformation into the political culture it has opposed for years.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":286027,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[286],"tags":[289],"class_list":["post-286025","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-yazarlar","tag-manset"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/halkweb.com.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/286025","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/halkweb.com.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/halkweb.com.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/halkweb.com.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/halkweb.com.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=286025"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/halkweb.com.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/286025\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":286028,"href":"https:\/\/halkweb.com.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/286025\/revisions\/286028"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/halkweb.com.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/286027"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/halkweb.com.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=286025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/halkweb.com.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=286025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/halkweb.com.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=286025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}