Elections again? We will soon go nuts

Elections are only a small part of what we call political participation. In true democracies citizens have the power to influence decisions and practices of the state at every level. This is the real meaning of political participation.

Here, on the other hand, let alone influencing decisions, most of the time we are not even fully aware of what is going on.

Even if we are informed, we have no say in countless decisions, from determining to go on a war to mad construction projects that would affect all of our lives. We cannot even decide on the shape of our Bosphorus passenger boats; take it from there.

The Gezi Park movement erupted exactly for this reason. Remember, certain city officials promised, in those days, to include us in decision-making processes, telling us that “we will even ask people about the placement of bus stops.”

Since that day, nobody has asked us anything. Probably they were joking.

The regime we are living in, the one that is being imposed on us as an “advanced democracy,” do you think it provides us adequate means of political participation? I don’t think so.

Even if we only express our opinion, that is enough for us to be labelled as “terrorists.” Those who cling to “security measures” instead of creating the security itself opt to issue laws that restrict or even abolish our fundamental democratic rights, as if to prevent us from voicing our complaints in the streets. As if that was not enough, they make those laws that are already unsuitable for democratic regimes even stricter with an emphasis on “chaos.” 

We are very democratic in giving lip service. But we are not in reality. In our crooked democracy, elections and political participation are presented as if they are the same thing.

As a matter of fact, we are being told, “You can select your officials; that’s it. After that, you will not intervene at all.”

For six years, we have been regularly forced into a suffocating election atmosphere. Since 2009, we have held two local elections, two general elections, one referendum and one presidential election.

We have accumulated election memories. Campaign slogans polluted our subconscious and bad campaign music our ears. While thousands can barely feed themselves with plain bread, millions were poured into banners, posters and rallies. 

You would expect in a country where elections are held so frequently that everybody in society would be adequately represented. With this representation social peace would be established, and equilibrium as well as reconciliation would prevail. 

Guys, in this country we rejoiced that for the first time a Roma citizen was elected as a deputy, and that each party had a couple of Armenian deputies. The year is 2015. Other guys are growing lettuce in space. Take your pick. 

Let us name it correctly: In our country, elections are held to verify the position of administrators (which we can say in this case are Justice and Development Party officials).  

There is no other explanation why a government was not able to be formed and we are again entering an election atmosphere.  

A theater play is being staged and as citizens we are forced to sit in our seats in the hall and watch a bad play with a bad script staged by bad players. The doors of the hall are locked; we are banned from going out. 

We are fed up with elections. 

Worse, the only reason for this is not that we are constantly forced into an election atmosphere. In addition to that, with every election the political tension is rising. In rallies, nooses are thrown from the stands. What else can there be? 

Now, on top of all that, it is not only the politicians that are tense, society is also tense. Since Suruç, tension has been rapidly escalating. We have deaths over deaths. 

While the country is so stirred up, I wonder how the politicians will roar at each other at rallies. 

I wonder how much the dose of the nationalist discourses will increase.

This aggression on the top, I wonder how it will find its way to the bottom and spread in waves…

Even the worst of all governments would have been better than elections held in such an atmosphere.

It is a pity that this population has to suffer so much under personal ambitions, held captivity because of certain fears…