Tears of a raped democracy

The graft charges and the attempts of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) to shroud and remove the issue from public attention – as was seen in Parliament on Wednesday (March 19) – are of course very important developments. Four ministers, as well as the prime minister and his family, being implicated in wrongdoings amounting to billions of euros can be no joke. The Ghanaian gold, Dubai money, Iranian friends and uncontrolled greed of a Turkish political crime clan should make a very good salad, but the world is unfortunately far more serious than that. This country will definitely have to make several comebacks on this issue in the days, weeks and months to come as the graft scandal will continue to mushroom like a nuclear bomb, devastating everyone around it.

A young celebrity was on the TV screen crying premeditated character assassination and vowing to take to court those who had tweeted that she had had an affair with the tall, bald, bold, self-centered and ever-angry man. She is a young lady engaged to a young handsome economist alleged to be involved with a man so greedy that he can see political benefit in mocking the pain of the family of a 15-year-old boy slain by the excessive use of force on demonstrators that has become a routine in this country. Would I or anyone with some brains and conscience bother to wonder whether the young celebrity really had an affair and even gave birth to a son fathered by that tall, bold and bald man? Is that not a private affair that should bother only a maximum of four people? Well, when someone is a celebrity and the other is a politician successful in enraging opponents, perhaps such an affair cannot solely be a private affair, but why are people still so stone-hearted when it comes to opening the wounds of others?

Turkey is heading for crucial local elections. The day after, there will be a presidential public vote. Depending on the outcome of the local polls, there might even be presidential and early parliamentary elections together this August. In these times of political mayhem, it might be normal to have such attractive, speculative and – indeed – dirty, juicy stuff find their way into social media if not into tabloid media. Particularly, as we have been engaged in a war of tapes for some time, would I be surprised if today or tomorrow some people might put online a secret, dirty recording – like the one that pushed main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal from leadership or those that terminated the political aspirations of top echelons of the junior opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) before the 2011 vote?

While the celebrity was in pains trying to explain on TV that no such thing happened, many people were tweeting they were not supporters of the tall, bold and bald man, but would vote for him should he indeed have had such an affair. Why? Some were apparently delighted with the expressed adventurous macho Casanova they saw in the tall man, while many were just celebrating that the tall man cheated on his very opinionated semi-educated spouse.

Sad, is it not? The claims might be correct, I don’t care. One is a celebrity woman, the other is a politician. They are not ordinary people and if they had an affair, perhaps there might be news on it.

Yet, in the tears pouring from the eyes of the young woman, there were perhaps tears of a raped democracy… Almost at the same time she was talking on TV, the hands of the parliamentary majority of the ruling party were up in the air to close down an opposition petition for a graft inquiry.