The blue bird is flying high

Turkey’s always-right absolute ruler decided it was high time to hunt the blue bird. Perhaps he did not know Turkish society, at least a majority of it, was no longer in any mood similar to his much accustomed “Say it absolute boss, we will climb to the moon” defeatist attitude.

For this writer, it took around two minutes to readjust connection details and by then most of the other members of the “tweet nation” were already back online. Soon, the Turk’s messaging volume tripled, sending a strong signal to the tall, bald, bold, ever angry man yelling at everyone at every opportunity that this is no longer a nation that succumbs to his dictate.

Worse, the president of the country, as well as the deputy prime minister, sitting in Cabinet meetings right next to the tall, bald and bold man were among the Turks along the thousands of “twitter trolls” employed by the ruling party among the busters of the Twitter ban.

Enraged with the massive Twitter ban busting, the government took additional measures and its censor organ, the Telecommunications High Board (TİB), introduced IP-based bans, making it virtually impossible to have access to Twitter by only adjusting the DNS values. Thus, people were forced to use VDN services and enter Twitter through proxies fooling the Turkish network as if they reside overseas. For example, the VDN service I have been using claims I am logging in from Singapore.

In this age of telecommunications technology, whatever methods or means the governments of rogue countries might employ, people will find a way to remain online and connected to the international community. To the contrary, the more oppressive a regime of “advanced democracy” or “rogue state” becomes, the more vigilant and determined civil society becomes as to not give up their rights and freedoms. The government of the man wishing to become the absolute ruler of this country must have realized in June last of year what price this nation was prepared to pay to defend their right to say “no” and not to succumb to dictatorship. Would we lose eight very dear young people for nothing?

The prime minister has not changed its pro-Gezi rhetoric. He still thinks he will order and irrespective how odd his order might be, the entire state and nation will succumb to his will because he represents the national will, as his party received the support of one of every two Turks in the last elections. That’s not what’s democracy is, that is to say the least, majoritarianism, which has no relationship with the notion of democracy. How can a man be the absolute decision maker on behalf of the nation even if his party gets over two thirds of the national vote?

Obviously the problem at hand is one of mentality. If a politician considers democracy as a train car to be travelled in until he reaches a certain destination; if he believes what he says is sacrosanct and must be implemented without questioning; if he cannot tolerate being criticized, can he be a democrat of any sort or can a person of such mentality be hope for anyone? Would Turkey have the current polarized situation had the tall, bald and bold man and his gang of merry men opted to listen to few young people opposed to cutting down a few trees in Gezi Park last June, rather than saying “I won’t budge … We make decisions, and that’s it.” Can this nation now forget about the sons and daughters fallen to the uncompromising greed and endless vengeance of this political mentality without receiving a proper apology and see a sincere step back? Perhaps we even have passed even that point and the bridges might have all been burned.

At the end of the day, the dirty laundry of the tall man and his political clan continue to be exposed on social media; despite all attempts of censorship people continue logging into social media, and everyone started crying “The king is naked” while Twitter’s blue bird continues to fly high…