We are even ashamed of breathing

Million of dollars come out of shoeboxes in the house of a manager of a state bank. We are the ones who feel ashamed.

Money safes in the houses of ministers’ sons… We are the ones who feel ashamed.

They cannot find a place to stick 30 million euros; banknotes spout from mansions…

We are the ones who feel ashamed.

They call trillion liras “a few bucks.” We are the ones who feel ashamed.

They get hold of the media. We are the ones who feel ashamed.

They publish newspapers as the bulletin of the authority… We are the ones who feel ashamed.

They keep telling stories saying, “The media is freer compared to the past.” We are the ones who feel ashamed.

While hundreds of thousands of people take to the street without any organization to bid farewell at a funeral, they carry people to campaign rallies by telephone messages, trucks and still say the “national will.”

We witness their despicable rhetoric. We are the ones who feel ashamed.

They manipulate election polls. We are the ones who feel ashamed.

They carry a watch on their arms worth an apartment of four rooms.

We are the ones who feel ashamed.

They attempt to stage a coup at one of the three football clubs. We are the ones who feel ashamed.

They buy islands, like Russian oligarchs. We are the ones who feel ashamed.

They distribute tenders as they please. We are the ones who feel ashamed.

They instruct their governors “Break down his door, put him in jail” for a journalist, for a prosecutor. We are the ones who feel ashamed.

The United States denies, Europe condemns and the Middle East doesn’t even take it seriously. We are the ones who feel ashamed.

Children die. He goes on stage. He talks about tunnels, highways. We are the ones who feel ashamed.
While the child’s funeral is taking place, they dance arm in arm on the stage. We are the ones who feel ashamed.

We are ashamed because we can still breathe while looking at the lost ones. We are ashamed because we are humor. We could not even imagine that far. I could not believe it. Neither Erdoğan nor his partners in the party. This has nothing to do with ideology. This is about being convinced. Some want to believe. And some cannot believe no matter want is done. I do not believe people change.

That’s why I never found Erdoğan who entered our lives in our early childhood as a strong political figure genuine. I watched with astonishment those I thought more experienced when they said, “It’s not enough, but yes.”

Because you do not have to be a political scientist to see a political truth. Everything was crystal clear. Prejudice is something else; mine was not prejudice. Let’s rather say a conviction. Some say the first impression is always the right one.

Perhaps they are right.

The start of my career as a journalist overlaps with Erdoğan becoming prime minister. It saddens me to see how my profession has deteriorated in this last 12 years. I feel horrified when journalists cannot even ask a question.

The other day when I heard the question to the prime minister of someone who calls himself a journalist, I said there is always worse. The question put forward to prime minister was the effect of Berkin’s death on the stock exchange.

It was apparent that the person who was masquerading as a journalist had no courage to directly ask about the death of Berkin.

Even worse, perhaps he was only curious about this aspect. I was devastated. I wanted to find a place to hide when I heard the answer of the prime minister.

He said “These things are like winds. They just come and go.”

We could not imagine that a so-called journalist and a prime minister were discussing the effect of the life of a human being on the stock exchange. It was not a nightmare, it became a reality.