Walking on high heels is difficult

I was away from the country, so be assured everyone that neither myself nor any cat was involved in the national day of remembrance of the discovery of electricity. I do not even have a cat anyhow… In my absence, in this country of the most advanced security laws, effective police control and obsessive leadership branding whoever disagrees with him of belonging to a “parallel” organization, many strange things happened in one day. Even I would not dream of seeing that much of a flop all at once.

Accidents can happen anywhere on the world; no one and no place is immune. Yet, it ought to require “skills of advanced governance” to achieve what Turkey lived through in 24 hours this week.

First, is it reasonable anywhere on the world for two terrorists disguised as lawyers, prosecutors, judges or simple court building service workers to enter one of the highest security buildings in the city, loaded with pistols, handguns? Years ago, a similar thing happened in Ankara. A sole gunman, Alparslan Arslan, a lawyer, entered the Council of State building, killed Mustafa Yücel Özbilgin, a top judge, and walked out. He was captured in front of the building. The Council of State attack had triggered the so-called Ergenekon thriller and subsequent court case which helped the government consolidate its absolute power on all helms of power in the country.

Very much like the Özbilgin tragedy in 2006, the Istanbul courthouse attack ended with the murder of prosecutor Mehmet Selim Kiraz and his two assailants. The operation was described as “successful.” Strange, two terrorists holding Kiraz hostage and Kiraz were all killed in the operation and still the political authority and the police talk about a “successful operation.” After the 2006 murder, the country was pulled into the Ergenekon saga; professions were ended, lives were blackened, hopes were killed and eventually all those acquitted were set free. What is the plan now? And where is the success? Perhaps it will come soon. Anyhow, the prime minister let it go quickly; he vowed the government will not tolerate “unauthorized” demonstrations in the street “whoever they are and whatever their intent is.”

Accidentally (!) the very same day, except in the province of Van which apparently was getting electricity from Iran, the entire country was in the dark. Some said some private electricity manufacturers wanted a price increase, claiming there was a malfunction which stopped providing electricity to the grid and a subsequent chain reaction produced a national blackout. Just as how the prosecutor was successfully killed in the successful operation to save him, no explanation was given about how Turkey was successfully left in the dark and cold. Some said what happened was a rehearsal of the June 7 election day when a national blackout would perhaps help prevent election fraud reporting. Some claimed it was all an accident.

Was it enough? Definitely not, this is Turkey and the sky is the limit for everything, even for or perhaps particularly for oddities. A historic military barracks – still in use – was claimed to be on fire. Thank God it was not, but rather the one adjacent to the historic building which was on fire. Furthermore, the fire was not a result of a “terrorist” attack, but a gas canister exploded and set it alight… but why did the gas canister explode? There was no need to explain that, it was just an accident.

I saw a lady at the Istanbul airport. I could not understand how she climbed on those tower heels she was wearing. Without exaggeration she was walking on 20-plus versions of Eiffel-like towers. In any country, particularly in Turkey, those arrow-like heels must be considered some sort of weapon. After all, who could guarantee “terrorists” might not take a top judge or even the justice minister hostage using those heels as some sort of a dagger?

She was walking like those circus performers walking a tightrope. I was trying to learn from my women friends how she managed when the lady suddenly skipped down on the tower heels with an apparent look of pain on her face.

“Thank God, you don’t have blue eyes… One look was enough to get the lady down,” a young female colleague said. “If she was not able to walk on them, why did the woman climb those towers?” I was about to comment when I saw the uneven marble tiles at the adjacent point of the two wings of the building…

A structural mishap… very much like those this country has nowadays. The problem is not with the people… Walking on high heels is difficult.