Invitation to Earth

Let’s look at four opposition parties who won more votes. In fact, with the exception of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party, or DTP, the other three parties lacked programs. And actually they didn’t really win, the AKP that forgot about all reforms lost! The message that Kurds voting for the DTP sent to the government is clear: "Don’t treat us like a bunch of pitiful but like Kurds."

As for the votes that the Republican People’s Party, or CHP, and the Nationalist Movement Party, or MHP, nationalist duo won, they received the votes of those who reject the AKP government. The Islamist Saadet (Felicity) Party on the other side, gained votes from electors who were tired of AKP’s arrogance vis-?-vis its roots and of the fondness of its newly-rich members for worldly consumption.

On the other hand, the AKP’s unrealistic approach to the disastrous effects of the economic crisis has also had its share in the bad result. The failure of the AKP, a party coming from a local administration tradition, claiming its spot in the center and winning 47 percent in the July 2007 general elections, is serious.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan bears the utmost responsibility in this failure. AKP leadership suffers from the disappearance of its founding members such as Abdullah Gül, Bülent Arınç and Abdüllatif Şener, as counterbalancing powers.

Yet there is no surprise in the deplorable election result with sycophants around the prime minister. But of course, we shouldn’t forget that he himself wanted to see this group of toadies around him. Erdoğan and his party, from now on, should come down to earth, scale down and be humble. Both inside and outside the country!

Right after the landslide of the July 22, 2007 general election, the ego-boost has caused the AKP to miss all targets. Moreover in its entire history the Republic of Turkey has never had so much money as it had in the period between 2004 and 2008. Such bounty played a role in why the AKP and most of us lost our senses.

Large highways, all sorts of ugly concrete apartment buildings with English names, desire to turn every city into soulless Kayseri, magnifying mirrors everywhere, dreams of grandness and obsession with consumption É The banquet has come to an end. Turkey has no luxury to make more mistakes in this critical economic downturn.

Let’s have a look at the outside now: Turkish opposition to Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen’s candidacy as NATO secretary general or harsh statements about France’s return to NATO’s military wing were nothing but baloney. No swaggering is needed anymore in similar subjects. Iran said "no thanks" to Turkey for its mediation efforts in eventual talks with the United States. Syrian President Bashar Assad referring to Israel wished, "U.S. should mediate between us." Turkey is not considered a major player in the new Afghanistan architecture of the United States. In other words, the AKP’s Turkey is coming down to earth from the clouds where it has been for the last four years. That is to say we will finally be dealing with our own issues domestically and in our neighborhood.

What is the to-do list?

w Push the transformation of the country forward.

w Democratize at full speed.

w Launch a new constitution debate.

w Pursue the Ergenekon crime gang case to the last resort.

w Revamp the EU accession bid.

w Take care of press freedom.

w Solve the Kurdish issue by applying new parameters, including the cross-border dimension.

w Strengthen Turkish-Armenian relations.

w Support reunification talks in Cyprus.

w Finalize a new agreement with the International Monetary Fund, in order to protect Turkey against risks when the country desperately needs foreign capital.

w Take place in international coordination efforts for the solution of the global economic crisis.

w Pay due attention to environmental issues.

But to put these into practice, the prime minister would need to adopt a quite different manner than that of the last four years and should have the motivation for consultation, patience, cooperation, modesty and desire to work with experts instead of "yes sayers."

We’ll see whether or not his personality would sustain so many modern values and principles. In fact, there is this other way laying before him: To adopt a populist/nationalist line of politics in every subject matter as a result of envy for votes that the CHP, MHP and Saadet won. Already experimented and exhausted by many before him, this policy line leads to a dead-end.

A blow is sometimes better than a hundred warnings. So through their votes electors warned the AKP and its "one man." And he said he read the message. We’ll see soon what message he read.