READING THE NEWSPAPER…
(Publication Date:12 February 2007)
It has become a way of behaving
for me.
A habit I’ve had since
childhood; I have to comment...
Whether I’m right or wrong.
***
As I do every Sunday, this
Sunday too, the first thing I did when I got up was go to the grocer’s to buy a newspaper and bread.
After breakfast
I started reading my newspaper, and then I realized something: For a long time, I had developed a habit without being aware of it.
When I read what’s written
in the newspaper, I make comments: “Oh, come on,” “Serves you right,” “We’re not falling for that… We’ve heard all this before,” and so on. It turns out that’s how I read the newspaper…
Then my wife said: “Cem,
you watch television this way, too.”
For a moment, I felt as if I were in the movie ‘The Matrix.’
I had discovered a trait about myself
that I hadn’t known about.
*
Some of you may have thought
something like this:
“Oh, come on, are you only
just realizing this? Everyone comments on what they read. What’s so special about that!”
Yes, you’re right, but I’m
different from them in one respect!
I can write these things…
The first statement that caught my eye in the newspaper (the Sunday edition of Vatan Newspaper) was one by ÖP Chairman Turgay Avcı.
Mr. Avcı said, “Like Papadopulos and
Lilikas, UBP and DP don’t recognize us either.”
(After reading this, I smile a little
and start commenting to myself…)
Mr. Avcı has very quickly
forgotten why UBP and DP, which are now in opposition, don’t recognize ÖP.
Or perhaps he thinks that with time,
people forget what was done.
But we haven’t forgotten.
The reason they aren’t recognized:
They won votes under a different party, then formed a new party through resignations and came to power through political bargaining.
This action has left an indelible
wound in this country’s political life.
You will be held responsible for this,
yet you will accuse those who don’t want to be complicit in this wrongdoing.
It doesn’t matter whether it’s Party A or Party B!
In other words, if the same thing happened to ÖP today, how would Mr. Avcı react?
Or how would CHP react?
Of course, you’re answering these
questions right now and coming up with excuses.
But don’t forget, there’s always
tomorrow!
Besides, we know very well that
if others had been given the same opportunity—that is, if it had been Party A or Party B instead of CTP—they would have done the same thing.
What matters here is not to give in to
such behavior and not to take politics to other levels (transfers, etc., as in football).
*
Another item that caught my
eye was the statement by UBP Secretary General Mr. Çavuşoğlu.
Mr. Çavuşoğlu said, “It is
obvious that CTP is trying to secure partisan gains from the municipalities it controls.”
(I immediately thought of the article
I wrote last Friday. I connected it to this issue and started commenting…)
In my article the other day,
I used the following expression:
“What a person thinks is reflected
in what they say.”
The reason I wrote this
was the Prime Minister’s remarks (the Prime Minister had accused the actions of a group of mayors of being ‘Populism’ and ‘Politicization’), and in my article I went on at length about what these remarks meant.
Today, our political parties
are still accusing one another!
Gentlemen, your words
reflect what you do—don’t forget that!
Anyway!
If we follow this line of thought,
we can interpret the secretary general’s words as follows: ‘When UBP was in government, it was securing partisan gains from the municipalities.’
In the end, it’s clear that these accusations benefit no one and, as in my case, give rise to different ideas.
For this reason, I have some requests
of you, respected party representatives and leaders!
Put these accusations and
performances aside now. The people know very well who is who.
Please don’t use politics to chase votes; use it to find solutions.
It’s clear that there are problems
with the municipalities; we see them for ourselves.
Whatever the problem may be—with the municipalities’ rights, legal standing, money, revenues, and so on—try to solve it.
Instead of talking about how to
solve these problems, you’re doing the opposite.
In other words, instead of thinking,
‘How can we solve these problems?’, you’re looking for political gain from an issue that people are experiencing firsthand.
Meanwhile, we continue to struggle with the problems the municipalities haven’t been able to solve.
Just look at the state of our streets
and neighborhoods.
Anyway, I’ll carry on reading my newspaper.
Take care…
See you on Wednesday… Be courteous in traffic!
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