Will a New Page in History Be Opened with Democracy?!
(Translated)
News:
Erdogan attended the "Thirty-Second Consultation and Evaluation Meeting" of his party in Ankara - Kızılcahamam, and said: "As of yesterday, the scourge of terrorism that has lasted for 47 years has entered its final stage. Today is a new day, and a new page has been developed in history. Today, the doors of great and powerful Turkey, towards the centenary of Turkey, have been opened wide. We will form a committee in the Grand National Assembly and begin to discuss the legal framework for this process. As the People's Alliance, we will work with the Justice and Development Party Alliance, the Nationalist Movement Party, and the Democratic Movement Party to improve this process and move it forward into the future." (Agencies, 12/7/2025)
Comment:
We are witnessing a period in which political interests, personal gains, and the savagery of the desire for hegemony have overshadowed the nation's faith, values, and morals. The indirect and hidden alliance between the Justice and Development Party, the Nationalist Movement Party, and the Democracy Party, which has crystallized in light of the current political climate in Turkey, should not be viewed as merely a political maneuver or a tactical move. The cycle of interests and benefits of political parties operating under democracy is, to some extent, their raison d'être. The meeting of those who represent extremist currents, who were previously considered contradictory, and their cooperation in the same way, is a natural result of the principle of "what is past is forgiven"! Rather, the fact that leaders who have been publicly insulting each other with abusive language for years have now become part of a joint alliance. Considering a party that they previously considered a political wing of terrorism as part of their own alliance is, of course, a form of unity that can only be achieved in a corrupt system like democracy.
On July 12, Erdogan's statement that "we will improve the upcoming process with the alliance of the Justice and Development Party, the Nationalist Movement Party, and the Democracy Party" was an acknowledgment of many political calculations. Erdogan is a leader who has instilled in the heart of his policy the principle that "the end justifies the means." To achieve these goals, he made everything; faith, sacred values, spirituality, nation, homeland, and anything else you can think of, politically expendable. Erdogan, who reads the rules of democratic politics brilliantly, has managed to maintain his power even in periods when his popular support began to wane. While he strengthened his policies through Turkish nationalism by siding with the Nationalist Movement Party in the trench events, today he is trying to maintain his power by expanding the front of his alliance by siding with the Democracy Party against the Republican People's Party. The People's Alliance, which lacks the necessary number of votes for the new constitutional amendment, will compensate for this deficiency with the Democracy Party on some issues.
It is clear that democratic parties cannot represent Muslims in any way. A system that is not based on principles, in which interests are placed above all considerations, and in which the desire for power overshadows all values, cannot represent us. These alliances, which are legitimized in the name of the public interest, serve the interests of party leaders, not the interests of Muslims. The Kemalist secular democratic system that has been applied for a century is the source of the problems and cannot be part of the solution. Because this system is the source of the problems and the factor of the absence of solutions, there is no point in distracting people with the results. There is nothing stranger than believing that democracy will open a new page in history. The system that has been applied for a century has brought us to where we are today. Frankly, great goals and powerful countries arise from firm beliefs, and that is the doctrine of Islam. If we act on the ideas and solutions emanating from this doctrine, the course of history will change. We must go beyond choosing the lesser of two evils. The time has come to establish a system that embodies and preserves justice, law, and rights in all aspects of life, not only in words, but in deeds. Otherwise, as Imam Al-Ghazali said, meaning "alliances of interest with oppressors do not serve Islam, but rather the devil." The system of Islam, which does not distract people with dirty alliances, and does not waste the nation's energy for personal interests, is our only way out.
Written for the Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir Central
Ahmed Saba