Their “republic” has been founded on the teachings of Atatürk as they believe them, which they call Kemalism. Their understanding of Kemalism is that of state guidance of change and an authoritarian management of society. The state is not only an administrative apparatus but a deus ex machina that should be operated only by a secular, modern and basically bureaucratic class. Thus, the concept of republicanism was drained of its original meaning to mean something totally artificial. Because of its artificiality, its loss of touch with reality and the ruling elite's constant fear that it will lose its grip on the state machinery, the state is presented as being in constant danger. The so-called danger, or threat, emanates from two major sources: religious fundamentalism and separatism. In short, the state, or better, the ruling republican elite, is afraid of both the religion of the majority and the main minority group of their country, the Kurds. This putative republican regime has nothing to do with a true republic -- a regime by the people and for the people. It is a veneer to protect the power, privilege and unaccountability of the “republican/bureaucratic elite.” To protect the republican state means to protect their raison d'être. Well, the people do not accept being the objects of politics and sacrificing their freedom, welfare and right to participate in decision making. They demand individual rights, basic freedoms and the force of law, not the law of force. They do not want a state and regime that is frozen in time but rather desire one that is amenable to change when the interest of society requires it.
The republican elite have not only lost touch with the reality of their own country but with the world as well. They oppose the European Union. They are deeply suspicious of the US and the international organizations that their country is a member or ally of. They feel like a minority in their own country. They still cling to the educational and judicial system to uphold a regime that has lost its ability to unite and advance the society.
Each day we realize how badly our non-Turkish and non-Muslim minorities have been treated. Non-Sunni Muslims may be included in the list of the discriminated against. Multiculturalism has been seen as a minefield rather than a contribution to social richness, as has often been claimed by politicians. A republic should embrace all citizens, regardless of their creed or ethnic identity and stay at an equal distance from all of them. But then it has not only been the minorities who have suffered due to the authoritarian nature of the regime. An ongoing low-intensity conflict -- a euphemism for an unnamed civil war that has been waging for the past quarter of a century -- and the relative pauperization of the society have affected the citizens of Turkey as a whole. In a poorer and less developed society, the quality of life that citizens could enjoy under better circumstances remains wanting. Obscurantism, fatalism, “amoral nepotism” and communalism deter secularization.
While this is the case, the chief prosecutor of the Supreme Court of Appeals, Abdurrahman Çetinkaya, who did everything within his power to close down the incumbent Justice and Development Party (AK Party) two years ago and is still waiting for an opportunity, went on record saying, “As conservative parties take the center stage, emphasis on economic development pushes secularism out of the daily agenda and discourse.” This statement exposes the deep misunderstanding and the ideological bias of the chief prosecutor and the republican elite who have ruled this country since the 1920s.
Economic and social development is the foundation of secularism, whereby people rely on multiple facts when making decisions. Religious fundamentalism is basically the problem of poorer, less developed, less differentiated and less educated societies. So the prosecutor should be glad and assured on two accounts. If the public debate does not center on concerns for secularism, it means people are not worried about such a “danger.” It is him and his entourage that are concerned. With economic and social development more social groups are “included” in the system. They do not oppose a system that shows enough flexibility to include them and thus tensions are released without resorting to radical ideologies and force.
Secondly, the prosecutor believes that secularism and the economy are two distinct and diametrically opposed phenomena. There is an expression which says “This much ignorance can only be learned in school.” Indeed, if the level of information is so poor among our top officials, that means we are in trouble. But if his statement is the product of an ideological bias, it is even worse because the person who has made this public statement holds one of the highest posts in the nation's legal system.
