At a private dinner held for cabinet ministers and their wives at the Saklı Bahçe Restaurant in Söğütözü, President Sezer’s personal pleasure with the governing party was reflected in some of the jokes he made. With all the invitees, especially Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in a state of shock, the President was obliged to make a short statement: “Believe me Çankaya is a very boring place. Even the media was aware of the boredom there, and they withdrew their reporters. Also, as you know, it is a public place. Being forced to follow protocol all the time can really bog you down. You need keep a continuously serious and sour expression on your face. Well, you aren’t actually required to, but the moment you laugh a little, it becomes news. In Çankaya, I am literally always surrounded by my assistants. They are constantly warning me ‘Sir, you are representing a great state, you might be misunderstood later if you do such-and-such.’ A few times I have even asked Semra Sezer ‘What exactly is it that might be misunderstood?’ and she has calmed me down by saying ‘Don’t say that Necdet, these are people who are in the know, do you really think you know better than they do?’ But believe me, my soul feels trapped. These are my last days now in Çankaya. I have said to myself, let me leave off this seriousness. Please forgive me though, I will not be able to retract previous statements I made before in public places, and so I have chosen this spot far from prying eyes, but also a place where normal citizens do come, Saklı Bahçe.” Before the surprise of the moment passed, Prime Minister Erdoğan rose and started to speak: “President, we have of course missed very much this humanistic, tolerant side of you. We have also made our mistakes. You have said a few times to me, ‘Prime Minister Erdoğan, Semra Sezer is insisting, please come with Emine Erdoğan for breakfast at our house.’ And I shouldn’t have used the openings, trips, and general heaviness of my work schedule as an excuse --”
Sezer interrupted him, saying, “Let’s not speak of these things anymore, there is actually something else I really wanted to tell you.” He went on: “On the topic of these presidential elections, I am telling you in all honesty, don’t pay attention to what Baykal is saying in public. His intentions are actually very clean. It’s just all politics. It’s like a kind of role. It’s those who surround him who are pushing him to ‘go out and speak toughly.’ In truth, I know what he is like on the inside. Don’t be saddened by the things he says. Don’t focus on them. What it is I really want to say is, look brother, you have become very successful at politics. You have formed a new party, and right after that, managed to come to power alone. And it seems to me that your party will once again come to power single-handedly in the upcoming elections. This is at least what is emerging in all the polls. What I want to say is if you really want to become president, the position is yours. I wasn’t really able to make it clear before, but you know I really like you, so don’t say later I didn’t warn you about this all. Don’t forget that Çankaya is a boring place, and that you are an active, decisive man. It won’t do you any good to be regretful later, when you are stuck between the four walls there. Özal was also bored there, as you know. He even thought about stepping down and forming a new political party. And as for Demirel, he always found a preoccupation for himself while at Çankaya. But don’t misunderstand. If you want to go to Çankaya, go. That’s what I say.”
Erdoğan thanked Sezer for his words, and began to speak about how he hadn’t made up his mind yet, and about the requests and suggestions various circles were making to him that he stay for one more term as prime minister in order to assure continuing political and economic stability. Right at that moment though, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül rose to speak. Directing his remarks at President Sezer, he said: “Sir, the citizens have been very affected by this tableau. They are asking whether they can take photographs of this scene.” Sezer responded, “Why not?” Following a nod of Sezer’s head, flashes started to pop from nearby cameras. Young, old, everyone who witnessed the scene was whispering among themselves, “My God, thank you for showing us this day, at least if we die now, it won’t be in grief.” One of the cabinet ministers attending the meal stood and declared: “You know it can’t all be about clashes and tension. There is also tolerance, love, and respect in our national character. Won’t the people of Turkey be pleased and comforted when they see images of the scene here tonight?”
Dear readers, I have to admit that this column was written as an early April Fools Day joke. Please don’t be confused.
