In the film, our heroine gets herself into all sorts of mischief by accepting a bet that she reply “no” to every question for 24 hours. It’s the reverse plot of “Yes Man” where Jim Carrey has to answer every proposition (you guessed it) in the affirmative. And it has now been readapted to the heat of a Turkish political summer where voters are being asked in the summer heat to jump one way or the other at a referendum this September on a package of constitutional reforms.In a nation already susceptible to polarization, who, one might ask, was the bright spark who came up with the idea of a political mechanism where the issues could only be decided with a nod or a shake of the head. It has already got to the point, the press reports, where brides and groom are falling out even before they leave the registry office over whether to take their vows with a government-leaning “yes” or the more contrary “I do.” The leader of the principal opposition, the Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, has already shown a great talent for song and dance. He is in the process of restaging the Broadway spectacle under the title “No, No, Recep” -- using the prime minister’s first name rather than the grander sounding “Tayyip” as a way of cutting him down to size. And the plot goes a bit like this:
The overture begins with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) trying to have a really big party. But the judges of the Constitutional Court are trying to shut them down. In a stirring ensemble, Recep decides to clip the wings of the court with an amendment to the Constitution that will make party closures virtually impossible. The friends who live in his cabinet tell him this will look a little bit selfish and advise him to pass lots of amendments so everyone will be confused. In the next scene some of Recep’s friends realize that if the court can’t close the AK Party then they can’t close Kurdish parties either. Bizarrely, they refuse to support the key amendment and it fails. Act one closes with Recep singing a rousing chorus of “Now I’m stuck with a constitutional referendum that is no use to anyone except, women, children and trade unionists.”
Act two starts with a bang. Deniz, who never liked Recep much, is discovered having an affair with an MP who used to be his secretary. He is forced to resign but not before receiving a standing ovation for his show-stopping rendition of “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me.” Then out of the shadows and into the limelight emerges Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. “If Recep wants a fight, then I’m his man,” he pledges. Off stage we hear the distant sound of a resurgence of violence in the Kurdish Southeast. Ahmet “The Professor” leads the cabinet in a chorus of “It’s All the Fault of the Israelis,” but their heart is not really in it. The curtain falls with them going off to wage war with their own military instead.
And here we are in Act Three. The Turkish people are off to the polls to vote on a referendum. The only trouble is no one can remember what it is a referendum about. Instead, it has turned into a vote of confidence whose implications no one can unravel. “This wasn’t supposed to happen,” croons Recep. “That’s the way I like it,” warbles Kemal. “No, No, Recep,” sings one. “Yes, Yes, Kemal” sings the other. “It’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to,” moans Devlet Bahçeli in a voice no one can hear.
