15 October 2009 / YENİ ŞAFAK ALİ BAYRAMOĞLU,
We ought to remember that for the first time, Turkey wants -- of its own volition -- to face its deep-rooted problems, taking great risks while trying to head toward solutions.
This whole business is far more difficult and ultimately defining than simply passing reforms or making new laws. And these sorts of periods of change and maneuver can wind up confusing people. Questions of where we are going, where our society stands, what politicians are doing and what will happen tomorrow all move to the forefront of public concern. In these times of change, one of the most commonly used methods for finding answers to the questions in our minds has been to turn to public polls that measure and test the waters in Turkey. Many believe that polling companies, supposedly able to determine election results, will also be able to understand society's many dimensions. Let me clarify right now though that in fact, these methods lag far behind the actual wave of change that encompasses us all. These sorts of research methods generally look at the political spectrum in order to understand society rather than the other way around. And this is due to the limitations imposed by assessment capabilities, questioning techniques and quantitative research in general.
