Calls for justice are rising from almost every segment of society. Retirees, workers and young people trying to build a future are reacting to the situation full of crises, from income distribution to education and employment, from the protection of the environment/nature to the fight against violence. The search for justice is not limited to these. Citizens are also troubled by the fact that their choices at the ballot box are not respected. It is very likely that the government will see this in the surveys it has or will have conducted in places it has taken over through operations, trustees or transfers. The critical point is what attitude the government will take against the possible reaction/objection in society. The process is extremely important in terms of what the country's route will be in terms of democracy, secularism and the rule of law.
The pressures on the press also mirror the difficult process we are going through. The arrest of journalists, the seizure of independent, opposition-minded channels such as Tele1, the blocking of access to websites and social media accounts, and finally the interruption of the Halk TV broadcast and its transfer to trustees... It is obvious that such practices are incompatible with freedom of the press and the protection of the public's right to receive information.
If you say fund scandal; The opposition's research proposals on the issue in the Parliament cannot get past the walls of the ruling party.
Operation against the opposition, trustees, transfer... These three are like the summary of being dragged into a risky, unethical view at the point of "Everything is permissible to win". A trio that should never be ordinary or normalized! The truth of this mistake is clear; The right to vote and be elected, respect for the will of the ballot box and the principle of separation of powers.
RENT, THE SAD PRICE OF LACK OF PLANNING
The rains that hit the Marmara Region last week caused loss of life. We once again painfully witnessed nature's revenge in the regions where a dagger was stuck in the heart of Istanbul. Despite all the warnings, we watched as the houses built on stream banks, concrete towers erected in water basins, and many areas, from poor neighborhoods to luxury settlements, surrendered to flood waters and raids. It is true that one of the heaviest rainfalls of the last 80 years has occurred, we are seeing the effects of the climate crisis, that is also true. But all this is not enough to explain the tragedy. What is experienced is the heavy price of lack of population-settlement planning and profit-seeking mentality. We are at a point where we are losing the texture of that beautiful, ancient city that was plundered as "all gold". What more needs to happen for the government to see the damage caused by moving away from central/local government cooperation along with the operations against IMM and to give up its insistence on "Canal Istanbul"?...
'MECCA' STEP FROM IRAN
While the US and Israel's pressure on Iran continues, all eyes are on the line of fire between the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. The Mecca Joint Defense Agreement signed by Turkey with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan indicates a critical turning point. The agreement has still not been brought to the Turkish Grand National Assembly, and the details of its content are not well known. At the center of the discussions is the issue of whether Turkey will be drawn into the conflict. Last week, a message of support came to Riyadh from Egypt, one of the important actors of the region. Some comments state that the USA supports the agreement in terms of its regional interests. Iranian President Pezeshkian made a statement the other day that would disrupt possible plans of the USA and said that Tehran could also join the Mecca alliance. In response to criticism of the agreement, the government stated that this was not an alliance against anyone and that there could be new participation. Now let's say Iran officially applied for the agreement. The answer he receives seems to reveal who/what this alliance is really against.
THE BOND OF BROTHERHOOD
A front that creates tension between Türkiye and Azerbaijan has emerged. Some groups are fueling the debate by reacting to Baku's close relations with Israel, while others are reacting to the decision to ban headscarves in schools. The interesting thing is that Baku's closeness with Israel and cooperation in the defense industry is not new, nor is it secret. On the other hand, we are also familiar with the secular state structure, which does not open doors to political Islamist movements and sects/communities, like most of the former USSR countries. It is necessary to see who/what will be served by disrupting the “one nation, two states” Türkiye-Azerbaijan relations. While examining this, let's also count the neighbors of energy-rich Azerbaijan, which is in a strategic location in Eurasia; Russia, Iran, Türkiye (via Nakhchivan), Armenia, Georgia. The region is already boiling, we must not allow tensions that will be drawn into, which will open the door to new provocations and foreign interventions.
