Turkey–The More Change, The More The Same?
Liberals are “fed up” with the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, because they claim he is not living up to campaign promises and is using discouraging rhetoric regarding the Kurdish population. They feel that when Erdogan was elected, he was promising reform and the most pivotal point was changing relations between the government and the country’s Kurdish population. The Kurds of Turkey are treated as second class citizens, and are not on the same platform as other ethnic minorities of Turkey. What really makes this even more surprising is that Kurdish people make up a fifth of the population. Liberals feel that Erdogan ran on empty campaign promises; some even go as far as to say that he has made deals with the Turkish military for political power, a pivotal instrument in insuring the success of many political leaders in Turkey. Erdogan’s aides state that the liberals are not being patient and are misinterpreting his speeches.
Political promises are an interesting subject. According to this article, the Turkish liberals have been supporting Erdogan for years and giving him the benefit of the doubt when questioned. However, the “left” is through and is letting their elected officials know that they’re fed up. On the contrary, the Erdogan side has some good points. Many of his aides stated that the liberals were expecting him to work miracles, and maybe they’re right. Is it fair to ask one man to find the solution to a problem that has plagued a nation since its founding? I guess the March elections will give us the answer.
Olorunbunmi Hambolu
