Kemalist ideology

By Costas Iordanidis

Turkey just hosted a controversial “National Education Council.” This is a body that many educators take part in, which makes suggestions to the Education Ministry about future strategies in the national education system. As expected, the council was bitterly contested because, as expected, both its defenders and opponents had ideology in mind rather than factual matters of education.

It appears that describing the pro-government media with the modest “allegiant media” description will not suffice, and we will soon have to move on to a more saddening “smarmy media” description.

Attention in Turkey will now focus on the Sept. 12 elections for members of the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK), which oversees appointments and dismissals and conducts investigations in the judiciary.

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan became the 12th president of the Turkish Republic on Aug. 28 with three ceremonies in Ankara.

It is not only President-elect Recep Tayyip Erdoğan who is going to reshape his Justice and Development Party (AK Parti) before he leaves the job on Aug. 28. Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the leader of the social democratic main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) also wants to reshape his party by replacing its old guard with new and active young warriors.

More than 20 years ago, I was antagonizing my secularist friends on the matter of religious freedoms. I was discussing the shortcomings of the Kemalist regime with “the old-fashioned Republicans” in the name of democracy.

The Republic of Turkey was founded in 1923, after the fall of the Ottoman Empire during World War I.

We now know the presidential candidates.

I have to say it in advance, none of the three suit me.

If you say “Recep Tayyip Erdoğan...”

He has got himself so stuck with his 50 percent that there is no way in the world for him to be the president of 100 percent.

If you say “Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu...”

Turkish President Abdullah Gul has announced he will not stand to be re-elected for another seven years on August 10.

“I will not present my candidacy. I already told this to [Prime Minister Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan before the March 30 [local elections]. My office will end on August 28,” Hurriyet Daily News quoted him as saying.