Turkish Democracy should be more Gülish

Ahmet Sever Left, Abdullah Gul Right

“12 Years with Abdullah Gul” is well timed tell all book to influence the coalition building required in Turkey and poised to further weaken the AKP brand yet to a certain degree I am suspicious of the book but only in a, “We really need to help of a well oiled conspiracy” right now. I find it fascinating that this book should document Gul as being for investigating corruption, against the witch trials of the secularist military and against Gulen’s Hizmet in stark contrast to Erdogan with the current president only recently turning on Hizmet. Gul who cofounded the AKP was described as being genuine that it should be ultimately pro-secular and a Turkish equivalent of the Christian Democratic party.  While there is probably some truth in this, Gul comes off like what Turk's would call an “onion man” or a man who doesn’t want to risk trouble and this informs both his middle of the road policies and his weak opposition to Erdogan. Publication of this white washing narrative itself is just backhanded and I wonder if Gul has the right stuff for leadership.  How clean are Gul’s hands, did he really manage to avoid the corruption of Erdogan, would his foreign policy really be so different? I do think he would have been more tolerant of political dissent and Gezi would not have happened if he’d been PM, I’m from the one party state posing as a democracy called Chicago and I know my Daley types when I see them. Erdogan like Daley doesn’t mind police violence and centralizing power to himself; Gul like Daley likes to not notice corruption even if he doesn't endulge.  The book as reported in the press comes off with author and former Gul Spokesman Ahmed Sever as a Shakespearian Mark Anthony with his exoneration of Gul’s Cesar which leaves Erdogan oddly cast as Cassius. My fear is that Gul is really Brutus, a thoughtful person who nonetheless has nothing to add but a blade in someone else’s cause. So I say with all those deficits in place, Gul should form and lead a new party!

The advantages of an AKP v.2.0 are numerous and Gul’s deficits as a leader will not diminish the advantages for Turkey. A new Islamist but carefully secular party will draw the against the corrupt but still popular AKP and it will also draw against the MHP and HDP parties to some extent but there would be the means for liberal minded Islamists (of which there are many in Turkey) to support both their religious and political values without giving into Erdogan’s Tyranny and a split AKP would be able to make strong coalition agreements with other parties and still have a voice even when the minority without needing to resort to tyranny. This would prevent the excesses of AKP rule by narrowing the Governments agenda to economics, defense and civil rights.  That’s a Turkey which could be poised for long term success both economically and politically. Turkey could be a real democracy and I would like to see that happen because as a proud Chicagoan, I never have.  If Erdogan has his way and gets early elections, Gul should do the really patriotic thing and form a new party and perhaps stand up for what he claims to believe in along the way. Some politicians have greatness thrust upon them, some achieve it and Gul is worthy of support because he is so needed that either making a great man out of him or him rising to the occasion is what Turkey needs right now.