Gökçek’s departure

In my childhood and early youth, Ankara Municipality was run by the SHP. With the social democratic parties displaying an incredible lack of judgement and fielding two separate candidates in the 1994 local elections, Melih Gökçek became mayor by a whisker. It was a pretty tainted election marred by the emerging of ballot slips from among the garbage. 

Gökçek’s departure in the 1999 local elections looked guaranteed. But, the social democratic parties repeated the same idiocy and fought the elections with different candidates and once more gifted Ankara to Melih Gökçek.

Later, with the AKP coming to power, Gökçek’s hold on Ankara was cemented. It must not be forgotten that Melih Gökçek did not win office as Ankara Municipal Mayor; the centre-left parties of the day managed to lose the mayorship with their combined vote in excess of 40%.

If Ankara continued to be run for 23 years by this man who had not the basic conception of what municipalities are about, destroyed the city as if he had a personal hatred towards town planning and would only appear mature in the company of a youngster in their early teens whose hormone balance has yet to settle, the blame lies with the social democratic parties who lost the local administration with their meaningless internecine quarrels.

Under normal conditions, Melih Gökçek’s departure from the mayorship is an affair that would invite celebration. But, we do not live under normal conditions, and we are unable to take delight that this person who is the living embodiment of all that is bad about politics will no longer run Ankara.
Following Istanbul, the resignations of the Bursa and Ankara mayors has shown once again that everything in our country is under the control of a single person.

Today, the future of no politician apart from Mr Erdoğan is certain. No member of parliament, minister or mayor can withstand a force that can oust somebody like Melih Gökçek, who had set up his personal fiefdom.
The same consideration also applies to the media that supports the ruling party. At the chief’s word, big-noise columnists or commentators can be wiped from history.
The ruling block consists of a weak-willed bunch of politicians and commentators. Nothing remains to differentiate them from a herd of sheep that falls in line with the chief raising his stick.
Hence, apart from Mr Erdoğan, no AKP politician’s word counts for anything in the public domain. These here today gone tomorrow people who have no clout and lack their own wills are nothing more than apparatchiks who continue with their political careers for as long as Erdoğan’s mask fits their face.
What can we say? This is their own work. All that remains of their entire efforts is a huge great palace and their effaced identities. Good luck to them.

Gökçek’s departure in the 1999 local elections looked guaranteed. But, the social democratic parties repeated the same idiocy and fought the elections with different candidates and once more gifted Ankara to Melih Gökçek.
Later, with the AKP coming to power, Gökçek’s hold on Ankara was cemented. It must not be forgotten that Melih Gökçek did not win office as Ankara Municipal Mayor; the centre-left parties of the day managed to lose the mayorship with their combined vote in excess of 40%.

If Ankara continued to be run for 23 years by this man who had not the basic conception of what municipalities are about, destroyed the city as if he had a personal hatred towards town planning and would only appear mature in the company of a youngster in their early teens whose hormone balance has yet to settle, the blame lies with the social democratic parties who lost the local administration with their meaningless internecine quarrels.

Under normal conditions, Melih Gökçek’s departure from the mayorship is an affair that would invite celebration. But, we do not live under normal conditions, and we are unable to take delight that this person who is the living embodiment of all that is bad about politics will no longer run Ankara.
Following Istanbul, the resignations of the Bursa and Ankara mayors has shown once again that everything in our country is under the control of a single person.

Today, the future of no politician apart from Mr Erdoğan is certain. No member of parliament, minister or mayor can withstand a force that can oust somebody like Melih Gökçek, who had set up his personal fiefdom.

The same consideration also applies to the media that supports the ruling party. At the chief’s word, big-noise columnists or commentators can be wiped from history.

The ruling block consists of a weak-willed bunch of politicians and commentators. Nothing remains to differentiate them from a herd of sheep that falls in line with the chief raising his stick.
Hence, apart from Mr Erdoğan, no AKP politician’s word counts for anything in the public domain. These here today gone tomorrow people who have no clout and lack their own wills are nothing more than apparatchiks who continue with their political careers for as long as Erdoğan’s mask fits their face.
What can we say? This is their own work. All that remains of their entire efforts is a huge great palace and their effaced identities. Good luck to them.