Polarisation; myth or fact?

I have lived in Turkey for almost six years now, and it still teaches me something new every day. Istanbul, Turkey’s largest commercial hub, is a labyrinth that embodies a romantic old Europe with mounds of eastern history to unravel. Once you start peeling back the layers, it becomes an obsession that most of us foreigners can’t live without.

People always ask: “Why Turkey?” My reply: “Why not?”.

If truth be told the first time I came to Turkey I hated it. I landed in a conservative neighbourhood of Istanbul, and, was in complete culture shock for at least ten days. There were no women on the street after 9pm. My apartment was about 20 metres from a very noisy mosque. No one spoke English. I didn’t understand the public transport. I felt as if I’d landed on the moon. I remember calling my mother, after I’d figured out the awful public payphone system, and pleading with her to rescue me from this backwater place.

I returned six months later and haven’t been able to leave since. It’s not like I haven’t tried. I have left Turkey at least five times, but I always return. So, why is Istanbul so attractive to us foreigners? It’s the village syndrome. Istanbul is a city of almost 17 million people. It has everything anyone could want, culture, the arts, nightlife, hidden away pockets of nature, the hustle bustle of any worldly metropolis. It is a city that is constantly moving, but, it is one of the only cities in the world in my opinion – I’ve travelled from the US to South East Asia – where one feels like you’ve known your taxi driver forever. I live in a city, but it feels like a village, and my taxi-driver lives on the next street.

Turkish taxi-driving hospitality

Recently I had to attend a live programme on Turkey’s ongoing elections cycle. Already ten minutes late I ran out of the house and hailed a taxi on the street. When we got to the studio I reached into my bag for my wallet, but found myself in a very awkward position, I'd left it at home. Oh no, I thought "What should I do?"

Seeing my dispair, my taxici simply shrugged his shoulders and said casually: “No problem, you can pay me later, it’s OK.” My taxici was a stranger to me, but he wanted to help solve my problems.

Although we live in a vast city, there is always someone who wants to help, be it because they are nosey, or bored or for whatever reason. But Turkish people still have time for each other. This is something to be applauded. There is this feeling that “we are in this together”. It’s something quite remarkable to me, still, after all this time, because I come from a world where people make appointments two weeks ahead just to have dinner with a personal friend.

So if people still extend a helping hand to each other, is Turkish society really becoming more polarized as many analysts say? The recent crisis over the presidential elections have been cited as proof of this polarisation – millions of people took to the streets to protest against an “Islamic lifestyle”. The western media played a great role in fostering tensions by talking about “two Turkeys”. But, since when has there only been two Turkeys? At my last count there were at least 6, 7 , 8 or even more Turkeys. It is a complex social fabric of many religions, ethnicities, and cultures that even an expert anthropologist would have a hard time counting.

Tough measure

I personally attended both the Ankara and Istanbul protests, and there is no doubt that they were absolutely huge. There were masses of people on the street, but were the numbers honest? News services claimed that turn out in Istanbul had been larger than that of Ankara. In my opinion, and the opinion of the two handsome policemen who were standing next to our SNG truck, there were actually less people on the streets of Istanbul than Ankara.

I remember it very clearly, because I and a couple of colleagues were discussing this throughout the day. The general consensus among us was that people had stayed away from the Istanbul protests because of the military memorandum issued just one week earlier. When you look at the election results this week, our conclusions on that day made perfect sense. So, were the numbers inflated and why? Was this to add to the ongoing polarisation of Turkish society. Turkish friends tell me: “We don’t talk to each other anymore, there is even an eye of suspicion towards a stranger.”

But, from where I’m standing conversation has never been so lively in Turkey. Even the taxi driver has something to say on the country’s future. The question everyone is asking now is: “Will the new government be able to please the ordinary taxi driver that still wants to help you.”

This will be the new government's toughest challenge, to transfer the recent economic boom of the financial markets into something that helps the ordinary Turk. Unemployment and underemployment are issues that will need tough measures. But, finding help when you need it in this city needs absolutely no measure at all.

My oh my... will he or won't he?

Foreign minister Abdullah Gul did a little tap dancing for the press, who were eargerly gathered around his podium at the ministry for the first time since his party won a stunning victory on Sunday. The journalists readied themselves for shameful interrogation over the upcoming presidential race. During the questions and answers session, Gul requested that all enquiring journalists "get off the subject of the presidential elections". This after at least five reporters had not been able to ask him anything else. Smiling as they continued to fire away, I'm sure he wondered to himself "Are these people hard of hearing, or am I speaking Japanese?" They wouldn't let it go. And quite rightly so, his candidacy is the reason that we have just been through a general election, so of course he deserved to be grilled over his next plan of action.

Well, as ever he was graceful and calm. He talked of democracy and played it cool: "The decision should reflect the will of the people, and all parties should consider that."

What a guy, it is particularly weird, when I think that one in every two Turks voted for AKP. I have many friends in Istanbul who are die hard CHP supporters, and well, they did what they had to do - they voted CHP. It is a curious phenomenom that AKP gathered voters who are not as Islamic looking as their leaders' wives - this is such a devisive issue in Turkey. I'm guessing that they didn't gather votes from the CHP, these people really couldn't ever vote AKP, but rather from the centre-right who only two months ago I said would run into trouble by not attending the presidential vote back in April. They just couldn't get themselves together after that - they were another party that missed the boat, as did the CHP with all the secular rallies - they just didn't use them to their political advantage.

Now we have to wonder, will the independents support Gul's presidency? Or will the MHP? Apparently the MHP have already said they will attend the vote, whether they will participate is not clear. And depending on who the next speaker of parliament will be, we'll have to see if only attending the session is enough to hold qorum (of 367 deputies to pass the first round). I feel I'm going to be living in a parallel world soon enough, only this time it's going to be hotter.

The independents are a new force in parliament, and I'm happy that Kurds finally have some representation, at least 24 deputies I believe. It may take the fire out of the fight by PKK militants that come down from the mountains every year. From my understanding the fight here in Turkey is not really about separatism anymore - most of the Kurds I have met in Diyarbakir look to Istanbul culturally, not to the east. But, the fight is more about representation and rights. Well, if the Kurdish deputies play a more moderate card rather than that of Zana, AKP may just be able to talk to them. Possibly they will strike some sort of deal, should AKP need their support. If the chance arises I hope they use it well. I guess it really depends on the MHP. These two groups - the MHP and the DTP - are not famous for getting along. They may at least have to change the seating plan in parliament. I believe independents will sit next to the MHP under the present plan.

Whatever happens, we are definitely in for further fun. If you are a colleague and you plan to holiday this summer, best to head out now, as I don't think the presidential election is going to be as simple as we all expected it to be. There is still room for political errors, as we have seen already this year. Although AKP does have a good knack at learning from its mistakes - but with the proper backing, they might just get what they want this time - their guy in Cankaya. I personally think that it would be best to have a president from outside the parties, but we will have to wait and see, what the parliament want.

One thing I'm pretty sure on, and will predict with a clear conscience - the list of candidates will be a little longer this time, if Arinc doesn't come back to his former glory! Hey, perhaps he'll get his day to run for presidency this time around.

And to Deniz Baykal, when are you going to admit defeat? It is not "you" personally that can protect the state, but the party. CHP is in desparate need of new leadership - one that talks democracy and reconciliation. If you're not careful, perhaps MHP will garner your voters in the name of national security. You have five years to work hard on changing your image, as we are seeing that the current one doesn't fit the new Turkey - one that is much more confident than it has been in years.