Beginning Of The End Of Known Turkey

BY METIN MUNIR
MILLIYET- Following the election of Abdullah Gul as the new president, Cankaya, for the first time, will have a president whose Arabic is better than his English.
Turkey, for the first time, will have a president, Parliament speaker and prime minister emerged from the root of the same tree of Islam.
In the short term, we'll observe two results of this maneuver for eliminating the tension by nominating Gul instead of Recep Tayyip Erdogan's run for presidency:
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) will get the majority in November's general elections, and come to power alone.
Current economic policies will continue.
These two developments will be welcomed by the business world both in the country and abroad, and will cause a positive approach towards Gul's presidency. Due to these or similar reasons, the US administration and Western governments will also back his presidency.
In theory, Gul's nomination means that Turkey will re-experience stability in the next five years.
Is that happen in real life?
In my opinion, passing all levels of the executive power and function into hands of the AKP is the beginning of the end of known Turkey.
Process of Islamism
Turkey will enter a process of Islamism and rightism, the end of which cannot be predicted.
This is that Turkey which Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc, during his last week's speech, asked people to be accustomed to.
Gul held a press conference a couple of days ago to announce Turkey's road map for its the European Union membership process in order to get support from the "seculars" and Western world for the presidential project, which was known only by few people then.
Now, after we learn about the project, its meaning is quite clear. "Don't become afraid of us. Our plan isn't Islamism. We'll continue to walk on the road to the EU."
The road not to Western, but Eastern route
People, who want, can believe this.
I want to believe too.
But, the AKP's appointments of only religious people to all high-level state positions, disregard to the red lines of secularism, as well as corruption and bribery which become widespread, and turning certain values of the lower class into norms, seem to be the road not to Western but Eastern route.
West begins at the place where secularism begins, and ends where it ends. Erdogan showed where he could stop by controlling his ambition through sending Gul to Cankaya instead of himself.
In the upcoming days, months and years, both himself and Turkey will need this characteristic very much. It is the time to test all people to understand how much they are democratic.
If I were Gul, as soon as I settled in Cankaya, I would send a bunch of roses from the garden of the Presidential Palace, picked up by my own hands, to Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal. And I would attach a note on it:
'Perhaps I wouldn't be here, if you didn't exist. I and the AKP are grateful to you and the CHP.'