BY ISMET BERKAN
RADIKAL- Everybody who deals with Turkish politics should realize that the voters have been saying for 10 years that the prevailing mode of politics should change, in with the new and out with the old. Voters expect political parties and politicians to focus on tomorrow, not yesterday. Rather than pointless political polemics, they prefer discussing how politics can be done better. In sum, negative politics in Turkey are finished. However, let’s look at the current situation of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP). It has based all its politics and rhetoric on negative politics. Instead of highlighting the inadequacies of the government and setting realistic new goals, the CHP is stuck in yesterday’s agenda. However, the voters already know that our problems can’t be solved through old approaches. Maybe they will award an opposition party, a creative and positive one, in the next elections. However, the CHP prefers to drone on about old issues. Unfortunately, this is why today we’re discussing the CHP, which we can’t take seriously due to its style.
The CHP is too unproductive and stagnant, and many believe there is no hope left for it. That this month’s extraordinary party congress will be dominated by Istanbul Sisli district Mayor Mustafa Sarigul and CHP leader Deniz Baykal just underlines this point. Only Baykal sets the politics which lead the CHP to hemorrhage votes. In addition, his rival Sarigul always talks in circles and confusing language. These two also exchange rude words rather than talk about CHP policies and Turkey’s future. It’s a real pity. Nobody cares about the CHP. Actually Turkey’s situation is sad because unfortunately our chief political problem is the opposition.