Erdoğan will further polarize Turkey as presidential election approaches

While campaigning for the local elections on March 30, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's political rhetoric stirred up discomfort in Turkish society due to a perceived vilification of certain groups in a tone which many in the West would consider to be discriminatory.

As the presidential election draws closer, his harsh rhetoric is contrasting increasingly starkly with the style of other global leaders.

In many of Erdoğan's recent public speeches, and especially those concerning the local election campaign, the prime minister has avoided mentioning the names of the groups he attacks but frequently employs veiled references to Fethullah Gülen, the US-based Islamic cleric and inspiration behind the Hizmet movement. For example, he uses the term "the man from Pennsylvania” to refer to Gülen and pronouns such as “they” when discussing Gülen-affiliated organizations.

Erdoğan's victory speech after winning the recent elections contrasts starkly to those made by other world leaders, such as Nelson Mandela, the first president elected after the abolition of Apartheid in South Africa, and US President Barack Obama. Both Mandela's victory speech after 1994 South African presidential election and Obama's speech after his election victory in the 2012 US presidential election focus on the future direction of the nations and on tolerance towards the opposition as well as all societal groups. They have demonstrated that a victory speech can be an opportunity to express gratitude toward both supporters and opponents and to include the whole country in the national agenda.

In his victory speech, Erdoğan described the opposition in negative terms, saying "they used lies, dissimulation, slander, sedition and intrigue”; he refers to the relations between those he considers his opponents and the Hizmet movement as "dirty." Instead of showing respect to the opposition, he appears to gloat over the fact that they "lost" in the elections; nowhere in the speech does he cast the opposition in a positive light. Since the corruption probe of Dec. 17, 2013, Erdoğan and his party have alleged that the Hizmet movement is behind the probe and constitutes a “parallel state.”

In the first part of Obama's victory speech after his 2012 victory, he was magnanimous toward his Republican Party competitor, saying that although “we may have battled fiercely … it is only because we love this country deeply and we care so much about its future.” He further thanked the Romney family for serving America through public service.

Similarly, Nelson Mandela emphasized tolerating those responsible for perpetuating the Apartheid system in South Africa. He urged the victims of the Apartheid system to forgive Apartheid supporters, saying that they should “stretch out [their] hands to those who have beaten [them] ... this is the time to heal old wounds and to build a new South Africa.” Mentioning rival political parties who also opposed apartheid but had not obtained the necessary number of parliamentary seats to earn a seat in the cabinet, he implied that he was eager to discuss alternative ways to include his competitors in the new government. Mandela thought that they deserved to be part of the government as they had “suffered together” with while fighting against the Apartheid system, Later on, Mandela did invite other parties into the cabinet, despite the other parties not having had electoral success.

Differently, in a speech on Feb. 22 in Sivas province, Erdoğan urged his audience not to send their children to schools and institutions affiliated with “them,” meaning the Hizmet movement. Furthermore, in an Ankara Chamber of Commerce (ATO) event on Feb. 21, he used the word “vampires” to describe his opponents. In his victory speech on March 30, Erdoğan insinuated, in a veiled reference to the Hizmet movement, that it had leaked onto YouTube a voice recording of Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and top officials discussing possible military action in Syria. Erdoğan said that the “traitors” who leaked this have threatened "national security" and will "pay for this." In describing media that oppose Erdoğan, he uses expressions such as "blood-dripping, anger-inducing, hate-mongering headlines.” He distinguishes “enemies” from “us” by saying, “Let's raise Turkey together. Those who are used by Turkey's enemies as pawns were disappointed today. These pawns once again saw how glorious, how noble, how heroic these people are.”

In Mandela's speech, he emphasizes achieving democracy together, saying that “we are a great team” and “I hold out hand of friendship to leaders of all parties and their members ... to tackle the problems we face as a nation.” He further states that he thinks himself as the people's “servant” rather than a leader who is “above others.” He says that he will serve “all the people of South Africa, not just ANC [Mandela's party, the African National Congress] members.”

Obama also promoted national unity in his victory speech by specifically mentioning ethnic minority groups. He said, “It doesn't matter whether you're black or white or Hispanic or Asian or Native American or young or old or rich or poor, abled, disabled, gay or straight” as long as you are “willing to work hard.” He then concludes his speech by mentioning American values of “working hard,” saying: “I believe we can seize this future together because we are not as divided as our politics suggest.”

Dr. Günal Kursun, president of the Human Rights Agenda Association (İHGD) and a criminal lawyer, told Sunday's Zaman that the prime minister uses "discriminatory and stigmatizing speech" continuously but does not address the corruption allegations that "his own team" faces. Instead, the prime minister blames a “parallel state” which is supposedly responsible for the corruption allegations, said Kursun. He added that if Erdoğan decides to continue this rhetoric, it will only do harm to Turkey's democracy in a long run.

As Turkey's presidential election is approaching, Erdoğan's harsh political rhetoric has intensified even more. Turkey has already seen societal polarization since the Gezi protests last year. In his recent victory speech, Erdoğan could have used the occasion as a turning point to promote unity and tolerance in the currently divided society. It could have been an opportunity for Turkey to come together as a nation and overcome political turbulence. What has happened to him over the last two years? In a 2011 election speech, Erdoğan said "we will be seeking consensus with the main opposition, the opposition, parties outside of Parliament, the media, NGOs, with academics, with anyone who has something to say.” Turkey now needs the consensus building which was promised then; Turkey cannot afford to stay divided until the August presidential election. The possible consequences of the use of discriminatory language in political rhetoric are worrisome, as they would almost certainly result in deeper societal divisions.

Published on Sunday's Zaman, 13 April 2014, Sunday