A BAU Classic: The School of Politics

The School of Politics, a classic organized by the School of Government and Leadership (HLO) for the 10th time this year, has begun.

The first session of the first week was held with the participation of KA.DER Chair Çiğdem Aydın to assess the topic "Local Governments and Women." She began her speech by drawing attention to the "Don't Forget Women Candidates" campaign they launched due to the low number and influence of women in politics. She emphasized that since local elections began, 1,165 mayors have been elected, but only 6 of them were women. She stated that while there is greater participation of women in local governments around the world, the opposite is true in Türkiye, where fewer women are given a place at the local level. She noted that currently there are 6 women among the CHP's 47 provincial candidates, 1 among the AKP's 81 provincial candidates, and 2 provincial candidates for the BDP, along with women candidates for co-chairships in 6 provinces. Finally, she stated that they do not want a city without women or a government without women, and concluded her speech by saying, "Come on, women, to local governments!"

In the second session, Ankara Member of Parliament and Nationalist Movement Party Deputy Chair Tuğrul Türkeş assessed the topic "Democracy and Politics in the World and Türkiye in the 21st Century: How Should It Be Today? How Should It Really Be?". Stating that in the struggle for power that has continued since the beginning of humanity, a dominant power has tried to shape and rule the world in every century, Türkeş noted that the world, which first became unipolar and then multipolar after the collapse of the Soviet Union, has entered a process of change that values individual views, desires and lifestyles rather than societies. He stated that Türkiye's ideal of reaching the level of contemporary civilizations can only be achieved by raising generations who know their past and appreciate the values of the society they come from, in other words, through nationalism. He added that Türkiye can reach the place it deserves in world politics through nationalist policies in line with its goals.

"Press and Politics Relations" was assessed in the third session with the participation of İstanbul Member of Parliament and Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye Oktay Ekşi. He stated that he began his career in 1952 and later worked as a parliamentary correspondent. He said that very often, when the interests of the newspaper owner and those in power clashed, the matter would end, and that those who were inseparable one day could speak very differently the next. He emphasized that until the 1980s the press served those in power, and journalists who opposed this were arrested and sentenced to prison by the government. However, he pointed out that even then, the relationship between government and journalists was far more honest than today's.

In the fourth session, İstanbul Member of Parliament and Chair of the Constitution Committee of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye Prof. Dr. Burhan Kuzu assessed "The Problem of Separation of Powers in Türkiye and the Search for a Solution" . He stated that the separation of powers is a current principle that is easy to explain but difficult to implement in Türkiye. He noted that the separation of powers in Türkiye began with Abdulhamid II, was interrupted during the Atatürk period, and then resumed. He emphasized that Atatürk saw parliament as the sole power and that in this system the legislature, executive and judiciary were in the hands of parliament, with the aim of strengthening those who come to power through elections. He said that the solution in politics is the ballot box, but there is no remedy for errors in the judiciary. Referring to how the judiciary is established in developed Western countries, Kuzu added that it would not be possible in Türkiye for the people to determine the judiciary directly.

In the final session, founder of the Greens and Left Future Party and former Member of Parliament Dr. Ufuk Uras spoke on "New Approaches in Politics". He stated that the word "siyaset" (politics) comes from the Old Turkish word "seyis" (groom), meaning the management of a creature that needs to be guided, but that this perspective is not correct. Uras said, "The goal of politics should be to reconcile what is on paper with reality." He emphasized that it would be meaningful for all segments of society to express themselves through direct and indirect politics, and stated that the condition for democratic and new politics is equality of ideas. He concluded his speech by saying that if one has no say in shaping the rules of the game, one will merely be a part of the game.