The School of Politics Comes to an End

In the fourteenth and final week of the School of Politics program organized by the Bahçeşehir University School of Government and Leadership, with the valued participation of Iğdır Member of Parliament and Chair of the Center for International Relations and Strategic Analysis Dr. Sinan Oğan, Zonguldak Member of Parliament, former Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye and former Minister of Culture and of National Education Köksal Toptan, Mayor of Şanlıurfa Dr. Ahmet Eşref Fakıbaba, former Member of Parliament Nazif Okumuş and Istanbul Member of Parliament Oktay Ekşi, the topics of Relations with the Turkic Republics and Regional Developments, the Law-Making Process in Türkiye, the Past, Present and Future of Şanlıurfa, Wit in Politics, and Politics–Media Relations in Türkiye were discussed.

 

In summary, the participants said the following:

 

SİNAN OĞAN

 

"The Turkic Republics have currently fallen down the agenda of Turkish politics... Today, the Turkic Republics are not among the priorities of Turkish politics... This is wrong. The Turkic Republics are a geography stretching from the Adriatic to the Great Wall of China... The Turkic Republics were re-established in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Why are we talking about the importance of the Turkic Republics now? Azerbaijan, our closest neighbor among the Turkic Republics, is a state we see as 'one nation, two states' and with which our relations must be good... The fact that foreign policy decision-makers in Türkiye are far from long-term strategies is a major problem."

 

KÖKSAL TOPTAN

 

"Successive coups have had a negative effect on democracy. In that context, Türkiye has suffered serious problems in law-making. That is why a new constitution is absolutely necessary. Even during that period of bans, I was someone who made statements to this effect to newspapers, however marginally, and voiced it in my constituency. My opinion has not changed since then. Psychologically, we must make a constitution worthy of the Türkiye of this age. We must achieve consensus and compromise. Whatever is written, the flawed parts can be corrected later. But when we ask when the 1982 Constitution was made, the fact that it was made during a coup is not worthy of Türkiye."

 

AHMET EŞREF FAKIBABA

 

"Being a mayor means being among the people. You go to the municipality for meetings and you are constantly with people, so you solve problems on the spot. Because Türkiye has always had politicians who come from the top, many of them are forgotten. Politics is not about coming from the top and lobbying, but about showing that you do and can do good things for the people, convincing them of this, and ultimately achieving greater things by working together. Team spirit is at the heart of success. You get what you give. That is life itself. You can do something, but what matters is that it is sustainable. Even if you do nothing else, if you do sustainable work, you win."

 

NAZİF OKUMUŞ

 

"Wit in politics is about creating joy of life by reaching results through humor. The face comes first; the face is the mirror of the heart. The face roughly conveys a person's character to others, as the saying 'one who cannot smile should not open a shop' suggests. Even under oppressive regimes, humor is the child of the freedom within one's conscience. Kasım Gülek and Osman Bölükbaşı expressed themselves through their wit and were not forgotten. Looking at the world, Lincoln was clever and witty. Mustafa Kemal was a serious statesman, but he also enjoyed wit."

 

OKTAY EKŞİ:

 

"Politics commands, and the press continues to comply. This distorted understanding shows that the hierarchical relationship between politics and the media goes back a long way. Moreover, as a further effect of this situation, the media adopted an understanding of 'subordination.' It continued to develop in a way that praised sultans and grand viziers. This understanding remained influential in the Republican period as well. When I started writing, after discussing the country's problems with prominent figures, we used to ask, 'Do you have any other orders for us?' This is a shameful situation. When I talk to my colleagues, they say how good this profession used to be, but that is not so. The first newspaper published without approval was Hürriyet. For the first time, it sought to publish by relying on the public, and it was very successful in this. For the first time, a structure built directly on its readers emerged. If you run a media outlet tied to politics, you only work for those in power."