Hüseyin Çelik at the School of Politics

In the twelfth week of the School of Politics program organized by the Bahçeşehir University School of Government and Leadership, with the valued participation of Democratic Left Party Chair Dr. Masum Türker, Marmara University Department of Business Administration faculty member Prof. Dr. Serdar Pirtini, Vatan newspaper columnist Can Ataklı, AK Party Deputy Chair Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Çelik and Association for the Support of Women Candidates Chair Çiğdem Aydın, the topics of the Turkish economy in light of recent developments in foreign policy, political marketing in the 21st century, education and politics, the women's movement in Türkiye, and the concept of national sovereignty and Türkiye were discussed. Hüseyin Çelik said that the election threshold should be lowered.

In summary, the participants said the following:

MASUM TÜRKER:

"When we ask how Türkiye should act in foreign policy, the first indispensable element is good relations with the USA . Otherwise, even if you receive 75% of the vote, the US ambassador will stand up and say, 'You will buy less oil from Iran.' And Iran will immediately respond by falling ill. The second important relationship should be with Russia . Russia is profiting from this crisis. In calm periods, Russia runs a trade deficit because of oil prices. The third country is China. We must be careful about China. While Israel wanted to carry out mine clearance in Türkiye, it sought to take over Türkiye's sovereignty over oil pipelines. Here, China's aim is to influence a long oil pipeline. In this oil corridor, the aim is to transfer oil to Europe through the Greek Cypriot Administration, to which we have left the field. The fourth is the European Union. We see the European Union as an anchor, that is, as an intellectual outlook and vision. This, essentially, is Atatürk; it is this outlook. Otherwise, it would be unfair to see Atatürk only as a person."

SERDAR PİRTİNİ:

"Thanks to the internet, which became widespread after the 1990s, the use of information has also begun to increase. Today's world is post-modern, whereas in the past it was the modern world. In other words, while mass society used to be at the forefront, now it is the individual. That is why doing modern politics brings failure. At the same time, the time spent on classic media is decreasing. Since new media is used on the internet, actively using it in politics brings greater success. The opportunity for social sharing via the internet allows ideological thought to spread quickly among people in election campaigns. Therefore, the development of the internet has made it much easier for voters to influence other voters about parties, leaders and programs."

CAN ATAKLI:

"As society develops, what we call knowledge and scientific work begin to conflict with religion. If you build a belief system well and use it well, you can govern societies much more easily. This is what we call the exploitation of religion. When you provide faith-based education, you hinder scientific development, because people who receive faith-based education seek solutions elsewhere where science reaches an impasse. Education is a long-term process. Its results will be seen 20 years later, but by then the situation may have become irreversible. Islamic countries are stricter in imposing belief systems on societies."

 

HÜSEYİN ÇELİK:

"National sovereignty, popular sovereignty, national rule: although the words change, the essence and content are the same. The word 'nation' has undergone a shift in meaning over time. Today, nation does not equal race; there can be many races under the roof of one nation. Nation is a concept that includes all the races within it and that has a shared plan for the future. National sovereignty is not the domination of one race over another. If we can change the constitution that is the product of the 12 September coup and move to a new constitution, a transition from a bureaucratic republic to a democratic republic may be possible. In Türkiye, the state has risen during periods of single-party government. The years 1991–2002 were the years in which Türkiye declined. There should be a threshold for stability in government, but for fairness in representation this threshold should be low."
 

ÇİĞDEM AYDIN:

"Contrary to the idea that women were handed their rights on a silver platter and did not appreciate them, women fought for their rights and finally obtained them with the Republican era: for example, the rights to protest, to take action, and to found associations and parties... 'Mr.' and 'Ms.' are forms of address, not the names of genders. The fine line between the concepts of 'woman' and 'girl' was drawn by society itself; we are two sexes that complement each other: women and men."