Life in Turkey is very dynamic. Anything can happen at any
time for no reason or with a reason and this applies to every aspect of daily
life. Inflation rate may go up or down unexpectedly. The value of dollar and
gold against Turkish Lira can skyrocket or plummet at any moment. You may be
challenged up by a fanatic soccer fan in the street by cheering for the ‘wrong
soccer team’ you are passionate about. You might face a hard time for
questioning a driver for his unsafe driving. Driving a car in the streets is
always a challenge and struggle as in many other Middle Eastern and
Mediterranean countries. ‘Jaywalking’ is a normal and common human behavior; so
normal that you may even be bullied by others if you are the only one not doing
it. And when your friends take you out to lunch or dinner, it is highly likely
that they won’t let you pay for your own meal.
Let’s continue with a few examples in political life. A new
stiff debate may spark tension among political parties and end up with deputies
throwing fists and curses at each other in the Parliament. Or, as happened in
1980, people may wake up to a day in which they hear from the radio that the
military implemented a coup and overthrew the democratically elected government
like you see in Egypt nowadays. Or as happened on a day in 2007, people may
hear from the morning news that public prosecutors have started interrogating
top military generals for plotting a coup against government just because they
thought the ‘secular regime’ was under ‘danger’!
One can write a book
by just compiling such interesting facts about Turkey as outlined above. I am
sure it will draw readers into the stories so well that they will never get
bored reading it and most will even finish it in one sitting.
Especially when it comes to political atmosphere in Turkey,
it can easily be said that not a day goes by in Turkish political life that
could be considered by many a history-in-the-making moment. As I am typing this
article, the ruling political party, the Justice and Development Party (AK
Party), is facing bribe and corruption charges. Frankly nobody saw this coming,
especially from an Islamist political party who won every ballot in the past 11
years because of its strong promises to fight corruption and bribery, end
military tutelage, establish a civil democracy and re-establish the supremacy
of law.
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