FROM A QUARTER CENTURY TO THE CENTURY OF TURKEY
· Halil ETYEMEZ
Some political parties are founded to win an election, while some political movements are born to change the course of history.
Some political parties are founded to win an election, while some political movements are born to change the course of history.
The AK Party, which joined Turkish political life on August 14, 2001, is not an ordinary party. It is the embodiment in politics of the objections, the desire for change, the pursuit of justice, and the will to rise again that our nation has accumulated over years.
Therefore, the founding of the AK Party is not merely the birth of a new party, but the nation's re-emergence as the subject of politics.
At that time, Turkey was under the heavy pressure of economic crises, political instability, and a tutelary mindset. The distance between the state and the nation had widened, politics had lost trust, and society had lost hope for the future. Our nation's values were being excluded from public life, elected governments faced interventions from non-national power centers, and the country's energy was being consumed by internal conflicts.
It was precisely in such a period that a new movement emerged from the heart of the nation under the leadership of our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The AK Party set out at its founding as a 'Movement of Virtuous People.' This understanding, which built politics on justice, ethics, service, and the will of the nation, will continue to determine the direction of our journey today, tomorrow, and in the future, just as it did yesterday.
The words spoken by our President on the day of its founding, 'Nothing will be the same as before,' were not just a political slogan. It was a declaration that the distance between the state and the nation would close, that politics would once again be based on the will of the nation, and that Turkey would not be confined to the limits drawn for it.
Indeed, nothing has been the same as before.
The obstacles before our citizens who were marginalized due to their beliefs, attire, thoughts, and lifestyles have been removed. The nation began to directly elect the President. Politics, which had been attempted to be steered through coups, memorandums, and closure cases, was revived by the power of national will.
Turkey has undergone a great transformation in transportation, health, education, energy, social policies, urbanization, and the defense industry. Roads, bridges, tunnels, airports, universities, and city hospitals have changed the face of the country. A strong Turkey has emerged, developing its own defense systems, having a say in regional and global issues, making decisions, and taking initiatives.
However, the AK Party's greatest achievement is not solely its works. The real great achievement is restoring our nation's self-confidence.
It has reminded a nation, told for years 'You cannot do it, you cannot succeed, you are not strong enough,' that it can do it, succeed, and determine its own future. It has shown that Turkey's destiny is not bound to scenarios written by external power centers. It has carried the voices of the oppressed to global platforms, transforming Turkey from a passive country into a state that determines its own direction.
At the center of this great transformation lies the strong leadership of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. His leadership is not one produced on political engineering tables. It is a leadership that has emerged from the heart of the nation, been forged through struggle, tested by prohibitions, and has won the trust of the nation in the ballot box every time. The political journey of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the nation's will to rise again have converged on the same historical line.
However, it would be incomplete to see the AK Party solely as the party of one leader, specific cadres, or a particular era. The AK Party is great as long as it represents the common will of the nation. It will continue its path as long as it draws its strength not from office but from the nation's prayers, not from opportunity but from faith, not from state power but from social legitimacy.
Today, at the end of a quarter-century, it is not enough to simply recount our achievements. While taking pride in our past, we must also set the direction for the next quarter-century.
The first quarter-century of the AK Party was a period of removing obstacles before the nation, lifting Turkey up, and bringing it together with great works. The second quarter-century should be a period of building the Century of Turkey based on justice, ethics, humanity, family, production, and brotherhood.
The primary principle of the new era is to establish justice and virtuous politics throughout all aspects of life.
Justice should be felt not only in courtrooms but in every field, from public administration to the economy, from working life to social policies. Meritocracy in public service, fairness in income distribution, transparency in governance, equal opportunity in the economy, and accountability in politics should be further strengthened.
'Justice' in the AK Party's name is not just a wish, and 'development' is not merely about economic figures. Justice is protecting human dignity, and development is protecting the nation's welfare. One is incomplete without the other.
Politics is not just a technique of governing the country; it is a moral responsibility towards the nation. Office is a trust, authority is a means of service, and public resources are the nation's right. We must strengthen the understanding of meritocracy in state administration, institutional memory, career progression, and entrusting responsibilities to those who are worthy.
The future of the AK Party will be built on the shoulders of those who ennoble the trust they carry, not those who magnify their office. Ethics should not be a concept adorning our speeches but the fundamental measure of our decisions, assignments, and behaviors.
The second principle of the new era is to further strengthen the bond of affection established with the nation.
Organizations are not just structures that establish protocol relationships between the nation and the state. An organization is a bridge of affection that knocks on the citizen's door, listens to their troubles, shares their joys, and conveys their demands to the administration.
The true arena of politics is not just halls and podiums. Homes, streets, workplaces, fields, factories, universities, and the world of youth are the real ground for politics.
We must strengthen a political understanding that does not wait for the nation to come to us but goes to the nation; that listens before speaking, consults before deciding, and accepts different opinions as enrichment. Because as the distance in politics increases, affection diminishes, and as affection decreases, trust weakens.
The third principle of the new era is to foster both loyalty and meritocracy, experience and renewal together.
Loyalty means not forgetting those who served in the past, and meritocracy means entrusting the responsibilities of the future to capable hands. Renewal that excludes experience becomes rootless, and experience that excludes youth becomes futureless.
The AK Party must combine the experience of cadres who undertook responsibilities in the past with the energy of youth, and bring the accumulation and founding power of women into all areas of politics more. In assignments, proximity should not be the basis, but merit; personal loyalty should not be the basis, but devotion to the cause; visibility should not be the basis, but competence and diligence.
It is not enough to tell our youth only about what has been done in the past. We must offer them a great future to build together. We must make youth not just listeners but participants in decision-making processes; not just job seekers but producers of knowledge and technology; and strong actors who dream of a future in their own country.
The fourth principle of the new era is to establish a fair development understanding that centers on people, family, education, culture, and labor.
Education is not just a system that imparts knowledge, prepares for exams, and grants diplomas. Education is a matter of raising individuals, building character, strengthening social belonging, and carrying our civilizational vision to future generations.
The Century of Turkey's education must bring together science and ethics, technology and conscience, reason and wisdom, and free thought and a sense of responsibility. In the age of artificial intelligence and digital transformation, Turkey must be a country that not only uses technology but also produces it and directs it with its own values.
We must strengthen public broadcasting, culture, art, and aesthetics with an understanding that draws from our own civilizational values, possesses universal qualities, and builds the future. We find TRT's broadcasts in this area particularly important and believe that quality works that combine the accumulation of the past with the possibilities of the age should be increased.
Development should be measured not only by rising buildings but by the worker who receives the reward for their labor, the farmer who continues to produce on their land, the shopkeeper who stands firm with their hard work, and the family that looks to the future with confidence. A fair system that protects workers and supports production and employment must be established. Our retirees should not be seen as recipients of social assistance but as rightful owners of the welfare they have produced over the years.
The family is the continuation of the nation, the conscience of society, and the carrying column of our civilization. An understanding must be developed that facilitates young people establishing a home, strengthens motherhood and fatherhood, ensures children grow up in safety, and balances family and working life.
Our goal should be a Turkey that nurtures people, protects the family, elevates labor, supports producers, and shares prosperity with justice.
The fifth principle of the new era is to walk from a strong Turkey towards the ideal of a just world.
The goal of a Turkey free from terrorism is an important part of this grand vision for the future. This goal is not just about silencing weapons. It is about dismantling the walls intended to be built between our nation, strengthening our brotherhood, and directing all of our country's energy towards development, production, and our common future.
In a period when the world is being reshaped, Turkey's task is not merely to join alliances established by others. Turkey must establish new relationships and collaborations centered on peace, solidarity, and justice in its region.
Raising the voices of the children massacred in Gaza, the people whose lands have been taken in Palestine, and the oppressed in various geographies of the world is not a temporary foreign policy choice for Turkey, but a historical and moral responsibility.
Drawing strength from its civilizational heritage, Turkey must continue to be the voice of the oppressed, the assurance of its friends, and the conscience of humanity in the face of global injustice.
Today, we stand at a new political and social threshold.
Yesterday, Turkey's fundamental need was to break the chains of tutelage, ensure political stability, and address infrastructure deficiencies. Today's need is to strengthen justice and trust, increase production, share prosperity fairly, protect the family, give hope to the youth, and transform Turkey into a country that produces knowledge and high added value.
The Century of Turkey must be the name not only of new works but of a new mentality.
A Turkey must be built where the state is strong, the nation is free, justice is reliable, the family is sound, the youth are hopeful, education is value-centered, culture is original, the economy is productive, and politics is ethical.
Henceforth, the AK Party's journey should not be merely a party governing Turkey, but a civilizational movement that thinks about and builds the future of Turkey.
Yesterday, the AK Party removed the obstacles before the nation. Its task today is to open new horizons for the nation.
Yesterday, it set out saying, 'Nothing will be the same as before.' Today is the time to say, 'Turkey's future will be stronger than its past.'
Because the story of the AK Party is not yet complete.
This journey, which began with the nation, will be renewed with the nation; it will be strengthened by justice, protected by ethics, rooted by education, grown by production, and will reach new horizons with the Century of Turkey.
Yesterday, at the grand gathering held at Ankara Millet Bahçesi with the participation of our President and Chairman, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, we celebrated the 25th anniversary of our AK Party together with our nation and our fellow travelers. The enthusiasm that filled the square once again showed that the quarter-century journey is not just a memory of the past; the faith, excitement, and will to serve extending to the Century of Turkey continue with all their vitality.
Happy 25th anniversary of the AK Party's founding.
To many more years, not just years, but many more years spent serving our nation...
May you be entrusted to God. Forgive me my shortcomings.