"I like the Prime Minister a lot, but
anyone can make mistakes. He should have consulted the people."
It’s such a simple
concept, and so easily forgotten by those in power. Before you decide to
do something like bulldoze the only substantial park in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul to put in a shopping mall and ersatz Ottoman oddity, talk
with people about it! Explain why you want to do it, make your case. Hear
their views, and honestly consider the alternatives they propose. Have a
conversation. See if agreement can be
reached, and if it can, reach it, memorialize it, and do what you’ve agreed to.
If agreement can’t be reached, then maybe go ahead with your plans, but only
after explaining why you’re doing so, including why it’s in the public interest
to do so.
Simple, and a wise thing
to do, however big your electoral majority.
But Erdoğan’s in excellent company.
Besides the likes of Bashir al-Assad and the Commuplutocrats of
contemporary China, here in the U.S. every agency of government eschews real
consultation, albeit giving it regular lip service. But what’s happening in Turkey shows that the
chickens of consultation eschewed can come home to roost.
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