DEVA leader is hopeful: “as if waking up from a nightmare”

The Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA) members filled the Ankara Atatürk Sports Hall for the party’s first Ankara congress, listening to the newly founded opposition party’s leader Ali Babacan. In his heated speech, the sections that he mentioned President Tayyip Erdoğan were the parts that the crowd reacted to the most as he often felt the need to interrupt the listeners to continue his speech. It was noteworthy because prominent DEVA’s Ankara Provincial cadre members were previously Erdoğan supporters or members of Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP). So why were the people who had been devoted supporters of Erdoğan now reacting against him so loudly? Was that because problems have become more visible or because they regard Erdoğan as the source of the issues?

Babacan describes the country’s current state as a “nightmare” and thinks that this nightmare stems from an “administration problem.” For him, the time that the Erdoğan government leaves will be when problems also resolve “as if waking up from a nightmare and taking a sip of a freshwater.”

“Country has collapsed” is a well-known discourse used by opposition parties in Turkey. However, Babacan’s sentence “waking up from a nightmare and taking a sip of fresh water” is slightly different from this discourse; it has hope.

Booing overwhelms his voice. DEVA leader gets lauder to speak against Erdoğan, who was his previous leader.

“He doesn’t know; doesn’t know that he doesn’t know; thinks he knows,” Babacan said, the crowd applauded. 

“Nass” for the Central Bank, but not “Nass” for the Treasury?

“What has been done since September is unbelievable,” DEVA leader said. He criticized the measures that the government took about the economic crisis. “Treasury was borrowing from the market with 13%; now it borrows with 25%,” he added.

“When the interest rate was 7%, you (Erdoğan) accused bureaucrats of being a mouthpiece of interest lobby or treason. Now you (Erdoğan) cannot say anything when people indebted with 25% with 5 years fixed term” he added, criticizing Erdoğan’s insistence on low-interest rates.

The president is firmly against raising policy rates. In addition, he recently stirred a debate when he gave reference to prohibitions in İslam on usury. He said “it is Nass, (God’s word).”

“Treasury is under your control. You refer to Nass about the interest rate that the Central Bank set. However you do not refer to Nass when it comes to Treasury” Babacan said addressing Erdoğan.

He also criticized that the cabinet members responsible for finance and Treasury changed so often. He argued that the appointed names did not fit the position.

“They (newly appointed ministers) are content with their situation; they find themselves in positions they could not see in their dreams,” he said.

The crowd shout, “usurer Erdoğan;” that is how the problems surface. 

New Fiscal Policy is for people who have money in the banks

Babacan continued: “When it comes to ordinary people, you say ‘Turkish Lira’. When it comes to people with money in the banks, you invent ‘foreign currency fixed deposit.'”

He referred to the new fiscal policy plan that includes a financial scheme to encourage people to return to the Turkish Lira by ensuring to pay the possible loss that might emerge from currency fluctuation.

The plan was likened to the “Currency Convertible Deposit Account” policy that was implemented in Turkey in the 1960s. Later, Turkey’s president of the implementation of the export-led economic growth model, Turgut Özal, criticized it.

However, Erdoğan, who often refers himself as the successor of right-wing leaders such as Özal, said, “Özal also implemented the plan. He saved the honour of TL. So now we are doing the same thing.”

Babacan shouted, “He exploits Turgut Özal, and does the opposite of what he did. Özal strengthened the middle class, he destroyed it in the last years”.

Holding power for a long time corrupts

His emphasis on “last years” was significant. Because Babacan took part in the AKP governments until 2015. He served as a minister in the Treasury, Foreign and Economy ministries.

“I fought against 3Ys with Erdoğan at that time,” he said referring to “prohibitions, poverty and corruption.”

“We had a rule not to serve more than three terms. He (Erdoğan) was supposed to leave his chair in 2014-2015. Staying in power for a long time ruins it. It corrupts,” he said. And he quoted former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom William Pitt: “Unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess, and this I know, that where the law ends, tyranny begins.”

“People around him (Erdoğan) cannot say ‘if you leave I will perish. I am taking advantage of this order’. Instead, they say, ‘if you leave, this country will be destroyed’. He believes that,” he added.

Is it that simple? Is Erdogan that naive? Are the accumulated problems always the responsibility of those around him? Are these burning issues only the product of recent years?

According to Babacan, the foundation of Turkey is solid. But, the transition to the presidential system made problems to get out of control.

“The horror movie that Turkey has been experiencing for five years will end; we will show that Turkey is not alone,” he said.

So how?

Early election: I wish he would go for election, but he won’t

DEVA Party was established at the beginning of 2020. Babacan says that one-third of the voters are unaware of the party’s existence. Half of them are unaware of the presence of a party that he presides over.

After he finished his speech, we went to a coffee at the Ankara Castle. We chatted with a group of colleagues.

“My grandfather’s shop is just below,” he said, pointing at Samanpazarı, a street in old Ankara. Then, we talked more about current political issues.

DEVA participates in constitution studies with six opposition parties CHP, IYI Party, Felicity Party, Future Party and Democrat Party. Babacan said their common ground is the consensus on the transition to a new parliamentary system.

However, he favours determining the transition principles from the presidential governmental system to the parliamentary system after ensuring reconciliation about the new Constitution. He cites their insistence on carrying out the reconciliation process separately as the most important reason they haven’t joined the opposition’s Nation Alliance yet.

What about the early election? “We are also in favour of holding elections as soon as possible,” he said.

“I wish he would go for an election, but he won’t,” he added.

I immediately looked at e-Government: just in case

During his speech, Babacan told an anecdote about DEVA Party’s local chair. He had resigned from AKP and re-registered against his will via online system e-government. After he received a phone call from a local AKP officer. He told him, “you must have resigned by mistake. We made you a member again.”

Babacan said that there are many similar examples. “Only when you double-check from e-government, you can be sure that you are a member of AKP or not,” he said adding that many people complained that they were registered as an AKP member without their knowledge.

DEVA Leader added, “Now we are turning into a party-state. The information going to the Supreme Court must also be going to the AKP organization.”

I immediately signed in e-government and checked if I was registered as a member. Luckily I wasn’t.

Who will be DEVA candidate?

The problems will be resolved through elections. Then who will be the opposition candidate against Erdoğan? A group of people shouted “President Ali Babacan” in the hall. “This is natural,” Babacan said. “If you were forming a party, sooner or later you claim to power. Otherwise, it would be meaningless.”

He then drew attention to the importance of the opposition’s joint nomination.

He said that before the candidacy, parties should first seek reconciliation about the Constitution. The principles of the transition, and the protocol of the coalition after Erdogan comes after. Then it would be easier for the opposition to come together and find a candidate.

“Election security is essential,” he said. He pointed out that the opposition parties should act together. They should be in coordination to ensure the ballot boxes’ safety.

DEVA is not in the Nation Alliance yet. However Babacan’s discourse is getting closer and closer. How do we know? He mentioned that the AKP “exploited” the headscarf issue with its rhetoric, “If we go”. CHP leader once said, “How women dress is no longer a problem, no turning back”. Babacan half-joking said “We’re here!”