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ERDOGAN AS A TENANT
Daily Sabah, Turkey
Nov 21 2014
Hilal Kaplan 21 November 2014, Friday
Faruk Koca, the owner of the house where Erdogan lived during his
12-year term as prime minister said the following words; "Recep Tayyip
Erdogan does not have any aspiration for power and luxury. Although
he has been at the height of his political career for 20 years, he
has always lived in neighborhoods where 90-95 percent of Turkey's
population lives. His house in Keciören has been a residence for
workers, government officials and artisans as well. Erdogan has an
intimate personality and, throughout his life, he has lived among and
with the public. I do not believe that Erdogan is longing to live there
[new presidential palace] for his own benefit, this is not Erdogan's
lifestyle. It is important in terms of showing the position and
strength of the state. The things that are said are all about hostility
against Erdogan, as they are inconsiderate and futile expressions
verbalized for the sake of criticism." The same Erdogan has recently
been presented as "ambitious, dissolute and a power enthusiast" in
the publications of the Saudi Arabian monarchy-backed Al-Arabiya,
theocratic Iranian-backed Al-Monitor and Western media outlets.
The Republic of Turkey was a state which rejected the legacy of
the Ottomans and even put historical works up for sale. It strictly
closed off itself from surrounding geographies and tried to remove
the Islamic tissue which it thought was incompatible with secularism.
Apart from the rules of former prime ministers Adnan Menderes and
Turgut Ozal, there was no major break in this tyrannical line until
the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) came to power.
Today, however, the country is ruled by an administration which
embraces its Ottoman past and Republican values at the same time
thinking that a secular state structure does not require suppressing
devout Muslims and Islamic practices. It also develops sound foreign
policies with surrounding geographies without giving up its national
identity. Once economic development is also added to this strong
vision, the patterns of the old state are too tight for new Turkey
to fit in physically.
For example, the current Prime Ministry headquarters is located in a
busy street and official welcoming ceremonies for foreign guests are
almost held at the heart of the street, at the expense of fluid road
traffic conditions. The new presidential headquarters has buildings
dedicated to properly welcoming and hosting foreign dignitaries without
disturbing the public, putting an end to this physical inadequacy. So,
a major part of this much-discussed 1,000-room new presidential palace
is designed for this purpose. Moreover, various state institutions,
which were previously built in a disorderly fashion on a decentralized
structure, will be allowed to come together under this building. So,
a large number of these 1,000 rooms will be allocated to the state
bureaucracy.
The old presidential palace in Cankaya belonged to the Armenian
Kasapyan family, who had to leave the country during the Armenian
deportation in 1915. When Mustafa Kemal liked this mansion during
his visit to Ankara, it was assigned to him and still stands today
with additional buildings added to the original.
The current presidential palace is a compound, currently in its final
stages, built using the money of the treasury of the Republic of Turkey
and officially owned by the state, making Erdogan the tenant of this
building. But, if he wins the presidential race once again in 2019,
he may continue to be the tenant for another five years.
Perhaps, this entire clamor about the palace may target the possibility
of the prolongation of Erdogan's tenancy.
http://www.dailysabah.com/columns/hilal_kaplan/2014/11/21/erdogan-as-a-tenant
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Daily Sabah, Turkey
Nov 21 2014
Hilal Kaplan 21 November 2014, Friday
Faruk Koca, the owner of the house where Erdogan lived during his
12-year term as prime minister said the following words; "Recep Tayyip
Erdogan does not have any aspiration for power and luxury. Although
he has been at the height of his political career for 20 years, he
has always lived in neighborhoods where 90-95 percent of Turkey's
population lives. His house in Keciören has been a residence for
workers, government officials and artisans as well. Erdogan has an
intimate personality and, throughout his life, he has lived among and
with the public. I do not believe that Erdogan is longing to live there
[new presidential palace] for his own benefit, this is not Erdogan's
lifestyle. It is important in terms of showing the position and
strength of the state. The things that are said are all about hostility
against Erdogan, as they are inconsiderate and futile expressions
verbalized for the sake of criticism." The same Erdogan has recently
been presented as "ambitious, dissolute and a power enthusiast" in
the publications of the Saudi Arabian monarchy-backed Al-Arabiya,
theocratic Iranian-backed Al-Monitor and Western media outlets.
The Republic of Turkey was a state which rejected the legacy of
the Ottomans and even put historical works up for sale. It strictly
closed off itself from surrounding geographies and tried to remove
the Islamic tissue which it thought was incompatible with secularism.
Apart from the rules of former prime ministers Adnan Menderes and
Turgut Ozal, there was no major break in this tyrannical line until
the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) came to power.
Today, however, the country is ruled by an administration which
embraces its Ottoman past and Republican values at the same time
thinking that a secular state structure does not require suppressing
devout Muslims and Islamic practices. It also develops sound foreign
policies with surrounding geographies without giving up its national
identity. Once economic development is also added to this strong
vision, the patterns of the old state are too tight for new Turkey
to fit in physically.
For example, the current Prime Ministry headquarters is located in a
busy street and official welcoming ceremonies for foreign guests are
almost held at the heart of the street, at the expense of fluid road
traffic conditions. The new presidential headquarters has buildings
dedicated to properly welcoming and hosting foreign dignitaries without
disturbing the public, putting an end to this physical inadequacy. So,
a major part of this much-discussed 1,000-room new presidential palace
is designed for this purpose. Moreover, various state institutions,
which were previously built in a disorderly fashion on a decentralized
structure, will be allowed to come together under this building. So,
a large number of these 1,000 rooms will be allocated to the state
bureaucracy.
The old presidential palace in Cankaya belonged to the Armenian
Kasapyan family, who had to leave the country during the Armenian
deportation in 1915. When Mustafa Kemal liked this mansion during
his visit to Ankara, it was assigned to him and still stands today
with additional buildings added to the original.
The current presidential palace is a compound, currently in its final
stages, built using the money of the treasury of the Republic of Turkey
and officially owned by the state, making Erdogan the tenant of this
building. But, if he wins the presidential race once again in 2019,
he may continue to be the tenant for another five years.
Perhaps, this entire clamor about the palace may target the possibility
of the prolongation of Erdogan's tenancy.
http://www.dailysabah.com/columns/hilal_kaplan/2014/11/21/erdogan-as-a-tenant
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress