During the Victory Day celebration on Aug. 30, a photo showing two opposition leaders with their hands respectfully clasped in front of them as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan walked by became a sore sight for supporters of opposition parties because it was interpreted as those leaders bowing to Erdogan.
Yet the real reason behind the anger over such a passing moment is because the political opposition is on hiatus in Turkey. Not a day passes where the Justice and Development Party's (AKP's) policy choices do not lead to devastating consequences: imported meat sickens people; houses illegally built upon river beds threaten lives during floods; a train accident due to improper repairs and lack of staff have caused scores of preventable deaths; major construction projects are stopped midway through without any proper explanation; privatized companies declare bankruptcy, coaxing troubled banks to take on further unsecured loans with billions of dollars lost. This is just a brief list of events that took place over the last couple of months, indicating the years of failed government policies.