There is something wrong with the Turkish political discourse. For an aspiring democracy, the vibe is often shrill and far from democratic.

That said, what M ustafa Akyol, an Al-Monitor contributing writer, argued about the country’s main opposition — the Republican People’s Party (CHP) — may be too far-fetched to claim. Akyol wrote on May 19: “CHP even needs basic sanity, the lack of which is clearly seen in its irrational and immoral stance on Syria.”  

The fact of the matter is that the negative and vulgar language of politics in Turkey begins with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Whoever occupies that privileged office sets the tone for the rest of the nation. Erdogan takes pride in being from Kasimpasa, the Istanbul neighborhood known to be the hotbed of tough guys. And Erdogan is the epitome of this attitude by speaking out aggressively. Although Turks welcome and appreciate Erdogan’s frankness, there is also the downside of this style that works against creating unity and building consensus. Erdogan shows no tolerance for differing views, which is what is happening with the CHP’s Syria conundrum. One is either aligned with the Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) policy on Syria, or a supporter of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and the Baath regime. There is simply no room for nuance, and this is dangerous.

Former Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, D-N.Y., once said, “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.” Erdogan may not be making up facts, but he is only seeing them in a very black and white way which means that his opinions — while they sound righteous — only serve to mislead the nation.