Can Turkish opposition write new chapter?

Turkey’s opposition parties have mastered griping about the ruling party’s mismanagement for over a decade, but they remain at a loss about how to become a driving force in the country. They mostly appear as weaklings, instead of strong politicians focused on creating a picture of the country becoming a better place under their governance.

Emine Ulker Tarhan, the deputy chairwoman of the parliamentary group of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), said she had had enough, and announced her resignation Oct. 31. “As I reached the conclusion that the CHP leadership will continue to insist on offering an opposition with ambiguous policies shaped by fatal choices disconnected from our people’s sensitivities, I am resigning from the CHP that I had joined with high expectations as I do not wish to be a further part of wrong and weak policies that are not directed at creating a sense of hope and oriented toward the goal of putting the party into power.”

Even Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu praised Tarhan for what she had written in her resignation letter, while overlooking her sharp criticism of his policies. “She says that the CHP has no hope of coming to power,” Davutoglu said Nov. 1. “They don’t indeed appear to have hopes of coming to power. There is no debate, either in Turkey or in the world, that Turkey’s future won't be shaped by the AKP [Justice and Development Party].” Time will only tell whether Tarhan’s resignation will spark a drive to establish a new party; however, her close party colleagues have not followed her footsteps.

Tarhan is considered a staunch Kemalist, someone dedicated to uphold the principles of the country’s foundational goals. In a sharply polarized nation such as Turkey, however, no two heads even easily agree on anything. Religiously motivated crowds, or those who put Kurdish suffering at center stage, could surely propose a more coherent social and political map, though. What's baffling is why anyone considered a Kemalist or religious does not have sympathy for Kurdish suffering, or why a Kurd does not feel a sense of loss over the fading ground of secular governance. It is not an easy time for remaining true to one’s self, and Tarhan is certainly a character with sharp edges.