What will happen on Nov 1?
For the past three days, I have been on the road, travelling from the Aegean cost to the Marmara region. I had occasional conversations with ordinary people I met along the road, genuine conversations, exchanges of views. I travelled approximately 1,000 kilometers.
I tried to smell the mood in the streets. Let me talk about my impressions.
Despite all the pain, suffering, blood and tension, our people are still full of life. A small poll in a tea house is like the Caribbean to them. Because they are happy. Most importantly, they are not greedy. Prices are moderate.
Isn’t there any problem? Of course there is. Everybody that opens their mouth talks about unemployment.
Almost all the farmers have sent their children to universities. The children came back as graduates of universities, but there are no jobs.
“The unemployment of the ignorant is easier. But the unemployment of a kid that is educated is very hard,” said an elderly I met.
I will never forget his words. The unemployment of educated youth frustrates both the family and the city. This is what he said:
“When the kid was a girl and did not go to school, we would marry her. When the kid was a boy, we would send him to the field to work next to someone. Now the kid is educated. He is a teacher or a health expert. When he cannot find a job, his looks hurt us. You can’t send him to the field. One day, two days, three months… it’s like torture…”
In other words; it is not enough to open up universities and hold exams.
The results of the elections
I will talk about my general impressions about the result of the elections since I have not directly asked this question in my conversations.
Almost everybody starts by saying, “It is too early.” But I saw that there will not be a big change in the elections. A change of 5 points is difficult; perhaps one or two points.
The words of a sympathizer of a pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP)’s are interesting:
“If two birds crash in the air; they will blame it on the Kurds.”
There is such polarization. The sympathy for Demirtaş seems to have not decreased. It helps him to remain silent.
There is not much of a reaction to the fact that the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) has said no to a coalition.
The sympathizers of the MHP will again vote for the MHP. What is most interesting are the issues that will be prioritized by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
A mechanic for car repair in Aydın, whom I suspect to be a sympathizer for the AKP, told me this:
“We will see whether the AKP will be talking everywhere about the presidential system or not. My mother doesn’t understand about that. Her mind is with my brother, who is doing his military service…”
Tourism industry hurt by terror incidents
I took the ferry in Bursa. I saw a bright young couple, İbrahim and Özge.
They are dealing with tourism. They have set up their own agencies. Their phones have not stopped ringing one minute.
“These terror incidents hurt us tremendously. The month of September has been shaken by cancellations. There will be heavy losses in the tourism sector,” said Özge.
“We bought a bus and a car for the company to grow. We are now selling one of them. All these cancellations are not good news at all.”
The good thing is this: “They are hopeful and in love.”
When it comes to politics…”Let’s just have a parliament and leave us to our job, that’s enough.”
The electorate can tell the politician in these elections, “Why did you not take my message seriously?”
