Erhürman: ‘We Need a Politics That Solves Problems’

Erhürman said a political approach based on science, standards, merit, oversight, civilisation and humanity must be established.

In a social media post, Erhürman said the phrase “stay out of politics” could be understood as a reference to attempts to turn everything done under the name of “politics” into a means of gaining “credit” for oneself and one’s circle, while using the media for that purpose.

He said such practices should not be allowed.

“If this is what politics means, then of course nobody should engage in politics. In fact, not only when such great suffering is involved. Never!” Erhürman said.

However, he stressed that politics is an instrument for solving problems and an indispensable element of democracy, pointing out that there are major problems that need to be addressed.

While the police and judiciary continue to perform their duties independently of politics, Erhürman said no mechanism other than politics — not merely the politics conducted by those holding political office, but the politics continuously produced by society — can provide solutions to these problems.

‘The Issue Comes Down to What Kind of Politics’

Erhürman said the question under the circumstances was “what kind of politics”, adding that the answer was clear.

“Politics based on science, standards, merit and oversight. And also on civilisation and humanity,” he said.

He stressed that the real challenge was to properly define these concepts and ensure that they genuinely became dominant principles.

“Science, knowledge — but these are not enough. At the same time, culture,” Erhürman said, noting that when assessing the current situation, it could be given a “zero” rating at the most extreme end, while other scores could also be considered.

However, he stressed that what matters is what comes next.

“To say that something that does not exist ‘does not exist’ is an observation, but it is not a solution,” he said.

‘Settling for a Conformist Attitude Is Not a Solution’

Erhürman said a conformist attitude could be adopted in the country, arguing that “it does not exist” or “it will never exist”.

But he stressed that such an approach would not provide a solution.

Concluding his post, Erhürman said their responsibilities were clear: under all circumstances, they must identify what exists and what does not, and go beyond merely respecting science and civilisation by building a culture that internalises these values and finding solutions to the problems facing society.

“Is it easy? Not at all!” Erhürman said. “But there is no other way to leave our children a country worth living in.”