"Why, after a century, are we still not a 'democratic republic'?

Forget about a democratic republic, how did we drift into a politically Islamist authoritarian regime?

What role do the press play in regime construction?"

Do you know who wrote these lines?

It's Mehmet Altan, the second Republican, who for years strongly supported the politically Islamist AKP, both in Turkey and abroad in the EU and the USA, marketing it as a "conservative democrat" despite clear contradictions.

While writing these lines, did he not feel any shame, or did he bury his head in the sand, thinking he was addressing a society with a weak memory?

In his article titled "I don't want opposition" published on Artı Gerçek news site on Thursday, January 25, Altan, as usual, spewed his hatred for Atatürk and the 1923 Revolution. According to him, Turkey is not democratic today due to its state structure, which was not democratically established from the beginning.

Revolutions demolish the existing order to establish a new one, and this was the case in Turkey. Even during the War of Independence, the newly opened Grand National Assembly was put into action. I won't elaborate here on how the 1923 Republic Revolution happened as a result of a tough independence war fought to protect the country from imperialists and against the collaborationist monarchy and caliphate.

But I'd like to answer the questions in Altan's article.

HOW DID WE DRIFT INTO A POLITICALLY ISLAMIST AUTHORITARIAN REGIME?

Because of people like you, second Republicans, who, even when Erdogan was just the mayor of Istanbul and said, "Democracy is like a tram; we ride it until we reach our destination and then get off," presented him as a champion of democracy, and created social consent for the AKP by appearing on every channel every evening!

Because you deceived the people by saying, "Military guardianship will end, and we will democratize!"

Because the liberals, nurtured by the September 12 regime, instead of supporting the Enlightenment struggle strengthened by the 1923 Republic Revolution, mistook the demand for freedom by those advocating medieval obscurantism for democracy!

You deceived the people by siding with those opposing the Republic, which abolished the monarchy and caliphate to give unconditional sovereignty to the people, introduced secular law instead of Sharia, closed outdated religious schools and started secular and scientific education, and enacted laws that rightly advanced women in social life, instead of supporting an independent revolutionary movement!

Because so many supposed "intellectuals," like imperialist tools and pseudo-republicans, joined the counter-revolutionary ranks!

Because, as I stated in the subtitle of my book "Foundations of the Second Republic," the legacy of "90 Years of Betrayal from the Second Group to Insufficiently Committed Liberals" was passed down from generation to generation!

BECAUSE YOU SUPPORTED SECTS AND CULTS!

Because second Republicans like your father, who was known as a socialist intellectual in the 1960s but later supported Turgut Özal's neoliberal policies that merged conservatism with neoliberalism and ruthlessly crushed workers, "just to live comfortably!"

You described Abdullah Gül's presidency as "an attempt to build the real people's building on the land parcelled by the state elite!"

Because you appeared at events of the Journalists and Writers Foundation while FETÖ infiltrated all cells of the state!

Because while political Islamists collaborated with FETÖ to first entrench themselves in the army, universities, judiciary, and media, and then demolished them all with conspiracies, and while people were imprisoned for years on fake documents, some dying in prison, pseudo-liberals rejoiced!

Because your brother Ahmet Altan launched a daily publication called Taraf, trumpeting FETÖ's conspiracies and headlining "Founded in 1923, Purified in 2008!"

These probably also answer the question about the role of the press!