Abdülkadir Aksu has been one of the most important figures in Turkish political life since he made the move into politics from the top ranks of the bureaucracy. We spoke to him in his office in parliament and he shared with us his thoughts and feelings on subjects ranging from politics to arts, from social life to his own family life.
By M. Ferhat YÜKSEL
Over nearly a quarter of a century, you have served as minister in different governments. How has Turkish political life developed over this period?
I think that the political life of our country resembles the development of a person. Just like a human as childhood, youth and adulthood, our country also passed through these three stages. Turkey’s youth corresponded to my youth. The time of the late Menderes and afterward… The years when I was a student at the Faculty of Social Sciences and then district governor, chief of police and governor. . . Thank God, I entered politics at the time of politicians who carried out reforms in our country. I first started politics with the late Turgut Özal. At that time, Turkey was a closed country, bearing the weight of the coup d’état. Our team led by Özal made important changes. After Özal, the coalition governments went through crisis and internal struggles.
Then came 2001… Economic and political crisis had set our country back in several areas. In this period, when concepts had no meaning, values no longer existed. Turkey needed a new and fresh understanding, a movement which could see the future, an honorable struggle, a team of people who were down-to-earth and modern, a program which was stimulating and realistic.
We analyzed this situation with our colleagues and realized that the country needed a new political party.
The demand came from our nation. It was our good fortune to shape this demand around a new political party. I want to stress that above all, we had one goal: Only a sincere, honest and clean team holding strongly the values of this country could take us out of the difficulties we were going through.
In his foundation speech, our leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said: “This day will be recorded in the history of the country as the day when a political organization which is totally transparent and open to the scrutiny of electors was established. From now on nothing is going to be the same in Turkish politics.”
Yes, we have arrived now in 2013 and when we look back, we can say that in those 11 years of the AKP, indeed nothing was the same.
The AKP, with its honest, dynamic, principled team and perspective of new horizons, has ended people’s problems, and developed the problem-solving and decision-making ability of the political system, overcoming all the obstacles to development and bringing Turkey to social prosperity.
Our country is today going through it’s most mature period. I am very glad to be a part of the movement that contributed so much to this development.
In your opinion, what is the most important incident in Turkey’s political life during the years you were active in politics?
There were two important waves of migration corresponding to the years when I was the Minister of Interior Affairs. The first wave was the more than 300,000 peshmergas who immigrated to Turkey following the chemical attacks of Saddam Hussein on Halabja; The second was our citizens who came back from Bulgaria. Thanks be to God, we managed these two incidents with the common sense of our nation.
The US military intervention in Iraq with the first Gulf War was also another important incident. The rumors that Saddam would launch rockets at southeastern towns emptied many city centers in the region. Our people moved to other cities and villages. People shut the windows of their houses.
What is your opinion of Turkey’s European Union accession process?
They are being really unfair to us in EU affairs. The AKP government has taken important steps in the process of democratization. As you know, between 2002-2005 we accelerated the reforms related to EU accession. We didn’t make all these reforms only for the sake of accession to the EU, but also for the sake of the country itself. When we took power, there was a second, maybe even third-class democracy model in Turkey.
We said, “This nation deserves first-class democracy.” And from 2002 until today, our country stepped into a new age of democracy. Under our government, 26 articles of the 1980 constitution have been altered. With these changes, the judiciary, which was the last bastion of the tutelary system, was altered. Now the judiciary uses its authority on behalf of the nation. People trust in the judiciary.
We regard EU accession as very important, both as individuals and as a party. We have carried out many reforms on this road and we will continue down the same path.
However, the conditions imposed on Turkey and other countries are not the same. They are applying double standards. Otherwise, why are we still waiting at the gates of the EU for nearly half a century? Our European friends can’t give a reasonable explanation for this fact. In the accession period, we seem more enthusiastic as a country than the EU countries.
What are the most difficult aspects of being a politician?
It is very difficult to be a politician in Turkey. Doing politics in a country which has gone through coup d’états every 10 years carries significant risks.
It is not easy to become respectable and maintain this quality in politics. You live your life in front of a whole nation. Everyone knows you. Everything about you is public. You cannot spare enough time for your family. You cannot drop your responsibilities because they are of great importance.
In Turkey, politics is shaped by the problems of people and finding solutions for these problems, so you cannot escape that framework. You have to listen to every person who comes to you. That said, helping people is very satisfying.
Which was the incident that upset you the most in your political life?
The assassination of important, valuable people raised by our country upset me deeply. The late General Hulusi Sayın, General Selen, my mentor Muammer Aksoy, honorable journalist Abdi İpekçi and precious academician Necip Hablemitoğlu were all violently assassinated and I was deeply affected by those incidents.
How does your political identity impact your social life?
We politicians, have to be sociable by definition of our profession. Because our profession is oriented around people, we do not have the luxury of being antisocial. Politics is conducted through the relations you build with people. We are not technocrats or bureaucrats that we can have a distance from people. A politician has to be nested closely with people and be present in public places.
You have lived in Ankara for a long time. How do you find the social life of this city? Which are the places you enjoy most in Ankara?
Ankara is very rich in terms of social life. We usually go to places we are invited to. The place I enjoy most in Ankara is my house. But unfortunately, I cannot spend much time at home because of my profession.
Foreign diplomatic missions are also very active in Ankara’s social life. How are your relations with the foreign diplomats? Do you meet ambassadors?
I always had good relations with foreign representatives. Of course, I have my standards. I don’t carry my relations to the stage that might damage the interests of my country and my people. I try to accept nearly all the invitations from the embassies. And in time we built friendships too…
You have been a central figure in political life in every period. Can you spare enough time for your family and for people important to you?
There is an expression: life is like a game… It is not important how long you live but how well you live. Of course, no one is indispensable in politics. It is up to the national will. I am still able to carry out politics by virtue of my efforts, the things I produce and my contributions to politics.
I have no secrets in politics. But my principles are trust, loyalty and public service.
Politics is the central process in decision-making about people’s demands. This is why pretty words can only keep people occupied up to a certain point. What carries you to power is what you concretely produce. We are representatives of an understanding which aims to produce action rather than discourse.
What kind of a husband and father is Abdülkadir Aksu?
I try to spend as much of my time as I can at home. But like all politicians, I don’t have enough time. Emine, as my partner, has supported me for long years. Like every spouse, she also complains from time to time. But she got used to it over time and has been a great help. She never withholds her support and understanding from me.
I have grandchildren. If they are at our house I take care of them and I love spending time with them. Their place is unique for me. I wish that everyone could share the same delights that I do. When I am with my grandchildren life is totally different for me.
What was the most important advice you gave to children?
That they be honest and ethical.
What qualities in yourself do you like and dislike most?
There is something that I regret and that is not having enough time for my children and grandchildren. You are distinguished from many other politicians with your chic style.
Do you follow fashion? How do you define your style?
They say that I am stylish. I don’t particularly follow fashion but by the nature of our profession, I give importance to being presentable.
Do you have the opportunity to spend time on yourself? What are your hobbies?
I work very hard, like a politician who has just started his political life. Unfortunately, I don’t have time for my own pleasure. So I don’t have hobbies. If I find the time, I do some gardening.
Do you have time for sports?
Sport is very important in life. Especially for people like us who work at a very intense tempo. However, we have no time for this either.
What about music? What kind of music do you like?
I like music a lot. Music appeals to the soul and relaxes you. If you want to understand whether a country is well-governed or exalted in terms of ethics, you should listen to that country’s music. I like traditional music, classical Turkish music. Sometimes I have the opportunity to participate in some events and listen to artists I like.
What does ‘holiday’ means to you? How do you make use of your holidays?
Politicians don’t have much time for holidays but if I find one week during the year, we go to the coast to rest a little. Holidays are important for people who work a lot. It feels good to forget about one’s problems and spend time with the family away from the madding crowd….
Do you travel abroad a lot? Which country impressed you most?
I used to travel a lot to foreign countries before, but nowadays I don’t go abroad that often. The country that affected me most is Vietnam.
Do you use the internet and social media?
We live in the age of information. One cannot imagine a world without the internet. I read e-mails from people. I have a twitter account. I follow social media but not that often.
Your mustache is a central part of your identity. Does it have a special meaning to you? Did you ever think of cutting it off?
I have had a mustache since my youth. I had it when I was a college student, a district governor, police chief and governor. . . I love it and I am not thinking of shaving it off.
How long do you plan to carry on in active politics? What do you imagine you would do if one day you left the scene?
For the time being, in the party’s management and as a deputy, my active political life continues. I plan to carry on being at the service of our nation if God bestows a long and healthy life on me.
You see, when we established our party we didn’t structure our regulations and program according to individuals but according to the future of our country. In the AKP we have three consecutive term limit which means that a member who is elected to parliament three times can withdraw for one period and then be a candidate for the next period. We decided on this regulation and we will keep on implementing it.
The AKP is the party of the nation. We are a great nation of 76 million people. Our movement is active everywhere in Turkey. You can find an AKP supporter in every home. This is an honor, something to be proud of. It has never been the case for any other political party since the beginning of the parliamentary system.
When I stop active politics, I will continue carrying out every duty given to me by my party and I will try to transfer my experience to new generations.
