Political comments by Prof.Krastyo Petkov, PhD
If the rating of politicians was indicated not by the emotional, but the scale of professionalism, Ahmed Dogan would have topped the rating-scale in December/2009 with the option to stay there in 2010, as well. The event, which elevated him on the top of this rank, was the National Conference of DPS. The catapult for him was the strategic speech, addressed to the delegates and guests of this superior forum of the Turkish ethnic party.
The Report of the Chairman Dogan is not just a routine report for all done in the past 4 years /when one person controls all in a party, then all party rules are of no use/. The report is not a legacy-message to the heirs of the throne (although there were some rumors spread around just at eve of the conference, the political doyenne of the Bulgarian transition did not leave the ruler’s dock of the party power). At his one-hour political-philosophical tractate, read to the silent crowd, Ahmed Dogan suggested the following:
- A debate for the national vision for Bulgaria /such a vision does not exist up-to-now, 20 years after the fall of the totalitarian regiment/;
- Rethinking and re-evaluation of the political-economic results of the transition;
- European option for the so-called Bulgarian ethnic model;
It is maybe of no need to remind the fact that no single parliamentary represented party, collectively or through its leader, managed to elevate to the level of strategic speaking /in fact-monologue!/, as we witnessed it by the leader of DPS, and which speech was prepared with a great care in the political kitchen of DPS.
BSP sank in the swamp of its clashes for leadership. NDSV departed from its sacred image: Simeon. GERB, getting through its power fever, delayed its congress for better times. Attack split. RZS was shot by a friendly fire…
It is a pity! For sure, now is the moment to re-conceptualize the prevailing political doctrine of the 20-year Bulgarian transition.
This doctrine is built onto group hate, political confrontation, mimicric economic-social reforms and gender impasse. Dogan did not miss the political moment, although he is in opposition. And also, he made a strategic claim to get into the executive branch of power after a period and by a circumvent path.
What did the statesman-philosopher said from the tribune?
Message One. The Bulgarian transition was full of chained events from two parallel battles – the first is illusive /clash of ideologies/, and the other is real and pragmatic /re-distribution of economic resources/. The knights of the first – the ideological approach, are mentioned with understandable sentiments. At first place is mentioned Dr.Zhelev, the author of the idea of the Bulgarian soft revolution. However, there is not a single line about the main role of Andrey Lukanov in the dramatic events, related to the return of names and constitution of DPS as ethnic party!
The speaker never understood of macroeconomics, which is explainable, having in mind, his natural gifts and philosophical education. At the expense of this, he is a professional convincer in political calculations: he explained about who won and who lost from the privatization deals, budget expenses, foreign investments /mostly, from European financial programs/.
The conclusion is that if DPS were out of the system of power and dealt with romantics, related to protection of rights it would not today control all key segments of the national economy. For this achievement, Dogan’s followers and fostered individuals must erect for him, while he is alive, memorials, as Dogan acts as a modern Ataturk. For his other achievement: impoverishment of the people and the Turkish ethnos, and the unprecedented social disequilibrium in Bulgaria for the eight years of governmental presence of DPS, let the electors pronounce the verdict. This is the type of democratic law, which Dogan obeys to.
Message Two. The transition happened /and was European-like in its very last years/, thankfully to DPS /apprehend Dogan/ and Simeon. Former monarch was “loaded” by over-expectations and was personally identified with the European idea /apropos, the job position “King-Prime Minister” is taken from the Oriental-Asian practice, and not from the modern European practice. And all good things, which happened to Bulgarians in the first decade of the 21st century – membership in NATO, accession to EU, rise of the investment index, economic growth, and the peaceful transition were due to the political experience of DPS and the personal image of the ex-monarch.
With no doubts Dogan defines the two consecutive governments, which worked under DPS’ control, as successful. It is not yet clear who of the two Prime Ministers (both of them were his hostages): Saxe-Coburg-Gotha or Stanishev, performed better. However, for the balancers on power, this evaluation is not important. The problem of Dogan – the analyst, is how to explain the paradox: successful coalitions – electoral failures! To assist himself, he utilizes the communication strategy. Simply said, there was nobody to explain to the people that if the country /apprehend the political class onto power/ prospered, then the people had to be alright. They – the people, were left to themselves, and it was the envy and mistrust, which prevailed in society and affected the “adrenaline of discontent”. Some unidentified agencies privatized communications between governors and governed. And thus, total collapse of trust of citizens to institutions and power happened /this sociological conclusion is totally correct/.
Message Three. DPS was facing the following dilemma since the very beginning of its existence: to keep existing as an organization for human rights, or to get transformed into a party. The choice 20 years ago was done, favoring the second option. Why? Dogan does not even today, have unilateral answer of this rhetoric question, he asks. Unilateral answer may not exist, but there is a multilateral such.
The answer is registered at the memory and conscience of the main political players at that time. The leader of DPS defines this time as “dark”. However, present days are still early days to share the whole truth with the general public, and possibly because of that he does not say how an ethnic-based party, although there was a constitutional ban, was not only registered, but also got legitimacy as “the democratic face”, as an inevitable balancer and as an European warrantor of the post-totalitarian Bulgaria!
In contrast to the dark actions at the very formation of DPS, its future was clear enough: to headline to European modernization of the goals, tools and attitudes in the politics and economics. Here, the child /the party/ of Dogan, was shaped, according to the liberal values. And the party was filled with younger individuals with significantly greater administrative capacity and prevailing media influence. Thus, the child now is destined with a leadership role. However, the route, which was mapped for the Bulgarian nation to follow, was not a direct one, and did not lead to the West. Dogan’s envision is that not only Bulgaria, but the whole Europe, as well, would get the road to the Orient, because “the new historical matrix of the new tolerance and new European identity is set in Chanak-kale on the Dardanelles. The matrix is the philosophy of the synthesis of values and cultures. And here is the key and the exodus to save the new global multicultural world”.
The Dogan Code
Have you understand now where the code for the future of DPS, Bulgaria and EU is? This code is neither in Brussels, nor Paris, nor Berlin, but in Turkey – at a place, a hundred kilometers distant from the southern Bulgarian border. European liberals did not react to the geopolitical strategy of Dogan. EPP and PES – the bastions of Europezation of the politics do not say anything. This basically means that Dogan has no chances to capitalize, in European context, his ethno-political off-spring, that is, to capitalize on the Bulgarian ethnic model.
It is surprising the silence of politicians, statesmen and leading commentators of the country, who, surely, have heard or read the strategic political speech of the Doyenne. They did not react publicly – with an announcement or comment. Neither state executives, nor the opposition, nor the president reacted. Attack is silent too, which cast doubts on its leading role in the nationalistic vector.
Having set the markers and announced the code for success of the post-totalitarian Bulgaria, and being without equal political opponents on the national political arena, Ahmed Dogan has the right to get involved into solving the tactical issues of the opposition. But here, he is by himself. There is no other structured and influential opposition power. This increases his political presence! Evidence for this, are the recent protests of unsatisfied, who come from either ethnic or mixed population regions of the country, as well as the queue of individuals, asking for a meeting with the resident of the Saray.
Dogan’s problem today is how to get DPS out of isolation without heating to the red the ethnic tension in the country. Be sure, that the exit will be found this winter, when social dissatisfaction will be accumulated, but still won’t be announced, due to the traditional fears of Bulgarians from those onto power.
What Dogan’s role will be? Certainly, as a balancer! This is his favorite role, which he plays perfect, combining his three gifts: of an ethno-liberal politician, of a free-lancing philosopher, of a democrat by character, but a fighter by force.
Conclusion Substitutes
I employ substitutes in the summary part of my political comment, for it has an open-end. We are about to get back to the treatise-report of Ahmed Dogan each time, when there are events on the political arena, which code his speeches, which are unclear by style and often delusive for the untrained reader. Special attention must be paid and a separate analysis ought to be done on the:
- Real architecture of the Bulgarian national vision;
- Energy strategy of Bulgaria;
- Downfalls of the left and the right projects;
To these and other topics and messages from the Report of Dogan, I will get back soon!
