THOSE WITH A CUNNING DISPOSITION SHOULD HAVE NO PLACE IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND POLITICS

Social morality and public order rest on justice and a sense of responsibility. The gains of those who add to their wealth without breaking a sweat, relying solely on “diabolical” cunning and elaborate schemes, can never be considered halal or legitimate, whatever religious or moral standard you apply. Unfortunately, today we are witnessing even the mechanisms that should be the lifeblood of production and employment being poisoned by this mindset.

Investment funds and stock markets were established to meet factories’ financing needs without interest, encourage investors to support production, and expand the real economy through profit-sharing. Unfortunately, in the hands of these schemers, they have effectively been turned into a gambling table through a game of ‘three-card monte’. The mindset that swindles people out of their savings through stock market manipulation, without producing anything or creating value, and considers these ill-gotten gains an entitlement, is one of the deepest wounds to the public conscience.

But the issue is not confined to financial manipulation. The real danger is that this corrupt mindset and lack of principle can spread to the highest offices of the state.

It is unacceptable for a governor, whose duty is to serve the people, establish public trust and represent the state, to respond to a legitimate question asked by a journalist on the public’s behalf with the shallow reply, “It’s my private life; I am not obliged to explain.” Holding public office does not mean putting on a suit of armour or evading responsibility. Every bureaucrat exercising authority on behalf of the public is obliged to account to the public conscience for every step taken and every decision made. This approach, which lacks transparency and treats the press and the public with contempt, reveals someone unable to bear the responsibilities of the office they hold.

It is precisely here that the capacity for swift decision-making and effective action—among the gains of the Presidential System of Government—comes into play, legally strengthening the hand of the President who governs the state in immediately removing from office and handing over to the judiciary anyone who offends the public conscience, falls short of the competence and transparency their office demands, and regards cunning as their prerogative.

The highest offices of the state cannot be a refuge either for those who evade responsibility or for those whose mindset no longer distinguishes between halal and haram. Restoring trust in the state requires refusing to tolerate such conduct.

Fehmi Yağlı

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