In our article last week, we tried to evaluate the success of Milli Görüş Movement to maintain its existence by increasing its influence on the political life of 50 years, through the concrete discourses of the Milli Görüş parties. Let us remind you once again that we make these evaluations not on the basis of clear dates, but rather on the basis of the presence of the dominant discourse. This week, we will try to make an evaluation of the Saadet Party, which has maintained its institutional existence for the longest time, from this perspective.
After the closure of the Virtue Party, the Saadet Party takes over the banner of Milli Görüş in politics. However, the innovative movement that emerged within the Virtue Party declared that it would follow a policy outside Milli Görüş line by establishing a different party. In the elections held shortly after, we saw that the AK Party, which had the support of the masses of people who previously supported the centre-right parties, and a large part of the Islamic community, prevailed.
After this first disintegration, the discourse of the Saadet Party mostly followed a course of explaining the founding purpose of the AK Party. The first period of the Saadet Party was spent explaining that it was different from the AK Party. We witnessed that especially Erbakan Hodja, these people, who came from their own traditions, developed a harsh discourse in order to prevent the reaction to the negative administration from sticking to the Islamic community and especially to Milli Görüş. We can see how valuable this differentiation and separation effort is today. However, it is worth remembering that the continuation of this language in a different conjuncture will negatively affect the way of doing politics.
After the death of our teacher Erbakan, we can say that there is a confusion in creating a language with the uncertainty caused by the chaos in the country. In a time when tension is used as a choice in the country's politics, discriminatory nationalist discourses increase and religious discourses are highlighted as a shield, it is expected that the Saadet Party will represent common sense. However, Turkey's changing electorate profile, approaches to ideologies, preferences in the priorities of the masses, and the problem of values that emerged after the traumas of the country pushed the Saadet Party to a new language and discourse.
Together with Temel Karamollaoğlu, the Saadet Party's ethics, justice, compassion and fair sharing are on the agenda; has developed a discourse that values labor, living things and the environment. We can observe that politics can become better with reconciliation, the necessity of establishing a dialogue with all segments, and keeping the pursuits vigorous in order to live together in peace and happiness.
The fact that the destruction experienced on these concepts, which is also the main purpose of Islam, is frequently brought to the agenda by the Saadet Party is inspired by the concerns of Erbakan Hodja. Temel Karamollaoğlu used the preventive language used by Erbakan Hodja to prevent Muslims from being seen as evil, as a true representative mission of Islam. This language, which is also used as a requirement of Islam, is a language that the new voter profile will not have difficulty in understanding, and even desire. The main purpose of this language, which aims to appeal to every heart, is to convey the basic principles of Milli Görüş to more people.
The way the truth is told is just as important as the way it is told. This is the main reason for this dynamic language and discourse difference in the Milli Görüş parties. To be able to speak the truth in the right way at the right time. Without giving up on the basic principle and mission, the way of reaching different audiences, according to the requirements of the time, necessitated this difference. These differences in language can always be put on the agenda without affecting the content of the concepts. This choice of the Milli Görüş parties should be considered as a legitimate effort of their determination to reach their main goal.