Turkey needs a new constitution, immediately. The survival of Bodrum and the prosperity of its residents depend on this.

No, I don’t intend to proclaim the “Independent Republic of Muğla City.” That is way beyond Bodrum’s needs. Let me tell you what I am talking about.

Turkey is in need of a new constitution. This is the only way to enhance the per capita GDP from $10,000 to $25,000, if it is in any way possible. Since the 1960s, Turkey’s per capita GDP has been wallowing around 25% of that of the US. It has somehow failed to make the awaited leap. We finally achieved $10,000, and we are obviously better off compared to the past. But in proportion to the  GDP per capita of the US, Turkey has been struggling around 25% and that’s all. This is precisely what the middle-income trap is about. South Korea, which started the race at the same ranking as Turkey, has achieved almost 60% of the GDP per capita of the US. What is the starting point of a leap for Turkey? It is a new constitution. We need it to become prosperous. Observing the world around me, I am becoming even more convinced. Today, let me share with you some observations from Bodrum and its environs. I think what Bodrum needs is a new constitution.

Currently, I am wandering around Muğla as during any other summer. The most beautiful summer locations are there: Datça, Marmaris, Köyceğiz, Bodrum, and the rest. When you look around, you see that Turkey’s problems with its administrative system apply in these regions as well. Take Bodrum, for example: The peninsula of Bodrum is 557 square kilometers. It is an integral body that must be addressed together with all its bays. We need this perception so that the residents of Bodrum can derive the ultimate benefit possible from the regional opportunities. To this end, there must be a common mind that sees the big picture, works on problems as a whole, and offers integral solutions. Nonetheless, there are eleven municipalities within Bodrum. A different body works and thinks in each corner. They don’t cooperate. They don’t trust each other. This picture brings us to a weak steady state, where the only option is trying to get richer by adding storeys on buildings.

What we have done in Istanbul is currently taking place in Bodrum. Apartment blocks are replacing the detached houses. You have to wait in your private car in traffic jams. In the absence of a common mind, rivers find their own beds in which to flow. Bodrum is turning into a miniature copy of Istanbul.

You might ask what this has to do with the new constitution. It has a lot to do with it, actually. The current constitution sets the essential design of the ugly administrative structure today. Let’s say we decided to reduce the number of municipalities throughout the peninsula from eleven to one. Would this be enough to create a common mind? The answer would be no as in Muğla a special provincial administration and a governorate work to coordinate the programs of the public authorities affiliated to the central government. Then, would it be enough to overthrow these? Not exactly. In Ankara, there are also a number of ministries, which, as if they are all aware of its needs and problems, plan new public investments for Bodrum and which do not interact or cooperate with each other. Who was the culprit of the current state of Istanbul? The above-mentioned institutions and bodies. Now, they are turning Bodrum into a miniature copy of Istanbul. This crowded administrative structure will deliver nothing but chaos. It will deliver mediocrity. So, this is what is going on in Bodrum nowadays. Overcoming the middle-income trap means breaking the chain of mediocrity. And to do this, Turkey needs a new constitution that will be shaped via a solid debate.

The administrative structure of Turkey has to be revised so that it raises the voice of the local, empowers the people in decision-making processes, and creates and expands the channels for the people to hold the government to account. Democratic check is always superior to central tutelage. The new constitution has to abolish the regime of tutelage over local governments in Turkey.

This is needed not only in Diyarbakır but also in Muğla, so that Bodrum does not become a city for cars as Istanbul is.

Turkey needs a new constitution immediately. The survival of Bodrum and the prosperity of its residents depend on this.

This commentary was published in Radikal daily on 21.08.2012