Turkey had local elections last weekend. The Turkish Prime Minister, Tayyip Erdagon, billed the elections as a referendum on his rule of the country, which has been marred by allegations of fraud and corruption. There is a general feeling among some citizens that the Prime Minister has become a bit of a dictator and indulged in the sort of behavior that has occurred a lot in-and-around the Middle East lately.
The current position is that he will probably achieve a marginal victory. In Ankara, the result is in the balance and unofficial figures say that the incumbent party won by less than 1%. There were protests because opposition activists claimed that a lot of ballot boxes, which were mainly from the opposition areas, had not been counted. If they had been counted the result would have been different, it is claimed.
What is interesting is that the opposition to the Prime Minister’s Government also accused the government of triggering power cuts to interrupt voting. This is very underhand behavior, if it is true. In response to the accusation, the country’s energy minister blamed the disruption on an errant cat who had wandered into an electricity substation.
“Please don’t think of this as a joke, friends. A cat went into one of the power distribution units and caused a short circuit… I’m telling you that it is wrong to connect this to the election”.
Well, you can see that once again the humble domestic cat is a scapegoat. You may have noticed how convenient our voiceless cat is when an excuse is required for all manner of human problems from allegedly fraudulent elections to rampant diseases and decimated native wildlife including the precious birds.
Thank you! We are doing fine. I hope you too! I am sure the Angora cats would be pleased to hear that 🙂
I am Gaye, a contributing researcher. My cats Gizmo, Florya and Pukute send you their warmest regards 🙂
Gizmo, Florya and Pukute are beautiful. I really do love the genuine Turkish angora. I would love to adopt one actually, perhaps in the near future or in the future some time, I might get the chance.
Hi everybody,
I can’t believe you took it so serious! As a Turkish citizen who watched all that madness going on in our elections, I can confirm you that a cat was not blamed. Not in the way you think. In fact, energy minister Taner Yildiz couldn’t find anything better to say, so he made-up something innocent to cover up the obvious fact- election fraud. Before he blamed the weather, then cats seemed ”more believable” excuse. It’s quite funny. Think about this. The electricity was cut in at least 22 provinces, at similar times, during vote counting(!). It must be some kind of super-cat’s work!:) Harvey, you say ”It’s highly unlikely ” – maybe better word would be ”impossible”! Don’t even feel suspicious when later reports came out showing disposed and burned votes of opposition party (and many more similar coincidences)… So who was then – a cat or Erdoğan?:)
How this event effected cats here? No how. People make a lot of jokes about the ”cat lobby” posting some funny pictures in social media. Everybody can see how hilarious all of this situation is.
I think this isn’t a good example of cat blaming. Turkey isn’t like USA – We have so many animal lovers here; You can’t make Turkish people feel prejudiced against cats. Animal lovers wouldn’t be silent if this situation was serious, you can be sure!
Best wishes
Ankara Kedisi Derneği (The Angora Cat Association)
Hi Ankara Kedisi Derneği (The Angora Cat Association), thanks a lot for your fantastic comment. I really enjoyed reading it. No, it is impossible to take this story seriously as you say. It never looked as if it was possible to me and it always looked like it was made up to me. I was being polite, really!
I just think though that despite the Turkish people liking cats, senior politicians are less likely to like cats and are more likely to use them as scapegoats if and when the chance arises.
I hope that you are okay and I hope that your beautiful cats are too. I love your cats and I love the original, true, real Turkish Angora which is 1000 times better than the American creation as far as I’m concerned.
Thats great – good to know. Turkey sounds like a good place to be a cat! I wish you had a fair government who, in particular, would leave journalists alone to report truth – I’d totally love to visit under normal circumstances.
Alot of rich swiss are all saying “oh ya you just have to go to Turkey” – so I am guessing if you are rich over there they treat you like a king, fancy hotels, shops to buy Prada handbags for the housewives while their husbands go to meetings about possible investments in dubious businesses over there. The message seems to be “come to Turkey, invest, enjoy world class luxury” etc bla bla – while gypsies and people living in shacks are removed from parts of the city so the rich can have a nicer view. They literally remove their homes with one big scoop of a JCB tracktor.
It’s sad that all these places choose the wrong direction ad embrace captitalism including, and in particular, the more dangerous, illegal and risky practices of capitalism which crush other people into poverty.
Otherwise I’d visit – I’d love to see the cats, and the villages, the countryside – not interested in the stupid city. Tall buildings and old towns cover this planet and they are all so similar anyway.
I also feel that the rich and big business are becoming more powerful and working more often together with governments in the West, certainly in Europe, Russia and America and in India and China as well while the poor are getting poorer and the divide is getting bigger. This seems to be a symptom of the modern world. It is becoming less equal and fair. If I’m correct then the world is becoming less good. Based on your account Turkey can be included in this assessment. One of the reasons is that the world is becoming more competitive and harsh competition tends to result in less moral behaviour. It’s the rat race.
If you will excuse my bluntness on this but Erdogan is a dangerously fundamental Islamist who is corrupt and authoritarian to the core – also a pretty violent and macho type – user of hard power over soft.
The day he drops dead the world will be a better place – and his croney hacks too. Dickhead. He’s basically ruined the entire image of Turkey for everyone except very rich people who want to go to Istanbul for the weekend and do some expensive shopping since now the luxury brands are there in full force. They feel like its more exotic than monte carlo. Its quite fashionable now to go there for a week.
The image of Turkey is in the gutter.
For example – Turkey is responsible for the second most arrests and killigs of reproters. Turkey is oe of the worst – if not THE worst country in the world to be a reporter in. Truth gets squashed pretty quick time over there. Hence the problems obviously.
And yes – I am 100% sure if it was going to be close that Erdogan rigged the vote.
He needs to be assassinated or something before Turkey ends up i civil war.
You know more than I do about the Turkish Prime Minister and his cronies but from what I had read about him it seemed pretty clear to me that he was involved in corrupt activity as was his son and that his one objective is to retain power. He seems to be very similar in character to Putin. Well, that is at least the way I view him. There does seem to be a general shift, I think, away from pure democracy to more authoritarian states, which I think is due to the rise in terrorism and governments becoming fearful or using terrorism to their advantage.
I agree.
It’s again religion rearing its ugly head. The next time somebody says Islam or Chritianity are reigions of peace I will vomit. I’m sick of religion apologizers quietly ignoring the massive war and suffering their group way of thinking has inflicted on this godly planet.
If it was for forsaken it would be a peaceful and sustained, healthy plaet maybe. Humanity is sick and it needed to vent – it got religion and started the killing.
…..and then you can get forgiven. lol. Its truly unbelievable.
Anyhow – this has to do with religion and desperation to stay in power. I think. Erdogan will want to make sure that Islam stays in power no matter what – just like Morsi – and ideally with him at the helm. That’s what I believe the bottom line is. First Erdogan, then Islam – but he would say ‘first Islam (the him)’.
Sorry – I should stay off political issues 🙂
I would ot be even slightly offended if you remove my posts Michael.
I honestly think that is the underlying agenda in Turkey in it’s most simple form.
Perhaps Harvey knows the truth of it. Usually we are fed western media propoganda on subject like this. So I may be wrong because of that.
As you say Michael, it’s once again using the cat as a scapegoat!
What cowards people who do this must be to blame innocent animals who can’t defend themselves.
People can be unscrupulous and immoral and they will lean on and use a creature that is unable to speak up for him or herself. It is cowardly behaviour
It’s highly unlikely a cat can cause such a dramatic short circuit as to blow breakers that are rated at thousands of amp’s. It’s much more likely that some human pulled a switch. They can show the short circuit, can’t they? What with all the signs of burning and scorching, and a cinder what was once a cat. It’s a poor excuse.
My sentiments entirely, Harvey. I have a great deal of distrust for politicians, which informs me that blaming a cat for a power cut which affected the way people voted in Turkey is just another example of a cat becoming a scapegoat and a rather feeble excuse! Thanks for your input, Harvey. Hope you are well.