Source: Sputnik International
New curriculum
The well known dictator of Turkey has decided to remove the 'Origin of Life and Evolution' section in the country's new upcoming curriculum. According to Turkey's Hurriyet Daily News, Alpaslan Durmus (head of curriculum board at Turkey's Education Ministry) stated at a seminar last Tuesday that the evolution theory from Charles Darwin is one of the 'controversial subjects', which should not be taught to students whom can not comprehend the scientific background of the theory. Darwinism will be cut from biology classes from 2019. Students who want to learn about the theory will have to wait till college.
Dictatorship and the following problems
Since the failed coup last year in July, Erdogan Recep Tayyip Erdogan has secured that over 50,000 people are arrested and atleast 33,000 teachers got fired (Independent.co.uk). Academics, journalists, soldiers and civil servants are afraid to speak freely about their opinion as they will be seen as supporters of Güllen (Opponent of Erdogan in the elections last year), resulting in being either fired or arrested. This literally creates a country in which the academic people cannot say anything, while Erdogan the government decides what is the truth and what is not.
But, how do we actually become a dictator?
According to PsychologyToday (Author, Anjana Ahuja), there are 7 steps to become a dictator:
- Expand your power base through nepotism and corruption;
- Instigate a monopoly on the use of force to curb public protest;
- Curry favour by providing public goods efficiently and generously;
- Get rid of your political enemies;
- Create and defeat a common enemy;
- Accumulate power by manipulating the hearts and minds of your citizens;
- Create an ideology to justify an exalted position.
Erdogan has already succeeded through step 1 to 3, did step 4 last year in July and is working on the other steps. The common enemy is everybody who is against Erdogan. Erdogan even rewards his civilians if they report people who are actively against him, this way he is combining steps 5 and 6 basically.
By providing wealth to his supporters (e.g. building parks in areas where Erdogan had the majority of votes in the elections. Fun fact, Putin uses this same strategy to win the hearts of the civilians.) and neglecting the parts where non-supporters live, Erdogan is dividing an already deeply polarised country (He won the elections with 51,4%) (BCC) and forcing everybody to support him, if they don't, the government simply won't help them. The way to win the hearts of the public is to dominate the free flow of information, apply censorship and then turn it into propaganda. He surely does a good job at dominating that part.
Create an idealogy is a bit harder actually to proof, as Erdogan openly denied in wanting to impose Islamic values, as he said he is 'commited to secularism' (BCC). Most people have an abdominal feeling Erdogan creates the idealogy around the Islam, and he surely uses it as a leverage, but there are no hard facts it is the absolute idealogy in Erdogan's vision. Nonethless he does support Turks to express their religion more openly. (BCC)
Source: AFP
What do you think about Erdogan? Is he the right leader for Turkey?
Sources
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/turkey-evolution-secondary-school-education-national-curriculum-recep-tayyip-erdogan-regime-a7804016.html
http://www.newsweek.com/evolution-schools-turkey-recep-tayyip-erdogan-628476
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/latest-draft-of-turkeys-new-national-curriculum-excludes-evolution-theory-.aspx?PageID=238&NID=114651&NewsCatID=341
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/naturally-selected/201702/7-steps-becoming-dictator
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-13746679
http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/where-does-erdogan-want-to-take-turkey