We’ve borrowed the headline from a famous Turkish pop song of the 1970s, “Çilli Bom Bom.” One verse goes: “Don’t leave today’s work for tomorrow / Seize the moment, don’t hesitate / The world turns fast, life is short / Tomorrow won’t do—it has to be now.”
Ekrem İmamoğlu could be said to be “impatient.” Like in the song, he’s in a hurry. But to explain this as a mere character trait would be insufficient. Some attribute his impatience to being from Trabzon — in other words, a typical Black Sea temperament — but geography alone cannot explain it either.
This sense of urgency isn’t unique to the Black Sea. It can arise anywhere — from the Mediterranean, the East, the South, or the Aegean. What we are describing here is political impatience. It may have conjunctural dimensions; it may stem from the country’s current social and political climate.
But when acting with haste in politics, one cannot ignore the likely countermoves of the other side — meaning today’s ruling power. Indeed, since he declared his presidential candidacy, İmamoğlu has been behind bars — along with his entire Istanbul Municipality team.
“INN DOOR ENTERING, NEEDLE’S EYE LEAVING”
This is a saying used for prisons: the doors are wide open when you go in, but the way out is as narrow as the eye of a needle.
Moreover, new lawsuits keep being filed. The latest is an accusation of “espionage.” That’s why expectations for İmamoğlu’s release — unless the current political climate changes — are extremely low.
ERDOĞAN HAS BEEN DOWN THIS ROAD BEFORE
In the 1990s, the man İmamoğlu seeks to challenge, President Erdoğan, also served as Istanbul’s mayor. His political career began there.
Perhaps that’s why Erdoğan understands better than anyone the steps İmamoğlu wishes to take. Or maybe he has also sensed İmamoğlu’s impatience — or even helped provoke it, pushing him into rash decisions.
All these deserve to be debated and examined. After all, İmamoğlu’s physical and psychological situation is one that demands endurance. He is behind bars, and patience is essential.
It may be a patience laced with anger, but even that anger must be restrained.
Because, under current conditions, there seems to be little room for hope — unfortunately.
‘LIFE IS A BEAUTIFUL THING’
But life cannot be lived if you assume it’s “all over now.” Let’s end with another beloved song from the 1970s — “Life Is a Beautiful Thing”:
“Pain, sorrow, and grief — all fade away in a single day.
You’ll see, the darkest day may turn into a wedding tomorrow.
God willed it so — He said, ‘Let my people smile.’”
