Column: This is a great victory, let no one overshadow it!

İbrahim KaragülBY: İbrahim Karagül*

Turkey decided on the most important change in its system in the history of the Republic yesterday.

The Constitutional amendment, which also includes a switch to the presidential system, was approved by a majority of more than 51 percent of voters.

With an extremely careful preference, our nation decided on the continuation of the great change which has been ongoing under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s leadership for the past 15 years.

They gave new authority to the government and a new direction to Turkey. The roadmap we have been following was renewed.

The April 16 referendum is not limited to the government, its preference and the support given to its decision alone.

Plans to stop Turkey have collapsed

It is the clearest answer to the grand campaign that was nourished at home and abroad that targeted Turkey and that has turned into a total attack. This is because at any given time, no election of Turkey’s had been exposed to global interventions of this extent.

For the first time, we faced such an ugliness that transformed from intervention into attack and humiliation, that grew into a project to ‘stop Turkey’ and that spread across Europe.

Even countries ruled by a monarchy or a presidential system waged a war against Turkey’s decision on a presidential system.

The April 16 victory is a challenge!

Turkey was subjected to unprecedented phenomena such as German authorities’ joint statements with Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) members, their efforts to make political circles in Turkey repeat them and their new operations through the Fetullah Terror Organization (FETÖ) members who carried out the July 15 massacre.

Turkish nationals in Europe were attacked; the most basic diplomatic rules were violated and a joint war with terrorist organizations was staged. Turkey, which has been ruled by the Atlantic center for 70 years, was exposed to this center’s heavy attacks in its struggle for independence from this same center.

And it succeeded, won and declared victory. Yesterday’s referendum actually challenged all these forces. Turkey determined its path and that it would continue on this path.

They will resort to cheap lies, pay them no mind!

Undoubtedly, the rate of the “yes” votes will be analyzed carefully, the shortcomings will be questioned, power will be renewed and new methods will be determined to move on with more solid steps.

However, considering our great expectations, we must be careful against those who present the voting rate of 51.3 percent as if Erdoğan, the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) lost.

We must be careful against those who resort to new lies, cheap statements and others’ claims and present their failure as a victory. Given that Turkey overcame a grave attack like the July 15 coup attempt, it is a great success that the country could resolve its most basic problem in such a smooth way. There is hardly any country that can overcome such an insurmountable trauma and continue on its path with giant steps.

Never let them steal your victory!

Mind yourself, do not let them steal your victory. Pay no mind to the new psychological tricks that they will play on you. Celebrate success and prepare for bigger struggles.

This is because history will note April 16 as the most important change in the Republic of Turkey even though we faced a front which was as evil as the one that we faced during the Battle of Çanakkale.

The victory belongs to Turkey, and the fiasco belongs to Europe!

*Ibrahim Karagül is a Turkish writer and journalist. He is the editor-in-chief of Turkish Yeni Şafak newspaper.

(Published in Yeni Şafak Turkish newspaper on April 17, 2017)