Remembering Our Elected Iğdır Mayor, Mr. Yaşar Akkuş

REMEMBERING OUR ELECTED IĞDIR MAYOR, MR. YAŞAR AKKUŞ…

My wife Şeval and I had gone to Iğdır to distribute books. We settled into a room on the fourth floor of the Star Royal Hotel. You know, people's habits vary... I've made it a habit for years to go to bed at midnight and wake up at 6 AM. Şeval, on the other hand, doesn't sleep until three in the morning; she brews her tea, either reads a book or checks messages on her smartphone.  

I was in a deep sleep. Şeval woke me by shaking my shoulder. My first question was, "What time is it?" Şeval answered: "It's 3:30 in the morning!" As I troubledly sat up from bed, I merely asked, "What's wrong, what happened?" She took my hand and led me to the window. Below, at the intersection of the roads, there was a huge garbage bin. It was surrounded by a pile of trash. Municipal workers were wholeheartedly loading the garbage onto the truck, doing their job with a disciplined spirit. Şeval pointed to someone in the light of the streetlamp: "Isn't that Mayor Yaşar Akkuş?" she asked. I paid attention. "Yes, it's him!" I confirmed.

The grogginess of sleep had vanished, and I found myself watching Mr. Akkuş, who was overseeing his workers at this hour of the night (morning). Sometimes, humbly, he would take a shovel and toss trash that the workers hadn't seen closer to them. After the garbage site was cleaned, the spraying team came into action. The inside and surroundings of the bin were carefully sprayed. As the garbage truck slowly set off, Mr. Yaşar Akkuş walked behind them. It was clear that he would continue the same task at another pile of garbage.

The next day, as my wife and I walked through the streets and avenues of Iğdır, even passing through neighborhoods to distribute books, something caught my attention: the garbage bins and their surroundings were spotless. I asked myself: "How many mayors in the world would wander the streets at this early hour of the morning to motivate their workers, standing over them to ensure the city's cleanliness and checking that the work was being done seriously?"

I answered myself: "None! I have neither witnessed such a mayor nor read any writings about one."

Mr. Yaşar Akkuş was wholeheartedly working for the cleanliness, beauty, road maintenance, and increase of parks in Iğdır. He had big projects. His priority, rightly so, was the mountainous piles of garbage and the cleanliness of Iğdır. Secondarily, there was clean water, the revision of the city plan, and similar works. Mr. Akkuş couldn't sit still in his efforts to transform Iğdır into an exemplary city; I even knew that he neglected his family due to this passion.

Iğdır achieved significant successes with Mr. Yaşar Akkuş in a short time. Just as he was about to implement major projects, his path was knowingly blocked. Such a successful mayor undoubtedly caused unrest both in certain circles of the state and among some ill-intentioned "friends" (!) who saw Mr. Yaşar Akkuş as a potential rival in the future.

Mr. Akkuş is currently in Erzurum prison, longing for the day he will be free and reunited with his friends. Mr. Akkuş should know that Iğdır has appreciated and not forgotten his love for duty, his humanist approach above factions and parties, and his efforts to fulfill the responsibility entrusted to him by the people without discrimination. Iğdır is not ungrateful. Seeing you among us again and in the position you deserve as soon as possible would make us very happy. You are not forgotten; you are in our hearts.

Sincerely,

Mücahit Özden Hun