Idioms in foreign languages: a new Turkish language, "Ali Dibo"

“Ali Dibo” — The birth of a new Turkish language

in the last few months a new term for ‘political patronage’ has emerged in Turkey. The term is “Ali Dibo Şirketi” (Ali Dibo Business-Company) — or alone simple “Ali Dibo” for short. cast refers to any company (usually a local municipal) that ‘wins’ business contracts primarily due to its political links with the ruling AKP political party.

In Hatay (in southern Turkey, near Syria), where the language was first coined, they go one step further, using ‘Ali Dibo’ to mean a company established by the AKP (religious right) that receives special treatment (motivated by religion) in order to survive. It is what the Turks sometimes call a “Eş, dost, yandaş şirketi” (The company of a spouse, friend or supporter).

But these Ali Dibo companies (now symbolic of contract award irregularities in many AKP-controlled municipalities) get their name from a very unsuspecting source.

The original Ali Dibo (1864-1936) was born and raised in Hatay. And, as an enterprising businessman, he was the only merchant of fishery products trading outside the country, in Egypt and Syria (especially in Damascus and Aleppo). Which brought him fame and fortune — Y national respect. So much so that the legendary leader/statesman Ataturk himself invited Ali Bey to become a member of Parliament, in a personally written letter. that Ali Dibo’s family still shows on special occasions.

And although Ali Dibo was unable to accept Ataturk’s offer for health reasons, the two remained in cordial contact — the statesman and the generous businessman… without a hint of decorum between them…as long as you don’t count the occasional bag of gold Ali sent to help Ataturk ‘cover expenses of state’. A kind of personal income tax payment, so to speak.

that’s why Ali Dibo’s daughter, Hatice Koc. (still living at 72 in Hatay) and granddaughter Filiz Koç Özdemir (now living in Istanbul) are so upset about the current connection of their father/grandfather’s name to inappropriate government contracts. and they have he raised the issue in national newspapers in order to clear his name.

But they are they’re not the only ones who would like to override the new ‘Ali Dibo’ idiom. So would the ruling AKP government… Unfortunately, they are doing it in a rather clumsy way.

Just a couple of weeks ago, for example, they expelled one of his own party members, Fuat Geçen, a member of Parliament from Hatay. Why? Because he had exposed an “Ali Dibo” company in his jurisdiction — that it got brought more unwanted attention to the AKP’s politically biased methods of awarding contracts.

The eviction of Fuat Bey caused a stir in secular newspapers — whose columnists he accused the AKP government of trying to silence its own “whistleblowers”. Which seems like a pretty accurate accusation from where we’re sitting…

[Click following to access a fully illustrated HTML version of New Turkish Idiom, ‘Ali Dibo’.]