Speeches tend to target the enemies of the regime and highlight the power and strength of the republic and all its institutions and establishments. The speaker will try to establish a vested relationship between his institution, whether it be the military, the judiciary or a university, and the regime. This person seeks to prove that the assurance and continuance of the regime depends on the power and actions of the institution. Occasionally and surprisingly, there are speeches of a different nature. Retired officials or those changing posts might make striking announcements about the institution and make analyses like a social scientist or intellectual would. Given that these “striking speeches” are rare, the important question is of when and why these speeches are made. There must be a special reason to explain why an official does not deliver the traditional speech of his institutions and instead makes surprising statements. Perhaps the speaker wants to deliver a message about his institution to the public.
A recent surprising speech that attracted wide attention came from retired Air Force Commander Gen. Faruk Cömert. During his handing-over-of-office ceremony, Gen. Cömert spoke not only about military issues, but also about the nation’s public and political life. Surprisingly, his speech was not marked by warnings to or concerns about the regime. On the contrary, it included ideas and statements that created opportunity for wider and thorough analysis. After noting that Turkey had massive potential, the general said Turkey would be able to become one of the most powerful countries in the world within a few years, if Turkey began to take advantage of this rich potential immediately. But the biggest obstacle for Turkey in this regard “is being unable to use patriotism to reconcile differences; and not trying to better understand each other.”
This is perhaps an unexpected statement from a general. But the shock didn’t stop there, as the general added: “When we successfully consolidate our democratic maturity and try to understand each other instead of constantly being suspicious; if we bravely confront and discuss concerns and start to use the dynamism of our differences, we will easily be able to resolve our nation’s problems, including overcoming terror and increasing our living standards.” (Yeni Şafak, Aug. 24 2007.)
Certainly, this is an unusual “military speech,” though it is the speech of a former high-ranking military officer. Officers can always deliver speeches. Even retired officers can speak on behalf of the military. Hence, this speech by an Air Forces general on the day of his retirement holds great value.
If we refer to this speech as a basis to analyze the events that occurred during the presidential election, we can see that the picture is not as it has been projected to us. Turkey and the infamous political intervener, the Turkish Armed Forces, have also identified the problems Gen. Cömert cited. In other words, the military is also aware that change is necessary in order for Turkey to progress.
