This coup ended with three death penalties, 12 life sentences and hundreds of long prison terms after the military overthrew the government of then-Prime Minister Adnan Menderes on the grounds that it had violated the Constitution. It has been nearly half a century since that deplorable incident, and Turkey is now taking steps to confront its current coup supporters, those who do not have confidence in the public's will and see anti-democratic means as a solution for the country's well-being. Yeni Şafak's Abdullah Muradoğlu thinks all the coups, starting with May 27, which have taken place in Turkey have proven that they do not serve the goals of the coup perpetrators as the public elects parties with a similar ideology and mentality as the overthrown governments in the next elections. “The May 27 coup removed Menderes and his Democrat Party [DP] from power, but the party that came to power alone in the next general elections was the heir of the DP,” says Muradoğlu, recalling that the political parties which came to power following the Sept. 12, 1980, and Feb. 28, 1997, military interventions followed the line of their predecessor parties, which means that coups do not help the cause of the coup supporters. “The solution is with the public, it is with democracy. Think for a second: Someone who was born in 1960 is 49 years old today. What we have gone though over the past 49 years may be considered small incidents in the history of a nation, but is it not a heavy burden for a 49-year-old man to witness so many military interventions in his country during his lifetime?” he asks.
Star's Mustafa Karaalioğlu, who thinks the May 27 coup became an inspiration for the ensuing military interventions, thinks that if this coup attempt had failed, coups would not be a tradition in Turkey, with the military meddling in politics nearly in every decade. Nevertheless, he is hopeful about the position Turkey has reached today in eliminating those eager for a coup to occur. “Enthusiasm for coups has not yet been fully eliminated; there are still some people living among us who see the military as the best alternative for economic, social and bureaucratic power, but the point we have reached 49 years later can still be considered promising because Turkey has left the coups behind, and enthusiasm for coups has become shameful. Moreover, the trial of coup supporters has begun,” says Karaalioğlu referring to the trial of Ergenekon, a shadowy crime network which has alleged links within the state and is suspected of plotting to topple the government.
Another Star columnist, Eser Karakaş, complains about efforts among some circles to declare May 27 the anniversary of a coup, a festival of constitution and independence, noting that these circles are making a differentiation among coups and classifying some of them as “backward” and others as “modern.” “May 27 was the starting point of the military interventions. Turkey was humiliated both at home and abroad and wasted decades,” laments Karakaş.
