Menderes' execution made this nation cry. He was our underdog. His eyes shed tears as he said: “The core of this nation comprises morals, faith and Islam. If we are standing today, it is because we were raised on the lap of a white-bearded old man. We are unable to give due importance to the subject of religion in the field of education.” Those who executed him by hanging did not forget to send today's prime minister a message 45 years later by saying, “His fault was translating the call to prayer to its original form.” Erdoğan is carrying the flag passed down to him by late president Özal, who had inherited it from Menderes. It is the flag of standing on our own two feet with our own values, protecting our unity and solidarity, thinking big, giving importance to individuals and recognizing the rule of law and democracy. All three leaders had courage, hope and confidence in the people.
Özal was the pioneer of the change of mentality in Turkey. He was a taboo-breaking man who understood the imperative need of binding bureaucracy to the national will. Özal was a man who eradicated the cold-hearted management mentality and had a humble and tolerant character. If the ruling AK Party has managed to make Turkey a strategic energy corridor, taking initiative in the region and becoming increasingly powerful, it's only because Özal paved the way for this.
Erdoğan is Özal's legacy. He is elevating the Turkey that Özal started to build. Both Özal and Erdoğan are leaders that are not afraid of globalization and believe Turkey can integrate with the world without having to change its values and beliefs. The biggest reason the Ergenekon mentality is upset with Özal and Erdoğan is because they have opened Turkey up to the rest of the world, since an open Turkey means a Turkey that is closed to coups and tutelage.
Both leaders realized that there are certain people in this country that completely disregard the nation's will. They understood that these people opposed anyone that tried to interfere in the status quo and that tried to set new trends. They saw the true face of Turkey, and they refused to become a part of this order. Guardians of the status quo did not notice this stance in Özal immediately, but once they did, they became infuriated.
As for Erdoğan, they knew him from the very beginning. For a very long time they tried to drag the AK Party ruling power into a war of legitimacy. They never accepted the AK Party, and they seized every opportunity to bring it down. Now they are employing their final games in the Ergenekon case. All together they are opposing it because they know that if Turkey is freed from Ergenekon and if the case is concluded fairly, Turkey will no longer be the same Turkey. They won't be able to incite a Sunni-Alevi conflict nor start a Turks versus Kurds war, and the era of unsolved murder cases will come to an end.
It is for this reason that the AK Party and Erdoğan are making history. The AK Party's endeavor is a struggle for democracy. It is a ruling power that is cracking down on people that created power groups within the state that violated laws and drove the entire country into a dark tunnel. For the first time ever, a prime minister of this country is saying: “I believe those who take a look at the events from the past to the present will mention with high regard and accept as a reference the AK Party's legal battle, the AK Party's fight against organized crime and the AK Party's battle against sinister power groups. The national sovereignty we consolidated will never accept tutelage, now or ever. Brokers will never come between the nation and its sovereignty. Turkey's falling into the traps of organized crime, mafias and illegal organizations will never again be a question in the short or long run.”
Those who like Erdoğan a lot say, “Erdoğan has outpaced Özal.” As for me, I believe heroes don't compete. They are valuable leaders that act according to the opportunities and situations of their own time.
We can't compare Ottoman Emperor Fatih Sultan Mehmet to Emperor Osman Gazi nor can we compare Erdoğan to Özal. Their differences are not in their power but in the visible gravity of their accomplishments. As long as you've made it into the hearts of the people, it doesn't matter which number you rank.
