They no longer feel that they are the owners of the land and the state they have ruled thus far. They are simply called the “White Turks.”The White Turks are terribly disturbed by the fact that Kurds made their entry into politics, diluting the ethnic purity of the nation that is constitutionally defined as “Turkish.” They are equally distressed that their sacred political value, namely secularism, is under the threat of religious conservatism of the parochial social cohorts who have flooded the cities and rose to prominence through politics. That is why they detest the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which they hold responsible for representing these “un-secular hordes,” and partake in every effort to bring this party down.
As their frustration for being out of power increased and their domestic fiefdom shrunk under the influence of global developments, they grew to be anti-Western and began to act quite un-modern, this being exemplified by their illegal and extra-legal initiatives. Yet the ideology they took pride in and expressed as their gospel, namely Atatürkism, offered them the chance of being Western and modern, i.e., keeping up with the developments of the time.
They still claim to be Atatürkists, but this is just a veneer that no longer sticks. For them, the West is a combination of the US and the European Union. As an a priori fact, the US is an imperialist power that is responsible for all anti-Turkish plots both in the past and in the future. The EU is a divisive instrument with its legal system, which emphasizes human rights and respect for minorities. The EU has yet another misdemeanor: enforcing government accountability, a move that will eventually render our sacred nation-state transparent and responsive to these conservative parochial hordes (colored Turks). Considering that these are the basic arguments of the White Turks, they have abandoned Atatürkism.
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's understanding of modernism meant keeping up with the developments of the time, an idea formulated as “reaching the level -- or even surpassing -- contemporary civilization.” In this sense, the White Turks have never acted modern enough or sufficiently modernized the nation. Allow me to give several examples: The Turkish administrative system of centralized government was adopted from France. However, despite the fact that France decentralized decades ago, empowering local governments and increasing the efficiency of administration and the quality of democracy through local participation, the Turkish system remained intact. This meant two things: authoritarianism and unaccountability of the central government and increasing inefficiency due to population increase and differentiation of social needs.
Yet the central bureaucracy, the dominant group of the White Turks, never let go of its firm grip on the state apparatus from which it drew its power. Absolute power began to corrupt due to a lack of legal control over its deeds. After all, the judiciary always saw itself as part of the state machinery. As parliamentary politics began to carry new social cohorts and new demands onto the political stage, the bureaucratic elite tried to defend its turf through illegal or extra-legal means. Starting from the formation of illegal organizations within the armed forces in order to stage coups to creating paramilitary gangs to eliminate members of ethnic opposition, a sundry of maverick groups cropped up in or under the aegis of the state. These were followed by gangs, the primary aim of which was profiteering through abuse of power and privilege to outright corruption, ranging from bribery to extortion. It became customary to see retired or active army and police officers in such groups. The latest examples of such corruption are the revelation of the affiliation of the second-in-command in the police force (assistant general director in charge of narcotics and smuggling) with drug barons and the revelation of the involvement of a military prosecutor at the rank of colonel in providing fake health reports to rich people and film actors who wanted to dodge military service. Considering that the same military prosecutor of the General Staff was in charge of the investigation of critical cases such as Ergenekon, the need for catharsis of this leviathan that we call the omnipotent state is imperative.
The whole administrative system of Turkey is to be overhauled. But this needs a constitutional reform whereby no institution will be above the law and laws would be consonant with the rule of law measured by its compatibility with universal standards. However, this is where the rub is; if it is the AKP that is leading this change and proposing the cleansing of the political system and the state apparatus, the White Turks oppose it. They do not want to afford this opportunity to the AKP, for it will further empower the ruling party. Additionally, they see the probability of the ancient regime crumbling down with their prominence and privileges.
However, if the process of change is blocked by ways that cannot be overcome by parliamentary and legal means, an early election after which the required changes will take place will become a necessity.
