If you were able to follow his US and Mexico visits, you already know that I am referring to the speech he delivered at the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF). The speech went unnoticed because it was delivered at a time that corresponded to midnight in Turkey. However, there are points related to the speech that need to be emphasized.
Ebbs and flows are occurring as the Ergenekon case continues. At certain times we witness developments that make us wonder if the legal process executing the Ergenekon case is being restrained. The media also has a role in this. Furthermore, some forces have been trying very hard to cover up the Ergenekon investigation from the very beginning. There are even some people who in various gathering places say the Ergenekon case is “nonsense.” In fact, you can even come across people that go abroad and relay this with excitement. If guns, bombs, assassination, conspiracies, traitorous traps, etc. had not been found, they would present Ergenekon as an ideological movement. And unfortunately some people who act as voluntary defendants in the Ergenekon investigation can create a storm over a single cup of water and have an effect on official posts.
Prime Minister Erdoğan’s trip to America coincided with that kind of a period. Some people who set up camps in Washington said the Ergenekon case was opened to eliminate opponents and created doubts in the minds of some people and institutions.
Months of lobbying efforts were so effective that the Turkish prime minister came across pro-Ergenekon questions during each speech in Washington. The policy of providing unilateral information by some think tanks affected certain circles. In the end, the straw that broke the camel’s back was propaganda disseminated a short period prior to the prime minister’s arrival in the US. In addition to defending Ergenekon, a tax fine issued to the Doğan Media Group was also mentioned and presented as if the Turkish government is seeking every method possible to eliminate its opponents. These types of questions were asked so frequently that the prime minister felt compelled to say, “I think some people lobbied here.”
Normally, the prime minister was not going to talk about domestic issues during his US visit because important issues such as the matter of sending troops to Afghanistan, the fight against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) terrorist organization, the tension between Iran and the US and economic relations between the two countries were on his agenda.
But it seemed as though some people had set up camp in Washington and for several months provided inaccurate information in defense of Ergenekon and made speeches that pulled the Doğan tax fine in a different direction. The effects of these efforts cast a shadow over the prime minister’s trip. The historically important White House meeting was on the verge of being engulfed by incorrect and fabricated information. Initially, however, there were critical issues on Erdoğan and Obama’s agenda.
In the end, Erdoğan said: “I stress that if we had postponed or never pursued the fight against gangs, the mafia and illegal organizations, we would have never reached the level we have reached today in the economy, domestic and foreign policy and in democratization. The provocations we’ve witnessed during our administration alone have clearly presented how illegal organizations constitute an obstacle to transformation. If problems have been prolonged, if problems have turned into a knot, it is because of circles that feed and thrive on them and succeed by exploiting them. Therefore, the moment you attempt to solve any problem, these circles -- gangs and mafia-like organizations -- confront you with various tactics and threats. We have experienced all of these over our seven years in power, and we continue to experience them.”
Some words in the part I quoted from Erdoğan need to be highlighted because the speech was not impromptu but was well thought out: gangs, the mafia, illegal organizations, provocations, mafia-like organizations, various tactics and threats.
The prime minister is telling the truth. The government has been facing these formations for seven years. Ergenekon clearly shows this. There are crimes, evidence, events, perpetrators and tools used by perpetrators while committing crimes. Those acting as though a case was made up when really there was no problem are lying. The truth is not how they explain it. Concrete evidence of crimes made the investigation necessary. Those who strive to conceal this are inflicting the most harm on this country. History has witnessed that democracies that cannot defeat gangs are defeated by the gangs.
As a state leader, Erdoğan is highlighting the legal process and noting that none of those who are being tried can be declared guilty in advance. This is correct. However, this does not mean that the suspects cannot be investigated, questioned, called to account and asked to testify. Even the General Staff sometimes confuses these matters.
The presumption of innocence means everyone is innocent until proven guilty by a court of law, but this does not mean that no crime has been committed. It definitely does not mean that all those who have been sent to court in light of evidence have been acquitted of all charges and are innocent. It is for this reason that the General Staff sometimes blames the media for no reason, but the media cannot hide the truth. If there is a case, if there is evidence and if these have been included in an indictment, then hiding them could mean abetting a crime. After highlighting the legal process, the prime minister made another very important statement: “The matter dealing with illegal organizations in Turkey is currently being handled by the judiciary. It would not be appropriate for me to speak on the details of this subject. However, indictments, allegations, dirty relationships, conspiracies and ugly plans that have been discovered exposed enough material to reveal how big of a threat Turkey was under in the past.”
Let us briefly address these words of the prime minister. Is there anyone who does not understand what the prime minister meant when he said “indictments, allegations, dirty relationships, conspiracies and ugly plans that have been discovered.” Some gullible people are taking part in a historical mistake by acting as though there is nothing wrong. The prime minister is saying that the good and the bad, the white and the black will be clear at the end of the legal process. Of course that process is going to prove what kind of ball of fire we are passing through. The only requirement for the legal process to reach a healthy conclusion is to avoid deep interventions that undermine the legal process because advocates of Ergenekon who are attacking from all sides are trying every method to make the case fail.
