Speaking at his party’s parliamentary group meeting, Erdoğan, without elaborating, said: “I beg their pardon, but some columnists are trying to provoke us. Do not provoke us. We know very well what we are doing. When we set off on our way, we set out knowing what we will do.” Erdoğan’s remarks sparked a debate among columnists about what he could have meant by these statements and whether his complaints are justified.Milliyet’s Aslı Aydıntaşbaş finds Prime Minister Erdoğan’s complaint entirely reasonable as she says it is very easy for some people to demand radical things when they are not in charge of the changes to be made. “Remove Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ from power! Dissolve the army! Abolish obligatory military service!” she cites as the radical demands of some circles. Aydıntaşbaş says that despite all its sins, shortcomings and wrongdoings, the Turkish military is the basic element of Turkey’s power and prestige. Considering the region in which Turkey is located and the global order, she says, the Turkish military is an institution that cannot be replaced. “If you put the military aside, there will be no Turkey left,” she says. In her view, Erdoğan does not want to dissolve the Turkish military but wants to facilitate its transformation into a democratic order and have a mentality change, a modern structure and a new mission. “One of the most reasonable partners Erdoğan can have is the current command in the General Staff and Başbuğ because the important thing for Erdoğan is not to create tension but to get good results. His goal is not chaos but change. That’s why I find his complaint just,” adds Aydıntaşbaş.
Talking about the speculation over what Erdoğan could have meant by his statement, Sabah’s Nazlı Ilıcak says he could have emphasized the fact that as the person who has responsibility, he knows what he is doing and is taking steps carefully. “We journalists will continue to write what we think about certain issues and make our proposals. Erdoğan can benefit from them as much as he wants. He can also say it is easy for others who are not in charge to demand certain things. Making proposals to the government from a newspaper column is very different from being in the shoes of the government and carrying out those proposals by facing all the challenges,” says Ilıcak.
According to Star’s Mustafa Erdoğan, the prime minister is disturbed about articles thjat stress that the government should behave like a Western democracy when the control of the military by the civilian authority is in question. Erdoğan says the prime minister thinks such articles do not strengthen his hand and put the strategy he has in mind, which desires balance among state institutions, in a difficult position. “I think instead of making critical remarks about the few columnists who are responsible, Erdoğan should concentrate on at least taking the necessary measures that do no pose any risks to his strategy,” suggests Erdoğan.
