Then, let us objectively ponder the question “Is there any country other than Turkey that can still call itself civilized although its agenda is continually occupied with illegal and antidemocratic activities by members of the army?” Or, in what other country that calls itself a civilized and democratic country governed by the rule of law can generals who are immersed in politics, conspiracies and crimes -- barring all the commanders who perform their duties with dignity and honor -- appear in the headlines or new stories on TV channels or newspapers every day as they do in Turkey? In which democratic country guided by the rule of law can the generals who have made hypocrisy, lies and illegalities a norm through their actions and statements go unpunished? In which civilized and democratic country can a chief of general staff whose insincerity is well advertised easily brazen through all the disgrace and continue to occupy the highest position of the military, which is surely a position characterized by dignity?Is there any greater trouble that can befall any country than the one caused by a chief of general staff who rushes to automatically afford protection to all antidemocratic illegal networks within the army and the crimes committed by these networks and who ridicules the law and ignores the popular will and those selected by that popular will?
It should be noted that the greater the ranks of corrupt military staff, the greater will be the danger they pose to democracy, the rule of law and peace in the nation. Shouldn’t the civilian administration of a normal and smoothly operating democracy take the necessary administrative and legal measures? In which democratic country governed by the rule of law will a chief of general staff who is an experienced liar be allowed to distract the general public with gilded words in respect to democracy and the rule of law? How can he be allowed to set up ambushes on the national will behind the scenes while hypocritically trying to look pretty for the nation? In which democratic country governed by the rule of law can a chief of general staff who has assigned his subordinates to commit an open crime against a deputy prime minister who was elected to office and who has praised the crime and who has humiliated his subordinates for failing to perform their assignment properly continue to occupy that honorable position for another moment? I wonder, is there any country governed by the rule of law that cannot touch a chief of general staff who has confessed the grave crime he has committed.
There is much more to be said about Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ’s voice recording that was posted on some Web sites on the Internet on Friday and that contains confessions of the offenses he committed. But, to tell you the truth, I am tired of talking about these depressing matters. Perhaps due to this fatigue of mine, I cannot keep myself thinking that “he has expressed exactly my thoughts” when I saw on Sunday the written statement Freedom Association (Özgür-Der) President Rıdvan Kaya made on Saturday. I would like to quote this statement with which I fully agree, although I do not personally know Kaya:
“The voice recording of Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ, posted on some Web sites on the Internet, exposes the hypocrisy and deception hidden behind the chorus, ‘There is an ongoing asymmetrical war against the TSK [Turkish Armed Forces].’ This recording, which the General Staff confirmed belonged to Başbuğ, contains bad language, threats and most importantly, the confession that the nation and the government are being fooled.
“As you will remember, in late December last year, Turkey heatedly discussed that Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç was being followed by military officers from the Special Forces Command. During the debates that lasted for several weeks, the advocates of militarism in the media and politics insisted that this claim was false and said instead the government was trying to present itself as a victim by manufacturing such scenarios. Some of them even went further to label Arınç as paranoid. In its first statement about the debates, the General Staff had declared that the military officers in question had gone to Çukurambar to fill a cartridge, but when this statement was found strange by the general public, it modified the statement, saying they were actually following a military officer who was leaking information.
“For the groups who tend to view the General Staff’s statements as divine commandments, this matter was clarified and closed. However, as was understood from the voice recording, the matter was not about following a military officer who was leaking information but an operation ordered by the General Staff. We wonder what sort of explanation pro-military groups will provide as the essence of the matter was disclosed.
“Gen. Başbuğ is talking about ‘the rotten’ inside as he usually does and draws attention to those who infiltrate the army. So, the problem is not about the effervescing junta activities in the barracks but about how to keep this information from leaking.
“Again, Başbuğ stresses that ‘there is time for everything’ or ‘no one should think that we just watch the development from afar,’ and this is another important matter. Like his previous warning that ‘there is a limit to our patience’ he had made on several occasions, this is a typical threat. We should ask Başbuğ: ‘What will come in time?’ and ‘What will you do when the time comes?’
“We underline once again: Turkey is under a comprehensive militarist threat. The problem is not about several juntas acting freely. There is a multifaceted military blockade guided by the General Staff at its center. Gen. Başbuğ’s words already confirm this. The chief of General Staff has lied to the people, trying to deceive the prime minister, to whom he is subordinate, and is trying to purge not the junta but the those who disclose their subversive activities. What he implies in this sentence that ‘we will know what should be done when the time comes’ are open threats to everyone living in this country.
This scene confirms the misery of militarism. The contradictions, deviations and stalemates created by the efforts to cover up a rotten system of injustice with threats, deceptions and lies are obvious to everyone. It is the duty of the government to take measures against this decay. Those who falter must be called to account. Thus, it is inevitable to call Başbuğ to account for his remarks.”
