From this perspective, I can summarize the whole Ergenekon trial process in one sentence: The end of the total and unquestionable impunity of the Turkish military. Ahmet Altan published an article in the Taraf newspaper on Feb. 21, and I want to quote a few paragraphs from his article, which illustrates what is happening in Turkey right now so eloquently:“The army is beyond the law and above the judiciary. If that were not the case, would so many generals have been able to brashly organize meetings to discuss coup plans and would JİTEM have been able to kill thousands of people in the Southeast?“They believed they were untouchable, that they had the right to commit crimes and that they could do anything for the sake of the ‘state.’ They felt they were accountable to the state, not the nation. But they were the state themselves. So as you see, they were not accountable to anyone, and they did not have to answer to anyone. And they didn’t.
“This mentality is the basis of all fights, debates and altercations in this country today. There is a fight going on about whether ‘the army should or should not continue to be a power outside the reach of the law.’ …
“The army’s relationship with the law determines the type of country Turkey will be. It is not possible to democratize, modernize and develop with an army that is excluded from legal oversight. The danger to democracy is not ‘reactionaryism.’ The danger to democracy is the army’s extrajudicial stance.
“Many people in the media, politics and the judiciary claim that ‘including the army in the discipline of law’ will pave the way for ‘reactionaryism and disintegration.’
“What kind of a country is this that the only way it can remain secular and together is by ‘violating the law’? Can there be a secularism that conflicts with the law? Can we sustain unity that conflicts with the law?
“Our problem is not reactionaryism or separation. Our problem is ‘unlawfulness,’ inequality and a tribalized state order. If you don’t change this order, then you’ll always be afraid of everything because society will eventually revolt against this type of order. You can’t oppress religious people, kill Kurds, disregard Alevis, arrest leftists, ignore the army’s crimes and then expect society to remain passive.
“Society did not speak out for 80 years. But it is fed up.
“Changes in the world, capital movements in Anatolia and the ending of the people’s economic dependence on the state has paved the way for a large portion of the society to say, ‘enough is enough.’
“The July 22, 2007, election results were the clearest expression of the ‘enough is enough’ frustration. The Justice and Development Party [AK Party] did not win that election. Those who say, ‘The army should be beyond the reach of the law’ lost. This nation does not want an order in which chiefs of general staff are considered more important than the judiciary and the judiciary is silent when it comes to crimes committed by the army. Those who defend such an order will lose. They have no other chance, and they know this as well. It is because they have realized this fact that they are frustrated, are making attacks and accusations and have come to a point where they can no longer hide that they disregard the law.”
I totally agree with Altan, even though I do not share his optimism 100 percent. This current struggle in Turkey will continue with ups and downs. For a while, the country will continue to be very tense and this tension may even rise to “critical” levels from time to time. It is not an easy process.
Another annoying thing is that there is a very strong Ergenekon lobby working in Turkey and abroad that tries to portray this whole process “as Turkish Islamists versus the secular army.” I am really sick and tired of fighting against these stereotypes and prejudices.
It is quiet irritating to see some Western publications’ comments on the process in Turkey describing the situation as a “power struggle” between the “secularist army” and “Islamist government” as if two equal forces were fighting. As if one side were not a military junta trying to topple the legitimate government. As if there have been no military coups in Turkish history before. As if there has not been uninterrupted military guardianship in this country for the last hundred years. As if Turks do not deserve democracy. It is really exhausting…
Don’t you understand that if Turkey loses this struggle for democracy, a fascist regime will emerge in this country? This is not a “power game,” this is a life and death struggle. This is a struggle which will determine if this country will be governed by the rule of law or military juntas who have always enjoyed absolute and unbreakable impunity.
By the time you are reading this piece, I will be talking in a panel discussion on Turkey in the US Congress in Washington, D.C. I will try to share my views on Ergenekon and this struggle I mentioned with our American friends. It will be quiet interesting to talk about Turkey, whose history is just in the making.
