The plot in question, which was revealed last year, includes systematic plans to damage the image of the AK Party government and the Gülen movement in the eyes of the public, to play down the Ergenekon investigation and to gather support for members of the military arrested as part of the Ergenekon inquest. Ergenekon is a clandestine criminal organization accused of working to overthrow the government. Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ, who rejected the existence of such a plot, described the plan as a “piece of paper” and complained that psychological warfare was being waged against the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), at a news conference he held after the discovery of the plot. Now that the authenticity of the plot has been confirmed by various authorities, everyone wonders how those who denied the existence of this plot will act.In the wake of the General Staff’s initial denial of the subversive plot, Bugün’s Erhan Başyurt says Gen. Başbuğ owes the Turkish nation an apology for downplaying the plot and accusing some circles of waging psychological warfare against the TSK. He says the authenticity of the signature on the plot has shown that there was a deliberate attempt to mislead both the public and the judiciary about the plot, which is known to have been prepared at the General Staff headquarters. “The Turkish nation, judiciary and the objective Turkish media are waiting for an apology from Başbuğ for his remarks. I believe Gen. Başbuğ has the courage to offer such an apology,” suggests Başyurt.
Sabah’s Mahmut Övür says it is now the turn of some civilians who did not believe in the existence of the plot in question, such as Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal, to admit that such a plan exists following the Gendarmerie General Command’s Criminal Investigation Department’s confirmation of the authenticity of the plot. CHP leader Baykal earlier said the controversy that emerged over the plot in question was in vain as it was no longer on the agenda, while describing it and other similar coup plans as moves to wear down the TSK.
In the wake of the confirmation of the authenticity of the Action Plan to Fight Reactionaryism by the gendarmerie, another Sabah columnist, Nazlı Ilıcak, wonders whether those who downplayed the plot will take a step back. “Will Baykal, who criticized the ATK for its report, take a step back? Will Başbuğ, who described the plan as a ‘piece of paper,’ take a step back? In other words, will he let the investigation into the plot become more thorough? If the investigation into the plot is deepened, will Gen. Hasan Iğsız, the commander of the 1st Army, be touched?” wonders Ilıcak.
