Those who have difficulty in accepting the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) did not find it legitimate, despite its having come to power via a system based on popular vote and created an artificial crisis out of a procedural disagreement with regard to the presidential election; subsequently faith in politics turned into weakness. Some even went further, arguing that democracy was not that important, since protection of republican values always comes first; democracy, the spirit of the republican regime, was weakened. In the name of the republic a certain social segment held rallies using our flag, the symbol of our union, and alienated the other segment; social harmony was wounded.
The Constitutional Court was asked to arbitrate the issue simply in an attempt to prevent the election of the president by the AK Party. A very unusual pretext was created, despite the opposition of the majority of legal analysts, the court ruled that the number of deputies needed to open the plenary session should be 367 for the presidential election process; rule of law and trust in the judiciary were weakened.
The True Path party (DYP) and the Motherland Party (ANAVATAN) refused to attend the plenary session; the national will was weakened. The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) issued a military warning on the night of April 27 and implied a direct military coup; democratic parliamentary regime and faith in the mililtary were weakened. The administration -- quite rightly -- refused to obey the memo; the separation of powers, already fuzzy, was further weakened.
The EU warned the military; it underlined that the armed forces should act within its limits in a democratic system, otherwise Turkey’s membership bid would come to an end; our EU venture was wounded.
The US, which invaded Iraq, took away the possibility of a cross-border military operation; our ability to use our national force was weakened. Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani, with faith in his US support, threatened Turkey; our national honor was weakened.
To cut a long story short, it is not surprising that in such a country the terrorists are making a move. When the lion is weak not only hyenas but also coyotes take action. We -- not others -- will heal our wounds; we will remove our weaknesses. Everybody should reconsider his faults as soon as possible. The TSK should clearly state its loyalty to democratic principles; all parties should note that the solution will be sought in the election polls, whose outcomes should be accepted and respected by all.
All party leaders should declare in their popular speeches that they will not promote hatred, anger or enmity. Every leader should explain his projects on how to resolve the imminent problems of the country so that peace and serenity will prevail in the elections. The judiciary should not consider closing down political parties. The Higher Education Board (YÖK) should do its job and avoid becoming a source of controversy. Our democracy is wounded and our state lacks of institutional integrity; traitors and foes are waiting for an opportunity to inflict their damage. We did not deserve this; we are not destined for these failures and weaknesses. The party leaders should come together as soon as possible to show that our nation is strong enough to stand against terrorism. Let us not forget that abduction by the ambition for power has always been costly for nations.
