Myths were enough to once again blend populations that had become individualized into a set of traditions. However, for populations that had become individualized, becoming a nation needed a different process. In order for these populations to become nations, someone needed to “take ownership” over them. It was as if without being owned, these people did not know where to go and could only become a real nation once owned.In Turkey, the proprietor of this ownership is the military. It is believed that the military, as a conscientious historical actor, saved the country from enemies, formed a nation and gave it a place in the world which it deserved -- all independent of the people. This myth is not without a degree of historical truth, but it has almost been made sacred and drawn into the thoughts of the people, who are used to an authoritarian mindset. So much so that cliché statements far removed from historical facts, such as “Every Turk is born a solider” and the belief that Turks are a “soldier nation,” are pervasive. Even the fact that hundreds of thousands avoided the military draft during the Turkish War of Independence, the most important event in the formation of the Turkish state, is not enough to disprove these widely held beliefs.
When looked at from this perspective, we can say that myths are vehicles for self-trickery and we engage in them willingly. This trickery serves a function. It resulted in the military becoming almost like a “church” committee over and exclusive of the people.
This said, Turkey is going through an unparalleled period right now. We are learning that not only are there coup attempts being made within the military, but criminal organizations that become part of many plots, including murder, are actually forming. It is not difficult to imagine how shocking this information is for people who have put the media on a lofty pedestal. The transformation of the military's usual sanctified status into a symbol of illegal operations will leave the people feeling neglected. The unraveling of the army, the most trusted -- and for some the only trusted -- organization, as a formation no longer to be trusted has certainly bothered the psyche of the Turkish people.
It is very important for this reason that we understand how the view of the people regarding the military has been affected, and a poll conducted by MetroPoll last week, to a certain extent, handles this task. This study, conducted nationwide via telephone, despite being of questionable reliability, is beneficial in terms of exposing some tendencies.
The first observation that can be made is that a request has been put forth for a more democratic country with regard to civilian-military relations. For example, while there is an objection to civilians being tried in military courts, there is support for soldiers who have committed crimes of coup-plotting and execution and forming gangs being tried in civilian courts. While there are no huge gaps between the two views, we must recall that people in the past approached such questions with a much more heightened sense of conservatism, and thus it is possible to say that the desire for a state of law is on the rise.
However, we encounter much more complex views in answers to questions bringing the impact of the military on politics and the prestige of the military as an institution face to face. While 65 percent of people find it wrong for the military to state an opinion, 50 percent of people find it acceptable for generals to hold press conferences covering political issues. In addition, more people oppose trying Kenan Evren, the leader of the 1980 coup, than want him to be tried. It seems the Turkish society, asking for politics to be free, is still not ready for the military to become an ordinary thing and for the state to be subject to the norms of a state of law.
The background of this indecisive mentality can possibly be found with questions related to the military. The majority of society says it is not possible to stage a coup d'état (63 percent), yet 48 percent believe there are people within the military who desire a coup and 47 percent that the military is not interfering in this situation. In other words, the results indicate that the military is disconnected from reality and is very likely to commit crimes.
The poll presents a very common state of mind: Turkey's society is integrating politics with the “future” and desires for the state to change into a democratic state of law. It associates the institutional structure of the state -- especially the military -- with the “past” and has difficulty criticizing it because that “past” was created fed by a series of myths. The past has an imaginary as well as a fragile structure. This fragility is not only related to the function of the military but also directly to the Turkish identity and the foundation of Turkey.
The process we are in may conclude with the collapse of this series of myths that we use to deceive ourselves. Maybe we all want this to happen and are anxious about not having a democratic tradition.
