Remarks by Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal and Democrat Party (DP) leader Hüsamettin Cindoruk are the most recent examples of this. Baykal expressed full support for the detainees held in Silivri Prison whereas Cindoruk argued that scholars, rectors, party leaders, TV station owners and other leading figures in this country would not have been taken into custody if democracy had been dominant in Turkey. Resistance by the status quo is of course something we should expect. The guardianship system assumes that excess democracy will mobilize all its powers; it is not easy to deal with the powers assuming legitimacy over the popular will. Is it possible to expect them to accept the new situation when they had been the dominant powers in this country for many years?There is another interesting development: the fight over Ergenekon has been taken to the ground of the Kurdish opening. This is also something we should expect because there are connections between Ergenekon and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) as well as the Kurdish issue. What do 17,000 unresolved murders say? What is the role of a guardianship regime in the escalation of terror? When terror is ended and illegal entities are destroyed inside the state, democratic moves will gain momentum. Turkey's political structure will be positively affected by this. These are intricate and intertwined issues that need to be taken into account.
The Ergenekon case is the labor pain of the democratization process in Turkey. If the birth takes place without any problem, Turkey will have resolved its problems. Otherwise, the lives of the mother as well as the baby are at risk.
Those who want the domination of democratization and the rule of law in this country, those who want an expansion of the sphere of liberties should never stop their fight. Just as Baykal and Cindoruk pay attention to their cause at every opportunity, we have to keep our struggle alive. Sometimes I hear that Today's Zaman and the affiliate media organs pay too much attention to the Ergenekon case. Actually, what we do is not enough. Let me tell you this: if the pro-democracy media pays too little attention, Turkey will have to deal with greater problems.
The illegal entities within the state have not yet been revealed fully. They are still influential in many state institutions. The case should be furthered to reveal the detailed connections of these illegal enterprises. This will have serious consequences for all of us. The basic question that remains unanswered is this: Is this visible resistance a controlled situation or not? In other words, the issue is delicate and urging further steps may be detrimental to the process. If this is the case, there is an explanation for the cautionary approach of some state institutions.
But if this is not the case and it considers gaining power by making some sacrifices at the beginning, this is a grave mistake. We do not know the reality; both possibilities may apply. There may be two major powers inside the state, and there may be a huge war between these groups.
Nothing is clear yet, but there is one thing for sure: the nation has become aware of what is going on. The people now see the truth. Turkey is not the old Turkey. The Ergenekon case has destroyed the status quo. Nobody will be able to revive it again.
