The Protocol on Cooperation for Security and Public Order (EMASYA), which authorizes the military to conduct operations and intelligence gathering domestically without the approval of the civilian administration, has recently risen to the top of the agenda in Turkey in connection with an alleged military coup plan. Speaking during a TV program on Sunday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said: “No such thing as the EMASYA protocol can exist. We are taking necessary steps to abolish it. We will conclude our work to that end soon. This is a protocol, not a law. We will make legal changes if necessary. We will abolish the protocol.”Indicating that the EMASYA protocol was only one of the attempts to control the country through anti-democratic means, Star’s Nasuhi Güngör says no matter how late Turkey is in addressing the protocol, it is necessary to get rid of such covert and open-ended protocols immediately.
He says downplaying EMASYA as a protocol that defines the duties of the military in the wake of natural disasters is nothing more than recklessness if not a demonstration of a lack of knowledge. “Outlining what the military will do in the event of natural disasters and major security problems is different from forming a mechanism that will deactivate civilian politics. Let’s sit and decide on the missions and duties of the military in the wake of such disasters. And let’s not do this in a hasty way as if we were hiding something from the people. Let’s do this in Parliament,” suggests Güngör.
In this case, he says everyone will clearly know that the military will be ready carry out its responsibilities in the wake of, God forbid, earthquakes, fires and so on, but not in a way that presents itself as a power that can disregard the existence of civilian authorities.
“We are in urgent need of legal amendments that will eliminate protocols such as EMASYA and of course a new constitution that will be prepared with a broad consensus. Such a constitution will be the text that fundamentally removes flaws in Turkey such as EMASYA,” adds Güngör.
Radikal’s İsmet Berkan explains that the EMASYA protocol gives legal grounds for the military, which is responsible for the protection of the homeland, to deal with domestic security and categorize “potentially dangerous people” by searching neighborhoods. He says everyone knows about how the military categorizes people according to their beliefs, ethnicities and political leanings. “From the statement by Prime Minister Erdoğan, it is understood that a radical change will take place in Turkey regarding its view of domestic security. If you ask me, this will be a very beneficial development,” says Berkan.
Another Star columnist, Mehmet Altan, concludes from Erdoğan’s statement regarding the government’s plans for the abolishment of EMASYA that if he does not take radical steps to repair the system, the current status quo will prevail in Ankara forever.
