PM: Attempts against democracy threat to existence of state, nation

Those who are nourished by such plans, who use them as a means of abuse and benefit from them should know that all those subversive plans are cursed and that curse will pull them toward darkness, sentencing them eternally in the public conscience.”

Erdoğan was implicitly referring to a military coup plot that was uncovered last week. The “Sledgehammer Security Operation Plan,” revealed by the Taraf daily, led to a nationwide outcry because it included detailed plans to trigger chaos in the country with the ultimate goal of a military takeover.

According to the plan, the military was to systematically foment disorder in society through violent acts, among which were planned bomb attacks on the Fatih and Beyazıt mosques in İstanbul.

The General Staff denounced the allegations, claiming that the plan was a “scenario against external threats.” Erdoğan complained that some circles had remained under suspicion in the wake of assassinations of some intellectuals in the country; however, the real masterminds behind those murders were emerging now.

Erdoğan said the real masterminds behind the murders of journalists Uğur Mumcu, Abdi İpekçi and Çetin Emeç, academic Necip Hablemitoğlu and politician Bahriye Üçok could not be uncovered.

“History reveals facts. Now, the truth is slowly emerging. What we are doing now is removing the mystery surrounding the murders of journalist Hrant Dink, İpekçi and Mumcu and casting a light on these murders in order to prevent the reoccurrence of such incidents in the future,” Erdoğan said.

The prime minister also complained about the lack of support from the opposition parties in the government’s struggle against illegality.

Stressing the importance of receiving the support of all segments of society, particularly the support of the opposition parties in this regard, Erdoğan said he was unable to understand why some parties act as advocates of illegal groups.

He was referring to the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), whose leader Deniz Baykal declared that he was an advocate of Ergenekon. Ergenekon is a clandestine crime network that has alleged links within the state and is suspected of plotting to topple the government. Dozens of Ergenekon suspects are being tried in a court in İstanbul’s Silivri district over charges of being members of a terrorist organization.

The CHP and supporters of Ergenekon describe the investigation into the organization as a government attempt to crack down on its opponents while the supporters of the case see it as milestone in the progress of Turkish democracy.

The prime minister noted that Turkey was undergoing critical times with regard to its democracy, national sovereignty and transparency while noting that his government was trying to change the status quo in the country.

“The issue is this, will Turkey change or will it be left to its fate? Will Turkey remain with the status quo and become isolated or will it continue its transformation in the axis of the modern world. Will Turkey have an advanced democracy, a modern legal system or will it continue on its way in a backward and defective manner? We are in favor of change and a change of the status quo. We are in favor of democracy and democratization. We are in favor of Turkey opening up to the world, an advanced democracy and legal system and more freedoms,” he explained.

The prime minister also directed criticism toward some columnists who he said were “provoking” the government.

“Some columnists are trying to provoke us. I am sorry, but we know what we are doing. Nobody should try to provoke us. If you are comfortably writing those articles in your columns today, please ask yourself why you were not able to write such things seven years ago,” asked Erdoğan.

Erdoğan was responding to allegations that Turkey was heading toward “civilian fascism,” under the AK Party government, which has been in power since 2002. The government strongly rejects accusations that they are aiming to destabilize the country.