It is unusual because we are accustomed to reading the military’s public statements over comparatively insignificant issues, let alone coup allegations. Why are they so silent this time?
One explanation is that the diary supposedly written by Adm. Örnek is authentic. It means that a junta within the military really attempted to stage coup twice in 2004. A journalist in Ankara, Aslı Aydıntaşbaş, who is close to military sources, wrote last week in the Sabah daily that the diary is being treated as authentic in Ankara circles. The personal impression of the journalist from her contacts with high ranking commanders, who do not rule out the authenticity of the diary, is affirmative too. The silence may therefore be interpreted as an acknowledgment of the truth of the content of the diary.
The second explanation is that, true or false, the military is purposively refraining from denouncing this diary and the engagement of its top commanders in a coup. Behind the silence of the military there is an implicit message that such a line of action is possible, and is even being contemplated nowadays. The silence therefore is designed as a strategy to put pressure on the presidential election process, implying that the military keeps all options, including a coup, open.
Authentic or used as an opportunity to send threatening messages to the government, both are unacceptable in a democracy.
In any case I cannot help but remember the strategy revealed in Admiral Örnek’s diary to add some social clothing to the attempted coups, which may explain some current developments.
Organize civil society: on April 14 the ADD (the Kemalist Thought Association) headed by a retired general, Şener Eruygur, who was the lead man in the 2004 coup attempts, is organizing a mass rally in Ankara that will certainly be used as an occasion to call on the “dynamic forces” to move in.
Mobilize the universities: universities seem actively involved in the ADD rally by postponing examinations and providing free transportation to Ankara. The Rectors Committee, an unconstitutional entity headed by a professor of constitutional law, issued a declaration last week explaining extra-constitutional conditions for presidential candidates. The declaration resembled the “fatwa” issued by the professors of law in 1960 to justify the bloody 1960 military coup leading to the execution of Prime Minister Menderes and two of his ministers.
Mobilize the like-minded media. Even in the mainstream media there is no shortage of journalists and columnist who are calling on the military to do something to stop PM Erdoğan or anyone from the AK Party from becoming president.
So, the strategy of staging a coup may well be in play at the moment too.
Should we take these possibilities seriously? Yes, indeed. I am pretty sure that those anti-globalization forces are determined to do whatever they are capable of to take Turkey away from integrating with the world so that they can establish a fascistic regime in this country isolated from the world. The last chance they have is to exploit the presidential elections to incite a coup.
Democratic vigilance is needed, which requires an investigation into the uncovered activities. The matter is now being investigated by the chief public prosecutor in Ankara, who will send the file to the chief of general staff and ask for his approval to open the case. You can guess what will happen next. The chief of general staff will reply that these are rumors warranting no investigation. How can we defend and consolidate democracy if an attempt at overthrowing the civilian government cannot be legally investigated. If the coup makers are successful, they make the law. If they fail, the civilians cannot dare to investigate the matter. Thus, militarism is the winner in any case.
There is at least one option at hand. I will repeat myself: it is to set up a parliamentary commission comprising all the political parties within the parliament to investigate the attempted coup. This is a must as well as an opportunity to consolidate democracy and correct once and for all civilian supremacy over the military. Since any coup is directed at the notion of the supremacy of the national will and its embodiment, the parliament, it should be the parliament that should take the matter into its hands. Otherwise those adventurists in the military with political ambitions will always find the courage to turn their arms against the will of the nation.
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