The emphasis on the "people of Turkey" opens new horizons with respect to the Kurdish issue or the southeastern problem. If this emphasis -- it was made with reference to Atatürk's words and many people have been aware of the existence of these words for many years -- had been made, say, 30 years ago, would the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorism have caused Turkey to lose so many people and so much time and energy?Likewise, the emphasis on democracy in the sentence, "modern republic is possible only with democracy," is nothing but the stance frequently advocated by the intellectuals who are often labeled as second republic supporters or as agents of external forces.
Mr. Başbuğ said that the top item on the list of the foundations of democracy is the "separation of powers." This is the most problematic issue in Turkish democracy. But what was the purpose of posting an electronic memorandum at the official website of the General Staff during the last presidential election in order to meddle in the election on the principle of separation of powers? If a change of mentality is now in the offing, should he not start an open self-critique about the army's stance including the military coups?
The chief of general staff says that "the military has always acted as a pioneer in the transformation of societies." Today, the country's biggest social transformation project, which also concerns the country's administration is Turkey's bid to become a European Union member. Why did Mr. Başbuğ refrain from making even a single reference to the country's EU bid during his two-hour speech? During his first meeting with the press, he had been asked about the Turkish Armed Forces' (TSK) support for the country's EU bid, and he said: "I commented about it in my speech during the handover ceremony. The TSK has always been the symbol of modernity and progress. For the TSK, full membership of the EU is an important tool for reaching above the level of contemporary civilization as set out by Atatürk." Although his speech was prepared by a team of staff officers, did he not mention the EU bid just because of forgetfulness?
The comments by the chief of general staff about religion, religious communities, politics and society contain many question marks. The definition of religion cannot be made by the state. The sources of our religion are well known: the Qur'an, hadith (Prophet Muhammad's traditions), icma (scholarly consensus), and kıyas (analogy). We are not re-discovering our religion; Islam has existed in these lands for many centuries. It continues to embrace us as the most critical cement in our unity with love, tolerance and justice. Democratic secularism cannot impose on believers what they should do and how, but provide a free environment where they can enjoy their faith. This is how it is in Europe or in the US.
If Islam is not correctly understood, its devout followers cannot be correctly understood either. In this country, no follower of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) can be an enemy of the military which is regarded as the House of the Prophet. Even the thought of it cannot pass through his or her mind. Just as a Muslim cannot be a terrorist, s/he cannot be the enemy of the armed forces of their own country -- regarded as its most precious organization. In this country, hatred of the armed forces is the biggest issue. We believe that the conscience of the general public will judge the attempt to present the majority of devout people as the enemy of the state who are building economic and political power under the ambiguous designation of "some religious communities." Similarly, we leave it to the conscience of the general public to decide on those who speak of preconceptions but then have preconceptions about the millions of people who only glorify the homeland, the flag and Turkey's strength. Also, we are sure that the nation will decide on the implications of showing tolerance to PKK members in the mountains, but not extending the same tolerance toward the people in these "religious communities." What is dangerous is the creation of an atmosphere which is conducive to groups seeking to provoke and conspire against people through new tolerant stances like this one.
The Ergenekon terrorist organization trial is extending to the armed forces. What is important here is not to discredit the TSK as an institution but to make sure the state can handle this issue properly. We do not want to see our armed forces being mentioned in connection with military coups, antidemocratic interventions or illegal organizations. This is not hatred toward the military. Rather, it is our intention to see our armed forces as the primary source of trust.
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