Initiative opponents don’t stand a chance

Either you'll see it like the “neo-nationalists,” the Republican People's Party (CHP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and say: “We are losing Turkey. The ruling power has surrendered/has been delivered,” or see it differently and say: “The conditions inside and outside have changed. In a turn of fate, Turkey is developing, and we are becoming stronger to occupy a position that befits us.” Take for example the Turkey-Armenia protocol-signing ceremony. Why were US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who stood in the back, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and European Union Foreign Policy Chief and NATO Secretary General Javier Solana at the ceremony? One perspective is they were there to watch as Turkey was being subjugated. Another perspective is this is a portrait that shows that global change and new circumstances have increased Turkey's importance. The demand for universal peace and the alliance of civilization, which intensified even more with the onslaught of global terror, has made Turkey an indispensable country. A Muslim secular country that values democracy, is open to integrating with the world and has been shaped with universal human rights is increasingly becoming a global power. Turkey has become an important balance factor of the global seesaw. As a new energy corridor, Turkey is a country whose strategic importance is multiplying for Europe, Russia and the Middle East. There is no other country in the world that is becoming a shining star as bright as Turkey. It is for this sole reason that Turkey must become a country that is reliable and powerful on the outside and a stable country that has solved it democracy problem in the inside. This is a reality that must be understood correctly. There is no healthy future for constitutional institutions, political parties, businesses, universities and, of course, the media that fail to see this reality. No one can any longer obstruct the path of initiatives and changes that have raised the bar of democracy. It is for this reason that the Ergenekon case will be purged of those who try to dilute, corrupt, suppress and distort information as soon as possible. Referring to the Ergenekon case, the EU progress report on Turkey did not state that it is the first case to probe a coup attempt and that the chief of staff put pressure on the judiciary by making comments on the Ergenekon case and indictment just for the sake of stating it.  

This is a call inviting everyone to finally understand the new situation. There is a reason the EU is highlighting the Ergenekon case, the improvement of constitutional institutions, the state of law and the opportunity being offered to Turkey. I wish our military, judiciary and media would see and accept the reality that everyone else sees and understands. If only they did not give other countries the opportunity to criticize or wag their finger at them. If only they were not ridiculed, rebuked or belittled.   

 The one same worry I came across in the cities I traveled for the Zaman daily's campaign was, “Can the Ergenekon case and the initiative efforts carry Turkey to the desired horizons?” My response was, “We may have troubles for one or two more generations, but there is no turning back from this road.”  

A major hurdle has been overcome and the act of moving forward cannot be stopped. Turkey's new dynamics and domestic and foreign political stances have empowered Turkey's democracy front. It is finally becoming understood that the status quo within the bureaucracy weakens and inhibits Turkey. From here on out Turkey will thrive on democracy, the state of law and its will to integrate with the world without foregoing its own values.