The original treacherous document, complete with a real signature, which a patriotic military officer sent to a prosecutor’s office along with a whistleblower’s letter, has proven beyond doubt that at least some groups within the army are betraying the nation. It is unthinkable for either Turkey or the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) to continue to live with this great disgrace or cover it up. Now that this treason within the army has been proven, the chief of general staff, the government and other elected authorities have a great responsibility and duties to carry out. In this column, I will try to draw up a framework of these duties and tasks from an external point of view.First, let us start with an observation. The place where the plan to betray the nation and the government was prepared is significant. As is already known to everyone, the Information Support Unit -- formerly known as the Psychological Warfare Department -- is located within the headquarters of the General Staff. In other words, whatever this unit deals with, either legally or illegally, it happens immediately next door to Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ. Thus, if Gen. Başbuğ is unaware of the treacherous plans and conspiracies devised in his close proximity -- some of which were implemented, such as arbitrary raids, detentions and arrests in Erzincan on March 23 -- then this undoubtedly indicates a certain weakness in commanding and administering the army or a negligence of duty, which raises grave concerns as to the capability of such a commander to head the TSK. Given the great magnitude of his impotence, it is no longer appropriate for him to continue in this position. What Gen. Başbuğ is supposed to do is to expediently remove the military officers who had caused this inadequacy from office and, at the same time, resign. This is the sort of behavior that befits an honorable Turkish military officer.
On the other hand, considering the physical proximity to Gen. Başbuğ of the unit that prepared these treacherous plans, we can conclude that these insidious plans could not have been devised without his knowledge. Thus, we can arrive at a further conclusion that the plans in question had been prepared within the chain of command and upon orders from and with the knowledge of Gen. Başbuğ, which is even more scandalous than the first option. This implies that even the highest level of the army’s command center is in clear betrayal of democracy, the elected government, the nation and the honorable military profession -- which essentially consist of nothing but the defense of the country. In particular, if we take into consideration Gen. Başbuğ’s efforts to afford protection to the Ergenekon defendants, as well as those military officers charged with the preparation of the “treacherous document,” and his statements and discourse that come as a shock even to an ordinary citizens’ sense of the rule of law, we can deduce that the second option is more likely. What must be done in such a case is crystal clear. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan must immediately remove from office Gen. Başbuğ as well as the other commanders who have betrayed the government and the whole nation.
Be it the first or the second option, administrative measures to be implemented by the prime minister and the president against the command center of the army should not be regarded as sufficient. Civilian prosecutors and courts should immediately open comprehensive and multidimensional investigations into the matter. The rotten apples that have played a role in this process of betrayal within the army must all be identified, and they must be arrested, tried and punished as they deserve. No one can be expected to have confidence in an army that uses public resources, which come from the hard-earned taxes paid by ordinary citizens like me, against ordinary citizens like me, which it treats as enemies. However, we, as ordinary people, obviously need a modern army that we can trust fully in terms of external security and non-intervention in internal politics and that has fully internalized democracy.
Undoubtedly, a one-dimensional investigation conducted by a single authority will not be sufficient. As the head of state, and the commander-in-chief of the TSK, President Abdullah Gül must take immediate action to order a probe by the Presidential State Audit Institution (DDK) into the cancerous treason within the army. Each phase of this probe must be conducted in a transparent manner, disclosing the information and documents obtained to the general public, the target of this great treason.
Furthermore, a duly authorized parliamentary investigation commission must be established with the participation of all parliamentary parties, and this commission should conduct an in-depth investigation into the activities of the junta that has stained the honorable name of the Turkish army.
It is high time that our republic, whose establishment we marked yesterday on its 86th anniversary, became truly democratic in line with the rule of law. It is our heartfelt wish that the 86th year of our republic becomes a year of democratic purification. The only thing we need to become a perfect democracy respecting the rule of law in which our army will revert to its primary mission is that our rulers, which we have elected to office, act this time in a radical and comprehensive manner with the democratic boldness they occasionally exhibit. The power they need in order to exhibit this courage has already been profoundly granted to them by the nation.
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