Instead of focusing on the content of the document, they discuss who might have leaked it, and some even talk about the existence of a machine that can reproduce a genuine signature, claiming that Col. Dursun Çiçek’s signature on the document may have been produced by such a machine even though a forensic report has revealed that the signature is genuine. If we lived in a country where the military had never attempted to interfere with politics or made shady plans to this effect, only then could we be skeptical about the authenticity of such a document. But in a country such as Turkey that has suffered from coups and coup attempts many times, the arguments of circles that are still skeptical about the authenticity of the document seem to be a manipulative effort to cover up the case.
Star’s Mustafa Karaalioğlu says the existence of plot deniers who continue to dispute the authenticity of the plot in order to protect those responsible for it is very instructive. He says that while the General Staff has approached the case with caution and referred it to the judiciary, these circles see themselves as above even the General Staff. “On the one hand, they say the signature on the document might be fake. On the other hand, they say the case should be heard by a military court; they certainly spread this propaganda through the media, through certain channels,” he notes. In his view, the efforts of these circles are very meaningless and desperate because even if they play various games to cover up this case, the public will never be convinced.
“Nobody should think that if the army plot is weakened and those responsible for it escape punishment, the case will be covered up. This case will never be closed; on the contrary, it will have more damaging effects. Turkey should confront this case honestly for once and cause the military’s habit of intervening in politics to end up in the garbage bin of history thanks to this case. A solution other than this will not be a solution,” says Karaalioğlu.
Radikal’s Oral Çalışlar says those who pin their hopes on militarism and continue to dispute the authenticity of the military’s latest plot to meddle in politics are left with no hope because the era of coups and coup perpetrators has ended in Turkey. “The junta members were caught red-handed. The political environment shows that their legitimacy has finished. Many figures who supported earlier military interventions now say, ‘Enough is enough.’ This is one of the most important indicators of the change of an era. The debate on whether Çiçek undersigned that document has finished. There is no need to make efforts to prove the opposite. That document was signed. The important thing is now to reveal those who made contributions to the preparation of such a plot and to remove them from the military’s ranks,” suggests Çalışlar.
Expressing his surprise over the reactions of some circles who claim that the army document is the result of a conspiracy, Milliyet’s Hasan Cemal recalls the many military interventions that have taken place in this country. He says that if the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) does not want to become further undermined, it has to reform itself in line with the fundamentals of democracy and the state of law.
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