My first reaction was rather clear: “They make things worse as they try to speak out about it.” Unfortunately, that was the case. Indeed, the communication experts of the General Staff still failed to take an interest in the essence of the matter, but opted for populism. Their explanations were contradictory and even unreasonable, but they were so focused on receiving applause from the outside that it was impossible for them to have an external view of themselves and realize that they were putting our great army in a difficult situation. Any person who had closely followed the events from the start would have the same reaction: “They make things worse as they try to speak out about it.”I wish this hadn’t been the case. If only our army, which was embraced by this nation with love, did not easily give in to the popular perception that it falters with the weight of small calculations. If only some officials could realize that words uttered without premeditation are doing great damage to the people’s trust in them. I wish the great Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) would not devastate itself to this extent for the case of a junta, or at least that it would prevent the formation of such an image.
TSK generates more questions
The “information meeting” held on Friday was fully a communication accident. And those papers who ran headline stories about the statements made there without questioning the meeting in the least or investigating the background of what was said there only served to add fuel to this accident. Even a reporter in hot pursuit of the recent developments could easily realize how contradictory the remarks uttered at that meeting were. Indeed, the General Staff had to issue another statement less than one day after that meeting. This because the arguments voiced at that briefing were already refuted. Too bad! It is not understandable why such an important institution has opted for such a bad course of communication.
Those who spoke on behalf of the General Staff confessed a crime. They confirmed the existence of the documents which were disclosed by an unknown whistle-blower and which were reported by the papers as a “memorandum of categorizing Web sites.” A complete disaster! Rather, an open crime! Indeed, this memorandum served as a confession of two facts: (1) Some Web sites had been categorized under labels without a judicial decision, and (2) psychological warfare had been conducted over some Web sites, and the people and organizations connected with them were accused or imputed -- again without a court decision.
Yes, but was the General Staff entitled to do so? For the people who held the meeting on behalf of the General Staff, the answer to this question was “Yes,” because they said that they did this upon instructions from the Prime Ministry. With this shocking statement, the General Staff drew the pin of the hand grenade and subjected the government to a fatal training of opportunities. When the Prime Ministry justifiably rejected this statement and asked when the instruction in question was given and under which legal justifications, the air changed. In a written statement, the General Staff had to disclose that the instruction in question had been given in 2000. It was a complete blunder. A pure communication accident. Why?
If you really intended the year 2000, why did you signify 2007 by referring to Law No. 5651 at the briefing? The sentences uttered there had made everyone assume that there was a new instruction, and indeed, some papers ran headline stories under the intoxication of the briefing. It came out that the instruction in question had been given at a time when former Chief of General Staff Gen. Hüseyin Kıvrıkoğlu had claimed that Feb. 28 would last forever. It is understood from the written statement of the General Staff that the Web sites in question were revised for adaptation to Law No. 5651, dated 2007, and then were canceled altogether. Is this acceptable?
In fact, no justification can ever legitimize this memorandum. They not only categorized people under labels of separatist, religious or reactionary without a court decision, but also conducted one-way propaganda against them as a psychological warfare method. The Web sites which were labeled in this memorandum say that they will take legal action against the General Staff. I wonder how the officials who made confessions -- perhaps inadvertently -- during the information meeting will defend themselves? No defense can be made, of course. Indeed, the duties of the General Staff cannot contain any extra-judicial activity, and so they cannot label people under some categories.
What about the Web sites which defame people with false accusations? How can the General Staff back these crazy Web sites? They say that this was done upon instruction from the Prime Ministry! So is there any official who can explain the lies, slander and defamation these Web sites circulate about the prime minister and the government and other Cabinet members? I said they make things worse as they try to speak out because of the deep sorrow I feel for this situation. This country’s army is not supposed to set traps against this country’s political parties or the people of this country. Every word said beyond this is futile, and far from being persuasive.
Army junta must stand trial
When Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ said, “This army does not shelter any pro-coup military officers,” he received applause from all groups in the country. When he said concerning the document he labeled a “piece of paper” that the investigation would restart when new information, new documents and new indications came to light, he refreshed people’s trust in him. The developments of recent months have shattered this image to pieces. Because communication errors were made one after another, and a certain image formed in the general public. Unfortunately, the image is as follows: There is document with a real signature, military officers who signed that document and military authorities who refuse to purge the junta from the army. Don’t you think this is pitiful? How can this country continue to live under the shadow of such an image? The coup generals have been sweating blood for months in Honduras. All army commanders were removed from office in Paraguay in the face of emerging rumors about a coup. Don’t you think that affording protection to the junta in Turkey -- or at least creating such an image -- is a shame for the country?
Consecutive errors were made and are still being made. In fact, there is only one way out: to pave the way for the junta nested within the army to stand trial. For an improved image of the army, this road map is vital. Otherwise, every word uttered in defense of the junta will cause this distinguished institution to lose its image. And this does not benefit anyone.
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