“The military cannot continually hold the coup sword over the civilian government administrating the nation,” Başer told audience members at a panel discussion hosted by the Turkish World Research Foundation -- of which Ergenekon defendant retired Gen. Veli Küçük is also a member. There was a bit of tension between Başer and some members of the audience, which had repeatedly asked him, “Why isn’t the military doing the duty that has fallen upon its shoulders?” in an apparent reference to the lack of intervention into governmental affairs.
Başer responded sharply to such inquiries, saying he was surprised to encounter such calls to action in a Turkey knocking at the entry door of the European Union. “The TSK is not the military of undisciplined [soldiers]. It is a military regulated by law and tied to the Constitution,” he warned, emphasizing the importance of democracy.
“The administration did this incorrectly -- let’s get up in the morning and stage a coup, let’s give them hell -- this is unacceptable. This would mean that you’ve set your belief in democracy aside. If you continually try to hold this coup sword over the head of the civilian administration running the government, then it becomes more difficult to speak of democracy,” Başer said.
The retired commander noted that the members of the TSK come from the general public, expressing that he himself was the son of a police officer. Recalling that he was orphaned and poor from a young age, he said: “When I was 3 years old, my uncles, who were carpenters and imams, took me in and raised me. I am one who has risen to the highest ranks of the armed forces. So don’t think of the military as something separate from yourself.”
Başer’s comments came as a surprise at the Turkish World Research Foundation panel. When asked why the TSK did not intervene when allegedly faced with a party warned regarding its adherence to the Constitution, the retired general replied: “The responsibility for fulfilling what the Constitutional Court decision entails falls upon the shoulders of others. Basically, it falls upon the administrators of the party addressed by the court’s decision to examine the decision and say, ‘This means that in order to avoid being characterized as such, there are things that we need to do’.”
Başer also commented on the recent controversy surrounding the discovery of the original copy of a document outlining a plot against the government that was undersigned by a high-ranking military officer on active duty, noting that the document was still being evaluated and authenticated by the justice system. He said it would be a mistake to remove the involved persons from their posts before the legal process is complete.
Benzer Haberler 
National
