Revelations by Nokta newsweekly about two possible military coups planed in 2004 by high-level military commanders are hard to digest for Turkey and the EU. If these reports, which have not been effectively denied, are true then while Turkey was taking historic steps to meet EU accession criteria, there were some in the military -- in fact, the commanders of the four major branches of the military -- preparing a detailed plan for a takeover. It’s hard to believe. Anyhow we will see all this in the regular report to be prepared by the European Commission toward the end of this year that questions the commitment that Turkish institutions have for democracy.
Will the commission report suggest suspension of negotiations? I do not rule out such a possibility, but am inclined to wait and see the attitude of the military high-command toward the presidential and parliamentary elections. Even something short of a direct interference of the military in this process may persuade the EU circles to say enough is enough. But a high-profile military presence in Turkish politics may also give rise to a completely different response if it is perceived by Western circles that the military’s high visibility is engineered to cut off the accession process.
Let’s not forget that accession negotiations are based on Turkey’s performance in regards to the Copenhagen political criteria, which is not criteria fulfilled once for all time, but rather criteria continuously fulfilled. It sets the condition for EU countries as achieving “stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities.”
Can we claim that we have “stability of institutions,” guaranteeing democracy as long as we think, talk and fear a military coup? I raised this question in this column some two weeks ago, warning that while debating about the upcoming presidential elections we should keep the Copenhagen criteria in mind.
It appears that despite all the efforts for reform over the last six years we are still far from satisfying the Copenhagen political criteria in terms of the stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
Where are those institutions?
While the judiciary is supposed to be the guardian of rights and freedoms of the citizens, it chose to be the vanguard of an outdated model of Kemalism. They are more interested in keeping their privileges, as displayed during the debate last week on the elections of new members for the Supreme Council.
Are all political parties, supposedly the foundations of a democratic regime, committed to democracy and its corollary, the supremacy of national will? It is hard to say yes. Some, having no hope for election success, are calling on “dynamic forces” -- for which read military -- to be part of the political process, including the election of the next president.
What about the military? It has nothing to do with all of these only if some of its personnel at the highest level stop contemplating a coup and attempting to manipulate civil society and the media!
While independent media are doing a great job of uncovering coup attempts, others are more interested in who leaked these secret “military” documents in an attempt to divert the public’s attention away from the content of the document. The universities? They are busy forcing their students to attend demonstrations organized by militarist associations with anti-democracy and anti-EU views.
Given all this, I do think that Turkey is likely to encounter fundamental problems with its EU accession in the near future. The only hope is that the EU will appreciate the fact that consolidation of democracy in Turkey requires keeping Turkey’s EU ambitions alive. However we can not rely on the goodwill of the Europeans, but instead must do our part of the job.
Therefore these reports should be thoroughly investigated in order to consolidate Turkish democracy. If the judiciary does not do its part, as pointed out by Prime Minister Erdoğan on Wednesday, a parliamentary committee should be set up to investigate these claims. Then Turkey’s historic march toward EU accession may continue uninterrupted.
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