Ertugrul Ozkok: Would I support a military coup?
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Haziran 22, 2006 12:05
Let's imagine ourselves shooting forward into the future, into next May to be specific. Think for a moment, that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had in fact announced himself as a candidate for presidency of the country. Imagine then that he wins, with the support of the AKP, in the first round of voting.
And here, I stop to ask those who see themselves as representatives of this republic, and who vow that "the republic will not be 'lost' at the ballot box,": what would you/will you do with results like this from the Turkish Parliament? Will opposition party members stand up and march out of parliament, and forcibly dissolve the government, bringing it back to "the people"? This next question may cause some discomfort, but I'll ask it anyway: Or will you just sit back and wait for a military coup?
*****
Turkey has witnessed this happen in the past when the Turkish Parliament was unable to elect a president. But Turkey has never witnessed a military coup because of the president elected by the Turkish Parliament. If you want, let's go a step further and ask this question: If there were such a coup, who would support it? I don't know about others, but I can say for myself that, as a journalist, I would never, ever support such a movement.
*****
My sincere belief is that if the people of this country elected in this parliament, and if, by consititutional right, this parliament has the right to select the president, then they may well select someone from their ranks. And no one has the right to argue the legitimacy of the person selected. If Erdogan is in fact elected president, the opposition has only one weapon in their hands: what was done to Ozal, our former prime minister and president. Which means that they can refuse to attend parties at Cankaya, in that way displaying their non-recognition of the new president. But these are things which will really affect a president that has confidence in himself. Since that's the case, let's ponder whether Erdogan should in fact even be a candidate for president. Only he can know. But I have a couple of questions for him: First, why does he want that office so badly to begin with? Is it precisely because those who see themselves as the protectors of the republic attack so much symbolic importance to the office of the president? Let me ask even more openly: Does Erdogan, whose wife and daughters wear the turban (headscarf) envision ascension to the office of presidency as some of sort of victory or revenge in the name of those women who have "been mistreated"? If that is the case, then this business is infact very dangerous.
*****
The Prime Minister says "My family and I are like this and have always been like this. We have not changed, and cannot change." Of course, no one expects his wife of his daughters to uncover their heads. But at the same time, Erdogan does not have the right to expect concessions which which run contrary to the law to be made for his wife and daughters. And more importantly, he should not try and do anything which would translate into trying to impose the choices his wife and daughters have made onto society. Like what? Well, for example, like always appointing people for the most critical spots in his government who happen to have wives and daughters whose heads are covered.
*****
Erdogan does not want "fanatic religionists" and devout people to be confused. But at the same time, he himself should be careful not to confuse "fanatic nationalists" with reasonable people who are tied from the heart to the regime of the republic and secularity. But when he makes the personal problems his wife and daughters have faced in life into a national matter of primary importance, he pushes these reasonable masses towards the same ranks that hold the smaller but vocal group of fantatic nationalists. For this reason, I believe it would be better both for the nation and for himself if Erdogan stays in the offices of the Prime Minister, at least until he can completely separate out these feelings he holds in himself. Because, for as long as he stays as attached as he is to symbols and symbolism, the symbolic importance of that office at the top of the government will only continue to rise at a parallel rate.
*****
Turkey has witnessed this happen in the past when the Turkish Parliament was unable to elect a president. But Turkey has never witnessed a military coup because of the president elected by the Turkish Parliament. If you want, let's go a step further and ask this question: If there were such a coup, who would support it? I don't know about others, but I can say for myself that, as a journalist, I would never, ever support such a movement.
*****
My sincere belief is that if the people of this country elected in this parliament, and if, by consititutional right, this parliament has the right to select the president, then they may well select someone from their ranks. And no one has the right to argue the legitimacy of the person selected. If Erdogan is in fact elected president, the opposition has only one weapon in their hands: what was done to Ozal, our former prime minister and president. Which means that they can refuse to attend parties at Cankaya, in that way displaying their non-recognition of the new president. But these are things which will really affect a president that has confidence in himself. Since that's the case, let's ponder whether Erdogan should in fact even be a candidate for president. Only he can know. But I have a couple of questions for him: First, why does he want that office so badly to begin with? Is it precisely because those who see themselves as the protectors of the republic attack so much symbolic importance to the office of the president? Let me ask even more openly: Does Erdogan, whose wife and daughters wear the turban (headscarf) envision ascension to the office of presidency as some of sort of victory or revenge in the name of those women who have "been mistreated"? If that is the case, then this business is infact very dangerous.
*****
The Prime Minister says "My family and I are like this and have always been like this. We have not changed, and cannot change." Of course, no one expects his wife of his daughters to uncover their heads. But at the same time, Erdogan does not have the right to expect concessions which which run contrary to the law to be made for his wife and daughters. And more importantly, he should not try and do anything which would translate into trying to impose the choices his wife and daughters have made onto society. Like what? Well, for example, like always appointing people for the most critical spots in his government who happen to have wives and daughters whose heads are covered.
*****
Erdogan does not want "fanatic religionists" and devout people to be confused. But at the same time, he himself should be careful not to confuse "fanatic nationalists" with reasonable people who are tied from the heart to the regime of the republic and secularity. But when he makes the personal problems his wife and daughters have faced in life into a national matter of primary importance, he pushes these reasonable masses towards the same ranks that hold the smaller but vocal group of fantatic nationalists. For this reason, I believe it would be better both for the nation and for himself if Erdogan stays in the offices of the Prime Minister, at least until he can completely separate out these feelings he holds in himself. Because, for as long as he stays as attached as he is to symbols and symbolism, the symbolic importance of that office at the top of the government will only continue to rise at a parallel rate.