Ertugrul Ozkok: I can't just be an objective bystander
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Kasım 23, 2005 11:12
I don't know if you have noticed, but I have been careful not to write anything about the events in Semdinli until now. I only wrote words of support for Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's coollness in his policies towards the region. The Prime Minister has really behaved like a smart, forward-thinking man of government through these events. And Turkey will definitely get results from this behavior. Now, as for why I haven't written about Semdinli.....
I ate lunch with DYP leader Mehmet Agar a couple of days after the Semdinli incidents. At that point, the question of whether or not a "deep state" was running Turkey had re-entered the agenda. I had written about this concept after Mehmet Agar was the first one to use the words "deep state." I asked Agar why it was that police were calling him after the Semdinli events. He said "The calls I'm receiving from the police have nothing to do with what happened in Semdinli." But I still wondered: "Why aren't the police calling other politicians about what is happening in the Southeast?"
These questions are what has kept me from writing on Semdinli. But I think the truth will only be revealed when we can get the answers to these questions.
*****
I cannot get rid of suspicions I hold inside when I think about these events. Can the "strong government" which we have made legendary over previous years in the form of the "deep state" carry out an incident as clumsy, as novice, as badly planned as what happened in Semdinli? Some say yes, that it has been happening for years, and that it will continue to happen as long as they are not caught. But I am not convinced by this answer.
I have a much deeper worry actually. Can a security force as clumsy and novice as this really protect Turkey's interests within the greater chaos of the Middle East? This is why details of the incidents in Semdinli must be brought to light. The incident is not limited to just being "an illegal government crime." It concerns us all insofar as the government forces who may be involved appear to be incapable and foolish.
There is really no "deep state" in Turkey. Because a "deep state" has no place in such shallow minds. Which is why I have waited for the real details of these events to come to light before writing about them. There is, however, a bit of speculation which I would like to write here: there are two sides to the events in Semdinli. Let's not forget that a murder network was uncovered there, a network which killed Hikmet Fidan and tried to cover up his death. And let's also not forget that there is a network of murderers out there who are vicious enough that they planted a bomb last week in an entertainment center in Istanbul, a place where children go to play.
*****
I am not writing these things to make the events in Semdinli seem even darker than they already are. I just want to say that throwing light only on one side of the matter is not enough. And, why should I hide my feelings here, I am not going to stand by as an objective bystander between the government and a murdering gang while nothing has even yet been proven. The events in Semdinli must absolutely be illuminated however, if I am going to be able to believe in the honesty of my government with all of my being.
These questions are what has kept me from writing on Semdinli. But I think the truth will only be revealed when we can get the answers to these questions.
*****
I cannot get rid of suspicions I hold inside when I think about these events. Can the "strong government" which we have made legendary over previous years in the form of the "deep state" carry out an incident as clumsy, as novice, as badly planned as what happened in Semdinli? Some say yes, that it has been happening for years, and that it will continue to happen as long as they are not caught. But I am not convinced by this answer.
I have a much deeper worry actually. Can a security force as clumsy and novice as this really protect Turkey's interests within the greater chaos of the Middle East? This is why details of the incidents in Semdinli must be brought to light. The incident is not limited to just being "an illegal government crime." It concerns us all insofar as the government forces who may be involved appear to be incapable and foolish.
There is really no "deep state" in Turkey. Because a "deep state" has no place in such shallow minds. Which is why I have waited for the real details of these events to come to light before writing about them. There is, however, a bit of speculation which I would like to write here: there are two sides to the events in Semdinli. Let's not forget that a murder network was uncovered there, a network which killed Hikmet Fidan and tried to cover up his death. And let's also not forget that there is a network of murderers out there who are vicious enough that they planted a bomb last week in an entertainment center in Istanbul, a place where children go to play.
*****
I am not writing these things to make the events in Semdinli seem even darker than they already are. I just want to say that throwing light only on one side of the matter is not enough. And, why should I hide my feelings here, I am not going to stand by as an objective bystander between the government and a murdering gang while nothing has even yet been proven. The events in Semdinli must absolutely be illuminated however, if I am going to be able to believe in the honesty of my government with all of my being.