Military service by payment hurts many

There is no definite number but estimates are that those who have not served their military duty yet in one way or another and are looking for a way out is above 250,000. I don’t know whether or not this figure is correct but it is a sure thing that this number is very high.

The General Staff does not even want to hear about the subject of military service by payment. Past applications have caused such distortions and reactions that nobody wants it to be repeated. Because military service is perceived as a national service they oppose the dismissal of those who, in exchange for money, do not fulfill this duty.

Criticism is very crucial that in case the military service by payment system is put into effect there will be injustice done to soldiers who died for their nation and veterans who fought against terror in the southeastern Anatolia.

Besides, the fact that many who cannot take advantage of this "right" because of their limited income are the majority in this country and it hurts their feelings of equality. If you listen to the General Staff you acknowledge it to be right but this does not solve the problem.

The Republic of Turkey does at times grant pardon for those who owe billions of dollars in taxes. The Republic of Turkey does at times grant pardon for the most famous killers. There is no logic in leaving unsettled the problems of people who have not yet in one way or another served their military duty.

Aren’t we spoiling the life of 250,000 people, if the figure is true? Let me repeat, it is only natural that the General Staff opposes this. The General Staff cannot accept deserters who say, "One day they will pardon us anyway."

This would become such a road that the 250,000 today will be 500,000 tomorrow. That’s why there needs to be an effort to find a formula that takes up every aspect of the matter and examine each direction of it.

Because one day when this figure increases to millions no one will be able overcome the situation.

Once touched upon endless whining will follow

Below I want to mention just a few letters out of the thousand I received. We cannot accuse these people with treason. Maybe there are some that want to escape military service. But we need to consider that for the majority it is a burden.

w I am one of those who desperately await the military service by payment. I live apart from my 3.5-year-old daughter and my wife in Cyprus. I not being able to serve the military brought us to this point. Değer Kumru

w I am 36 years old, have 3 children and work with minimal benefits. Because of this job and personal reasons I had to postpone my military duty. Bahri Altıok

w I, for my part, am waiting for the military service by payment because I do not want to lose my business and put those who work for me into a difficult position. Metin Ercan

w I am 27 years old. After college when I was an intern I had the opportunity to open up my own business. Now I have 10 employees. We are expecting our child. Hasan Oz

w I am 29 years old. I own a business with 85 employees. If I am to serve the military for 5 months and with the crises that we are in at the moment I won’t be able to find anything in its place upon my return. Fatih Erdal

w Many of us have gotten married and have children. Different reasons kept us from joining the military, some pay a loan, some have credit card debts, some fear to lose their jobs, some have sick elders, and some can’t leave their children and wives. Sebat Polat

w I am neither rich nor the child of a rich man. For four years I’ve been working to pay off the debt with my family. When military service by payment passes I will pay the amount with severance pay and vacation pay. Enron The Wreck (nickname)

w I am 33 years old. When my father died all the responsibility of our business fell on my shoulders. I could not join the military because 15 months would have required closing down our business and leave my wife, 3 children and my 60-year-old mother. Emre Akpınar

w I work for 15 years now with 8 employees. Despite the economic crises I am not thinking about laying off employees but on the contrary to improve my business. Unfortunately the military duty poses a big problem and obstacle for me too. Uygar Tandoğan

w I am a 30-year-old employer with 30 employees. Unfortunately I could not get married because of the military duty issue. Who would I entrust with my business if I were to join the military? Savaş Bayru

w In case I would join the military I would lose my job in Germany. My family would be miserable. And if the military service by payment wouldn’t pass I wouldn’t be able to visit my country ever again. Thousands of people are just like me waiting for the military service by payment. Cenk Bayar