Proof of the 'parallel state'

Mümtazer Türköne

The prime minister's case is similar to that of the "Boy who cried wolf." It is the famous Aesop's fable about a boy who deceived villagers a few times but lost his credibility after his lies were discovered. Thus, in the face of a real threat, he was unable to make anyone believe him. Before large crowds of people, the prime minister made big claims. He said he would back up his claims shortly but still cannot prove them after a long time.

Referring to a news story that appeared in the pro-government media about unfounded allegations about the police, Bülent Arınç, the second man in the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), had said, "A dignified person should not speak without evidence." Arınç's words are now being used by opposition parties to criticize the prime minister.

The prime minister did two things to halt graft investigations. He rendered the judiciary and the judicial police completely dysfunctional and thereby blocked the enforcement of court rulings. Second, he created an enemy and used it as a scapegoat. This enemy is referred to as the "parallel state." The prime minister claims an organization has penetrated the state apparatus and used the powers and authorities it has obtained to accuse the government of corruption. He maintains that the Hizmet movement, which is a civil/religious movement, is this "parallel state." The prime minister voices this claim with a charming rhetoric and makes the media organizations he controls produce false stories about this "parallel state," but he cannot produce any evidence to back up his claim.

To defend such a serious claim without proof, one must dispense with all logic. A pro-government media organization recently ran a story titled "Proof of the parallel state." This story claimed a report prepared by the prosecutor who conducted an investigation into some National Intelligence Organization (MİT) members in 2012 had referred to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as the “prime minister of the time" and that this is proof of the "coup." The prosecutor's diligence in correctly identifying the prime minister has become "proof” of the parallel state at the hands of the pro-government media.

The ruling AK Party has been controlling the state apparatus for 12 years. The weakest link in the parallel state rhetoric is that the existence of such a network clearly indicates the ineptitude of the government in dealing with it. The prime minister places the blame of all unlawful events in the country on the parallel state. These events include notorious wiretapped phone conversations and video recordings. Whenever someone criticizes him, the prime minister claims his/her phone conversations were wiretapped or that there are video recordings of him/her. These recordings are reportedly similar to the one which forced former Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal to resign from office. Lately, the prime minister has voiced similar claims about Constitutional Court President Haşim Kılıç and the chief of General Staff. These claims have an ulterior motive. It is very likely that the prime minister is blackmailing Kılıç in response to Kılıç's criticisms about violations of the rule of law and freedoms. It also follows that there is a problem between the prime minister and the chief of General Staff.

The government shut down YouTube and Twitter in an unlawful manner. It has the power and ability to have access to all wiretappings and private information. It may sound like a great joke to you but shouldn't the parallel state which is conducting all those illegal recordings be at the disposal of the prime minister? The proof is in the prime minister's words. For four months, he fought against a "parallel state" specter but couldn't produce any evidence. On the other hand, it is only he who knows who was wiretapped.

Published on Today's Zaman, 29 April 2014, Tuesday