Erdoğan turns into a national security issue!

Adem Yavuz Arslan

To put it succinctly, without dancing around the issue, the situation is just as implied by the title. Unfortunately, Erdoğan gradually becomes a ‘national security issue’ for Turkey.

Some might find the title scathing or even provocative. But when you ‘say it forthright’, that’s just the way it is.

I have written about it before; when chronicling the history of the AKP and Erdoğan one has to distinguish between ‘before Reza Zarrab, and after Reza Zarrab.”

The ‘before’ part was a success story in general. A social movement of oppressed and aggrieved people had come to power after overcoming all obstacles and led significant transformations in both economic and political areas. And it ensured the support of large segments of the society.

A lot of people, including me, believed that the AKP would put an end to the military control of the system and establish ‘a new order’ that is transparent, democratic and based on rule of law.

But the AKP ‘after Reza’ contradicted itself first and foremost. With the scandal that broke out on Dec. 17, the AKP’s gains have been totally wasted in a short time.

By the way, let me remind it once again; I have followed case files for years. The Dec. 17 investigation is a well-studied, coherent, and comprehensive corruption probe. In fact, it’s not come across such a well composed case. For this reason, allegations about a judicial coup mean nothing to me.

As for the AKP becoming a national security problem, it’s necessary to analyze the issue with reference to its ‘national’ and ‘international’ implications.

Let’s start with national implications.

We all know what happened. The government staged a coup against the judiciary in order to whitewash the scandal and sent the police force into chaos. It has brought ruin to Turkey’s security bureaucracy, which had taken 30 years to develop, without any legal basis.

It has paralyzed security bureaucracy, particularly police force, and the judiciary. Nowadays public officials are busy with informing and snitching on each other or profiling colleagues.

This has created a breeding ground for terrorist and criminal organizations. Turkey is gradually returning to the days of Susurluk but they are not aware of that yet.

First and foremost Erdoğan, who currently occupies the president’s office and has to be impartial according to the oath he took on the Constitution, violated laws without hesitation.

And he continues to do so. It is just natural for the Prime Minister, ministers, deputies or bureaucrats to imitate Erdoğan when he recklessly violates laws.

When Erdoğan says ‘There is not even water to drink for them’, bureaucrats or party members treat kindergarten kids, bedridden patients, devout aunties knitting and selling bootees and giving scholarships to students with the proceeds like terrorist .

Again, they toyed with the fabric of the society.

Hate speeches spewed by Erdoğan and his team into microphones and ceaselessly churned out by government-controlled media have damaged social dynamics.

People living in the same house, same building, attending the same school, or working at the same office have begun to turn against each other.

It would take generations to neutralize this hate speech.

As for international implications, it is impossible for the rest of the world to be unaware of so many unlawful acts in Turkey.

Global media and foreign politicians have begun to talk about these issues. Erdoğan and his propaganda team deceive themselves saying, “Members of the Hizmet movement inform against us.”

No one needs to do anything about ruining Turkey’s reputation. For Erdoğan and the AKP are unmatched in this respect.

Nobody would ally with a country where the law is trampled and constitutional rights are violated.

It is especially absurd that Erdoğan gets on a state-owned plane, travels around the world with our taxes, and complains about the Turkish schools and the Hizmet community.

For a long time now, this has been the government’s sole agenda abroad.

Ambassadors and bureaucrats caused incredible diplomatic scandals in their ‘passion’ to seek Erdoğan’s favor.

We all know about the recent disgrace in Albania.

The President made unfortunate statements along the lines of, ‘We have built mosques for you. Close down those schools, they are terrorists.’ Some countries were even told, ‘Close down the schools or we will suspend trade relations,’ or, ‘We will give you X million dollars if you close them down’.

Diplomatic rumors are full of shameful details.

Yet, Erdoğan and his team do not understand this: just as it was meaningless for Sisi’s junta to declare Morsi a ‘terrorist’, it is also meaningless for you to declare Venerable Fethullah Gülen and the Hizmet Movement as terrorist.

The people you accuse will be absolved from all your ridiculous allegations when law is re-established, but how you will pass into history is another question.

Published on BGNNews, 18 May 2015, Monday