Dogfight in Turkey II: TDN Comment

[english at ozgurluk.xs4all.nl]

13 September, 1997, Copyright © Turkish Daily News
  _________________________________________________________________
  
 [INLINE] If only coups were a thing of the past

  * Everyone agrees that past coups have not contributed to progress
 in Turkey. Yet, there are still those who encourage military
 takeovers in our country...
 
  _________________________________________________________________
  
 Editorial by Ilnur Cevik
 
On Friday we marked the 17th anniversary of the 1980 coup. When we
look back at what this military takeover achieved we have to say: NOT
MUCH.

Today Suleyman Demirel, the prime minister who was deposed by that
coup is the president of the country. The main opposition leader,
Bulent Ecevit, who was jailed during those days is now the deputy
prime minister, and another opposition leader Necmettin Erbakan is now
the main opposition leader.

The military banned all these leaders for several years and made life
hell for them.

Today the Turkish nation has much respect and affection for these
deposed leaders and yet we do not see the same attention given to
those who staged the coup...

It is also interesting to note that retired general Kenan Evren, also
the former head of state, is frequently seen exchanging friendly
remarks with Demirel who he deposed.

Times change and past grievances are forgotten. People decide to live
with the facts of life and thus nations continue on their quest for a
better future.

This is what has happened in Turkey as well. People are criticizing
Suleyman Demirel for making peace with the former coup leader Evren.
They say he has forgotten the past.

We feel this is a gross injustice to Demirel. The president has not
forgotten his past. On the contrary he remembers what has happened in
Turkey in the past four decades and his latest attitude shows he has
taken more lessons from past mistakes committed in our country than
anyone else.

Thus Demirel has managed to outmaneuver the coupmongers in Turkey and
prevent a direct military intervention in the past six months. It is a
fact that he was aided by Chief of Staff General Ismail Hakki Karadayi
who has always proven his loyalty to democratic ideals.

We wish other people had taken the necessary lessons from the past
coups and mistakes committed in Turkey like Demirel. But unfortunately
they haven't. They are still encouraging coups.

What hurts us most is the fact that coups are not a thing of the past.
We still feel the threat of such interventions which hurt our
democracy even though they are called "post-modern coups" which means
the military does not topple the government directly but does this
indirectly through civilians...

Let no one forget that if there is a problem of fundamentalism today
it is because of the policies of the military administration that
ruled Turkey after 1980. They felt Islamists could be the antidote to
communism and encouraged their progress...

_Editor's note: _Our dear reader Harriet Davis will be celebrating her
89th birthday on Sept. 14. Ilnur Cevik and the staff of the Turkish
Daily News wish her a happy birthday full of health and hope she will
be with us for many more years to come.

-- 
Press Agency Ozgurluk
The Struggle for justice, democracy and human rights in Turkey and Kurdistan
http://www.ozgurluk.org  
mailto:ozgurluk at xs4all.nl 
mailinglists: mailto:petidomo at ozgurluk.xs4all.nl
List info: english-request at ozgurluk.xs4all.nl