About us | Advertising | Contact | Get Home Delivery | Archive
Mar 22, 2010 Homepage
News
Business
Interviews
Columnists
Op-Ed
Arts & Culture
Expat Zone
Features
Travel
Leisure
Life
Cartoons
Women
Health Briefs
Weird But True
Sports
Turkish Press Review
Today's think tanks
Turkey in Foreign Press

Columnists
FATMA DİŞLİ ZIBAK f.zibak@todayszaman.com Columnists

General Staff needs to take action over plot


The discovery of the original version of an alleged military plot against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and the highly respected Gülen movement has led to increasing calls for the General Staff to explain the document and punish those who are behind the preparation of such an insidious plan.

Today's interactive toolbox
Bookmark and Share
Video Photo Audio
Send to print Send to my friend
Post your comments
Read comments
The plot was undersigned by Col. Dursun Çiçek and created a huge public outcry, with most analysts terming it yet another attempt by the military to actively interfere in politics. The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), however, denied involvement in the plot and said it was a “piece of paper” aimed at undermining the credibility of the armed forces. Now that the original copy of the document has been found, all eyes are on the General Staff to take the necessary action.

Star’s Ergun Babahan thinks that the original copy of the military plot is a slap in the faces of the soldier-columnists who find allegations about the military’s coup plans nonsense because the armed bureaucracy preparing such a plot against a political party, which came to power on its own, is an obvious coup attempt. In Babahan’s view, Parliament needs to take the necessary action against those who prepared this plan because he thinks this is a debt of honor for democracy, the public will and the state of law. “It is the right of everyone to expect each and every member of Parliament to stand up for the honor of Parliament and the will of the nation,” he suggests. The fact that the controversial plot has turned out to be authentic, says Babahan, is a test not only for the General Staff but also for the civilian politics. “Democracy should have the power to strengthen itself, and it is the democratic politicians who will make this happen,” notes Babahan.

Bugün’s Gülay Göktürk finds the preparation of such a plot against the government and its turning out to be authentic so horrifying that she thinks neither the public nor the General Staff can continue on their way as if no such document had been exposed. Without settling accounts with those who prepared such a plot, a positive relationship between the public and the military, based on confidence, cannot be established. In her view, there is only one way to restore relations between the public and the General Staff, and that is by the General Staff doing something which it has not done so far: behaving honestly and transparently and taking the necessary action without trying to cover up and twist things or treat the public as if they are fools. “The General Staff needs to begin with a sincere self-criticism and make us believe that it has learned the necessary lesson from what has happened. What do you say? Am I dreaming?” asks Göktürk.

26 October 2009, Monday
FATMA DİŞLİ ZIBAK
   
Articles of Today
The ‘Armenian problem,’ intellectuals and politicians in Turkey
ŞAHİN ALPAY
Process (mis) management
YAVUZ BAYDAR
It’s good to know you’re in good hands
CHARLOTTE MCPHERSON
Can the AK Party change the Constitution?
İHSAN DAĞI
How to go for growth in Turkey
ASIM ERDİLEK
From zero problems to zero progress
ÖMER TAŞPINAR
Fraudulent activity regarding deeds -- Bodrum and other cities (1)
BERK ÇEKTİR
Reasons behind Erdoğan’s controversial statement
FATMA DİŞLİ ZIBAK

Other Articles of the Columnist

  General Staff needs to take action over plot
  No turning back from solution
  Hopes high after gesture
  Turkish-Israeli relations on track despite crisis
  Politics, not soccer, dominates Bursa match
  Hope mixed with pessimism
  Erdoğan-Baykal meeting inspires limited hope
  The Armenia deal and Turkey’s zero-problem policy
  A tough start for peace
  Baykal finally receives PM’s letter, but what now?
  How close is the DTP to a solution?
  Al Capone-Doğan comparison?
  Erdoğan's Turkish mosaic
  Erdoğan's promising speech
  Notes from the first day of Parliament
  Challenging term begins for Parliament
  Don’t pollute soccer with discrimination, racism
  A warning for Başbuğ
  Iran’s nuclear program and Turkey
  The G-20 summit and Turkey
Columnists
ABDULHAMİT BİLİCİ
ABDULLAH BOZKURT
ALİ BULAÇ
ALİ H. ASLAN
AMANDA PAUL
ANDREW FINKEL
ASIM ERDİLEK
AYŞE KARABAT
BEJAN MATUR
BERİL DEDEOĞLU
BERK ÇEKTİR
BÜLENT KENEŞ
BÜLENT KORUCU
CHARLOTTE MCPHERSON
DOĞU ERGİL
EKREM DUMANLI
EMRE USLU
ETYEN MAHÇUPYAN
FATMA DİŞLİ ZIBAK
FİKRET ERTAN
GÜRKAN ZENGİN
HASAN KANBOLAT
HÜSEYİN GÜLERCE
İBRAHİM KALIN
İBRAHİM ÖZTÜRK
İHSAN DAĞI
İHSAN YILMAZ
KATHY HAMILTON
KERİM BALCI
KLAUS JURGENS
LALE KEMAL
MEHMET KAMIŞ
MICHAEL KUSER
MUHAMMED ÇETİN
MÜMTAZER TÜRKÖNE
NICOLE POPE
ÖMER TAŞPINAR
ORHAN KEMAL CENGİZ
PAT YALE
ŞAHİN ALPAY
SELÇUK GÜLTAŞLI
SUAT KINIKLIOĞLU
YAVUZ BAYDAR