There has been a greater eagerness to face Turkey’s pro-coup background, administration, and regime in so called “public opinion” so far. Especially when Ergenekon case covered Council of State case, it became crystal clear that conspiracy in Turkey was not just a theory; but a real practice spread to all country deeply.

When it came out, it was thought that no one out of the circle where this conspiracy is applied would object to this judgment process. And even it was supposed that this judgment process would be welcomed with great excitement by everyone.

That is right. The judgment process started with Susurluk case ten years ago was supported, wasn’t it? How a demand for “Contemporary Turkey” by almost a hundred percent of the people came out. However, today it is not difficult to estimate that this conformity cannot move on with a real judgment. At that time because there was complete confidence in the fact that it would not be possible to reach all information about Susurluk case, the demand for “clear Turkey” was about social conformity was made clear.

Eventually how good intention about today’s cases was far beyond reality and naïve would have been clear. Because it was witnessed that intriguing pre-coup mindset spread to the society particularly to those who came to the fore with slogans like transparency, law, and fair governance.

It should be clarified. The fact that there is no indisputable conformity on the rule of law, intrigues, and pre-coup mindset shows that the way to military coups is not closed completely and we are not safe somehow. And this is a sign of how important it is to take the ongoing cases serious…

Attitude towards military coup and Basbug’s Trial

It has being discussed to judge Retired Chief of Defence İlker Basbug, arrested or released, either in the Supreme Court or in Judicial Court. However no one is discussing whether someone being in a higher position who is charged with some crimes can be judged or not. And it is possible to consider this as a sign of approaching more to the rule of law and the ideal of equality and getting used to it adequately.

Although there are a lot of documents, it is a fact that when people’ opinions about any case are asked, people just say what they think –“negative” or “positive”- without even by looking at the content of documents or cases.

After a certain point, the content and seriousness of cases may not be important. The thing called “public opinion” considers most of the issues completely with a state of mind, shallowness, hurry, and prejudice not with reason, patience, conscience, and care. Therefore in order to affect the thing called public opinion many people come up with rumors instead of documents; they think it is enough to see or show the issues from a distance; thus they will keep people away from details and be successful to make things seem as they want with illusion.

During judgments, incuriousness proves how the ongoing cases are not serious. There has not been a common sensitiveness and a consensus in society against military coups so far. In an organization of Council of State murder, it is understood that there have been hundreds of people involved in the spoliation of evidence and the manipulation of psychological atmosphere after the murder.

This is unbelievable. In Turkey hundreds of people have hostile feelings against a group of people in society and take part in some incidents causing innocent people die; but there have been no apologies, no confrontation, or no confessions.
The whole truth about the incident came out with the evaluation of the evidences remained despite systematic spoliation. No one involved in this incident does not put a foot wrong and this does not make some journalists think about it. However they easily argue that Ergenekon case proceedings have being lengthened and it has been turning into a political clearance.

Establishing the Rule of Law

It may be an alternative way to put an end to the change for democratization and the rule of law in Turkey in a certain point and break with the past. It can continue for the people to settle for a new term with new rules. Because as the proceedings are lengthened, it appears that the number of the people involved in this kind of intrigues are more than as expected. As the crimes perpetrated was not considered as crimes; from soldiers to police officers, from journalists to judges, from prosecutors to businessmen, from NGO directors to the members of foundations they were assigned duties with a mentality of corporatism.

This structure of corporatism kept more people than expected in a certain system to maintain the order for “constant military coup”. For this reason Ergenekon structure is not a simple organization; yet it is a system that sometimes involves the people at the top of the government and spreads to the government and society. You can see it anywhere. In many illegal activities almost all hierarchical levels of an organization participated in them. Moreover regardless of the nature of these activities, there has been a serious investment in all social bases of society to support all outcomes of them. 

The profit of these investments is still talked. This is exactly what is said about losing confidence into Ergenekon case. But in reality there is nothing like losing confidence into the case. It is about the people who consider the system of military coup normal to apply their defense strategies. It is a usual outcome of the end of organizing confidentially not with an open agreement. The point to arrive is that this structure of confidential organization cannot be a mission of today’s Republic of Turkey.

We have arrived to this point in a way. However, a new era requires a new agreement. It could have been desired to judge, arrest, and punish everyone involved in Ergenekon structure; yet if it is supposed to be realistic, it is not easy. When compared with similar cases in other countries, there are other ways to do it. Because it is not probable to find new citizens or import citizens for new Turkey, old citizens will have to be convinced to come together around Turkey’s new values and rules. However in order to realize this, firstly a minimum confrontation is needed; and secondly it should be promised to leave old mentality of structure.

The problem is that there is neither success in confrontation nor there is enough good intention and will to leave old styles of intrigues and conspiracies. While the activities trying to show crimes related to Ergenekon or other cases that are still considered as “nonsense” continue, coming up with new things is against consciousness and a new society.