Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Jan 30 2007
Erdogan: Failure to root out `deep state’ costs Turkey dearly
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey has paid a heavy
price for not effectively cracking down on the `deep state,’ or, as
he described it, `gangs within state institutions.’
The prime minister, speaking to a group of journalists en route to
Ethiopia on Sunday night, also said his government would deal with
the Hrant Dink murder case effectively and that the investigation
into the case would continue at full speed.
Two top officials in Trabzon, where Dink’s suspected murderer comes
from, were removed from the office last week and Erdogan implied
that more officials could be removed from their posts in other
provinces. Asked if the Dink murder could be linked to the upcoming
presidential election, Erdogan said, `That’s possible.’
Dink’s murder on Jan. 19 by a teenage gunman is likely to exacerbate
political tension ahead of the upcoming presidential and
parliamentary elections. The murder has already raised concerns over
rising nationalism in Turkey, where politicians try to court
nationalist votes for a stronger standing in the polls, and has
revived debates over `deep state,’ a term invented in recent years to
refer to undercover activities involving some state officials and
criminal gangs.
`The deep state has become a tradition, it is a term that has been
used since the Ottoman period,’ Erdogan told reporters. `We can
describe it as gangs inside a state organization, and this kind of
structure does exist. Our state and our nation have paid a high price
because we have not been able to handle crack down on such networks.’
Erdogan also said the government had limited capacity to cope
with the phenomenon and said the joint efforts of the government,
judiciary and legislative organs of the state were necessary to deal
with it.
`Government determined to shed light on Dink murder’
According to the prime minister, the removal of Trabzon’s mayor and
police chief was the first step in the government’s efforts to fully
resolve the Dink murder. `The removal of the mayor and chief of
police and the dispatch of inspectors are part of efforts to lay the
groundwork for this investigation. Work is under way at full speed,’
he said, adding that the justice and interior ministries were working
carefully on the case.
Asked whether the lack of proper steps to shed light on the bombing
of a bookstore in the southeastern town of Şemdinli in November
might have paved the way for new cases, Erdogan said: `The
results in the Şemdinli case might not have pleased everyone.
The court made a decision, but the final decision has not been made.
There have been many crime gang cases since Şemdinli. The issue
of gang connections within state organizations must be determinedly
addressed.’
In July, two noncommissioned officers were found guilty and sentenced
to serve 39 years and 10 days in prison in connection with the
bombing, which left two people dead and led to increased tension in
southeastern Anatolia, where residents claimed the state was involved
in the bombing. But in October, the chief prosecutor of the Supreme
Court of Appeals asked the court to invalidate the ruling due to a
flawed investigation and trial.
Asked if the Dink murder could be somehow linked to the upcoming
presidential elections, Erdogan said: `This election will take
place in Parliament, but there could be attempts to influence it.
Most recently, there was an incident on the Gelibolu Lapseki ferry.
It looked like an individual act. I wonder if it was. [The hijacker]
is a former sergeant dismissed from service. I don’t know how the
judicial process proceeds. You cannot just say it was an individual
act and forget about it.’
Erdogan was referring to a brief hijacking on Saturday night of
a ferry in the Dardanelles by a man who said he had hijacked the
vessel to protest banners carried in Dink’s funeral last Tuesday.
Many mourners carried black-and-white banners reading `We are all
Armenians’ and `We are all Hrant Dink’ at the funeral.
They threw eggs at me in Trabzon
Asked to elaborate on problems related to state officials appointed
to posts in the Black Sea region, Erdogan said: `We are dealing
with sensitivity with the situation in the Black Sea. Terrorism tends
to spread toward the coastlines. The mayors, police chiefs and
gendarmerie commanders must work effectively and in coordination with
each other. … It is no coincidence that Trabzon was chosen. My fellow
`citymen’ threw eggs at me while I was delivering a speech. And the
man walked in from one door and out another. He was apprehended,
taken into custody and then released. I encounter very offensive
language.’
Meaning of nationalism
Asked to comment on the recent rise of nationalism in Turkey,
Erdogan said one’s commitment to nationalism must be measured on
the basis of the service they offer to the nation. `It is very
important how you understand nationalism. Real nationalism isn’t just
saying you love your nation. It is serving your nation.’
`If you love your country, tell me, what have you done? Show us what
you have done; I am showing you. There is an unparalleled development
in the country. I say this with confidence,’ he said. `As far as
serving the nation is concerned, we are more nationalistic. The other
is just nationalism in words. `Love it or Leave it.’ Can one say
that? What does it mean? If you love it, you can stay, if you don’t
you have to leave. Do you own this country? Isn’t this
discrimination? You cannot use such expressions in the name of
nationalism.’
Changes in election time possible
Asked whether parliamentary elections, scheduled for November, could
be held at an earlier date, Erdogan said changes in the date
were possible. `What we want is to have a democratic, undisputed
election and get the results as soon as possible,’ he said.
30.01.2007
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