Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Feb 2 2007

Touching the surface of the deep state

by FATMA DISLI

Everyone is diving into the "deep state" debates in Turkey, ignited
by the murder of journalist Hrant Dink and recent statements by Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan. In a conversation with journalists,
the prime minister complained about the deep state in Turkey and said
it was an old phenomenon. He also said that it was crucial for the
judiciary, legislative and executive powers to work together to fight
against the deep state. Those statements shifted everyone’s focus
onto the deep state in Turkey. The prime minister’s statements also
made him the target of criticisms as some accused Erdoðan of seeking
political benefits ahead of the presidential elections. Some claimed
that Erdoðan had no right to complain about the existence of the deep
state in Turkey as the head of the government in this country.
Mostly, everyone is talking about the deep state.
Star’s Mehmet Altan talks about the ineffectiveness and negligence of
state organs regarding Dink’s murder because of reports they were
informed about a plot to assassinate Dink a year ago. He disagrees
with Erdoðan in that the judiciary, executive and legislative powers
should work in coordination to fight against the deep state. "The
Turkish public should impose pressure on the judiciary, executive and
legislative to bring down the ‘gangs’ within them because we observe
that the state organs and institutions cannot rid themselves of the
gangs by their own will. Unfortunately, we will continue to observe
this," Altan asserts.
Vatan’s Mehmet Tezkan thinks that it has become a tradition in Turkey
to refer to the deep state after the assassinations of important
figures. He recalls the debates after the attack on the State Council
and urges that the deep state has become a scapegoat. He claims the
issue of dark murders in this country cannot be closed just by
referring to the deep state. Tezkan also acknowledges that the
negligence of relevant persons or organizations played a major role
in such incidents, just as it did in the murder of Hrant Dink.
Radikal’s Türker Alkan basically agrees with Erdoðan on tackling the
deep state structure in Turkey in that the judiciary, executive and
legislative powers should act in coordination. Alkan thinks it is
necessary to take more concrete and realistic steps to tackle the
deep state. "Steps for democratization come first," says Alkan. For
example he mentions supporting non-governmental organizations,
strengthening the media, abolishing Article 301 of the Turkish Penal
Code (TCK), and restricting immunity. He thinks such steps will help
fight against the deep state in Turkey.
Yeni Þafak’s Fehmi Koru recalls recent deep state issues such as the
murder of Catholic priest Andrea Santoro, the Council of State attack
and finally Dink’s murder. Koru explains that in all these cases the
perpetrators or their masterminds were found and their motives were
known by everybody. "So, it is possible to get the bigger picture by
departing from the organizations around these three attacks to find
the extensions of the organization within the state," asserts Koru.
He hopes that the opportunity to reveal these links will not be
missed this time.