IN THE ARMENIAN ISSUE WE HARVEST WHAT WE PLANTED ON SEPT. 12

Hurriyet
March 18 2010
Turkey

The poll in Sweden took me back to the 1980s. As I saw how the Swedish
parliamentarians of Kurdish origin influenced the poll, I thought of
the military regime.

The September 12 military regime has done the greatest harm to this
country by forcing thousands of Kurdish origin, leftists or those
who shared a different view to leave the country.

About that time I was the editor for European Affairs at Milliyet and
lived in Brussels. I would monitor issues discussed in the European
Congress and Parliament regarding Turkey. I know because I personally
witnessed them.

Those who had to give up their passports and were deported from the
country have formed a "Contra Turkish lobby."

Some were Kurdish nationalists, some DHKP-C members, some Assyrian,
some communist activists but not terrorists and all opposing formal
ideology. They were forced to give up their citizenship when they
fled the country trying to escape the police or military.

We ourselves drove these people away who were left stateless and
depending on the country they fled to. Due to reactions experienced
they conducted all the necessary propaganda. They became friends with
politicians and journalists of the country they were staying at.

People in those countries believed everything they said about Turkey.

No matter what formal authority said it could not convince anyone
of the opposite. For foreigners those Turks who were opposing the
military regime in their country were more credible.

For many years we had to pay the price for this. But nevertheless they
were not all that wrong. Much later they obtained their citizenship
back but the children and grand children of the deported people
couldn’t forget what the Turkish State had done to their families. Now
they are taking revenge.

Why aren’t they released by the court pending a trial?

We do not share the same world with most of those people involved
in the Erenekon case. There are those among them who conducted a
conspiracy against me and tried to ruin my live. But I still am
defending them. And there are also those who I now personally and
like very much even if we don’t share the same opinion.

For example, Mustafa Balbay.

Mustafa has been under arrest for one year now.

And it is not for sure how long his case will last. Again regarding
the same case he was first arrested then released. He never made
an attempt to flee. Although he knew he was going to be arrested he
waited for the police. And he did not temper with evidence. He was
neither in the mood nor had he really the means to do it.

Why is he still under arrest?

Can’t he be released by the court pending a trial?

Would he temper with evidence now?

There are many in the same situation like Mustafa Balbay.

The public desires a punishment for the guilty by the end of this
trial but also would like to be satisfied regarding this issue. They
no longer accept the imprisonment of those who have not been caught
with a bomb held in their hand or in their homes or whose position
cannot clearly be identified on the line that separates opposing from
overthrowing the government.

If they are detained because they fear a contra propaganda, then that’s
even worse. No one should have the right to treat people like that.

This situation bothers all of us.

It is only natural that the decision is up to the judge. But then
there is the conscience of the public that is equally important to
the result of the case.

As stories are published about arresting everybody that passes their
way, about lives being destroyed by trials lasting for many years
and about people who are acquitted in the end, we see that it only
hurts our judiciary.

Now it’s about time that the judiciary does some fine-tuning.

We’ll die in an earthquake but nobody cares…

It is unbelievable…

Please take a look at this scenario…

There is nothing new to it. For many years attention is being drawn to
the same subject. Especially in the past, everybody who is an expert
in this field writes about it.

"An earthquake is on its way, if you don’t take precautions we’ll die,"
they say.

Nobody takes any action.

Prof. Dr. Celal Å~^engör and Prof. Okan Tuysuz were hosted at 32.Gun
and cried it out.

They screamed and yelled.

On a map they demonstratively pointed at places that will be hit by
an earthquake. Prof. Dr. Celal Å~^engör said, "I am a prophet of
doom but can’t attract anybody’s attention."

Nobody got curious.

Previously people would listen more carefully and in order to prevent
society from panicking we would implicitly talk about a possibility
of earthquakes.

In time experts noticed that Turkey is very susceptible for earthquakes
but people nearly everywhere were unprepared. So they started to become
loud. They created scenarios full of disaster to scare people. And
as earthquakes took place they increased the dose.

There was still no panicking, people still watched… and still
doing watching. Even those who are the most conscious and civilized
or value life the most do not care.

Let’s make an inventory and we’ll see that those who have their homes
check for resistance, for enforcement, for prevention measures won’t
exceed the number of fingers of one hand.

Can you imagine that no one takes any action even though it is known
that an earthquake the size of about 7 will hit and 90,000 people will
die in Istanbul and more than half of the city will be destroyed in
case it happens?

That is why I say "Unbelievable"…" and saying "You may not value
your own life but think of your children, grandchildren and those who
are valuable to you" does not work either. The "Don’t worry nothing
will happen to us… and there is no need to worry or spend money
for an earthquake that will take place in 50 days or 50 years,"
mentality prevails.