Could it be that Ecevit is Pleased with this Situation?

In the decree with the power of law dispute the ball has been placed in the government's court once again. At first glance it looks as though the crisis between the prime minister and the president is escalating rapidly.

Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit has used such a harsh tone in this public statements that a compromise does not seem possible anymore. At the cost of damaging the president's standing Ecevit is defining the boundaries of the president's jurisdiction, trying to push him into the confines of the Presidential Palace. It is almost as if he were even going to accuse the president of supporting the outlawed Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) and those who want a state based on religion.

The coalition partners are showing signs to indicate that with to indicate that with the National Security Council (MGK) on their side, they will try to erode the president's status. The prime minister in a very strange position. He is more upset than others to see a candidate handpicked by himself for the presidency now "rebel" in this fashion and underline his own personal stance.

This is what one sees when one looks at the situation from the outside.

However there is more to this issue.

Some political observers in Ankara who have been watching the developments closely have developed a new theory which sounds quite reasonable. Ascending to this, despite the obvious tension everybody is secretly happy that the president has not signed the decree.

The Motherland Party (ANAP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) have opposed this decree right from the start. However since they could not express this openly, they hid behind the president. Transforming the decree into a bill and attempting to push it though Parliament will put these two parties in a difficult position. They will be confronted with an adverse reaction from their conservative voters. This is why they have opted to place the ball in the president's court.

If Sezer continues to object to the decree and refuses to sign it, then ANAP and MHP leaders will publicly criticize Sezer's attitude while secretly being elated. Why? Because Sezer will have saved them from having to implement the decree under which civil servants implicated in separatist or fundamentalist activities would have to be dismissed.

The same applies to Ecevit but in a different way.

Ecevit too will be happy

Political analysts point out that in principle Ecevit will express his uneasiness about Sezer's failure to endorse the decree while feeling secretly relieved.

This is because of Ecevit's attitude towards Fethullah Hoca, Ecevit. Ecevit had praised Fethullah Hoca's establishment of schools abroad. Moreover, after a warrant was issued for the arrest of Fethullah Hoca, Ecevit expressed regret. Under that decree are followers of Fethullah. Bu Ecevit would not want to launch a purge against Fethullah supporters. He would rather see this decree blocked by the president."

The hard-line, insistent attitude Ecevit adopted during the initial days was quite interesting as were his later statements which sauced the crisis to escalate.

When he made all those statements Ecevit knew very well what Sezer thought about the decree. The president had already made his views known. And it was quite obvious that he was not going to sign.

Yet despite this Ecevit presented the decree to the president.

Would he have done so had he not had a hidden agenda?

If Ecevit did not actually want to provoke a crisis, he would have formulated a solution which Sezer could accept, would he not have?

By interpreting these clues political analysts conclude. "Ecevit wants to bury the decree in the Presidential Palace."

Purge doesn't require a decree

In this manner the three coalition partners will get rid of the decree without alienating the military-thanks to Sezer.

Meanwhile analysts stress with special emphasis that no such decree with the power of law is needed to initiate a purge in the ranks of the bureaucracy.

The state is so influential that it "renders ineffective" any civil servant any time it wishes within the bureaucratic ranks, to cite a myriad of precedents. If the person in question does not agree to be "neutralized" in this manner, he is forced to resign.

Under the circumstances it is not easy to understand why this pressure has been put on the president to issue such a decree.

There is something strange going on.

There seems to be certain hidden dimensions to all this.

It is if everybody has a secret wish that Sezer will maintain his current attitude and continue to reject the decree.

In conclusion, a greatly unwarranted crisis atmosphere has been created. And everybody is playing his own game.

TURKISH DAILY NEWS