Fake or Genuine?
As heated debates continue about the authenticity of a controversial military action plan to defame the government and the Gülen movement, it is striking to note that some circles wish to distract the public by dwelling on such debates rather than the scandalous content of this action plan itself.
Analysts say the arguments of those who claim that the document is fake are far from convincing because recent developments in Turkey and an ongoing campaign to damage the reputation of the government have given the public reasonable ground to believe in the authenticity of this document.
According to Star's Mustafa Karaalioğlu, no matter who says what, it is no longer possible to ignore the emergence of such a controversial document because the failure of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) to provide an explanation for the document on the very first day of its emergence and the contradictory statements it released over the next few days have created a very suspicious atmosphere in the country. The fact that Senior Staff Col. Dursun Çiçek, the person who signed the controversial document, refused to testify to civilian prosecutors has strengthened suspicions in society, says Karaalioğlu. In his view, concentrating on whether the document is a genuine or fabricated one is not very meaningful because recent developments that have taken place in Turkey in a bid to weaken the government prove the authenticity of this document. "Nobody is naïve or blind. When there is so much evidence proving the existence of such a plan, it is meaningless to dwell on assumptions," he adds.
Another Star columnist, Nasuhi Güngör, agrees with Karaalioğlu in that it is meaningless to focus on debates centering on the authenticity of the document because everyone labels the document either "fake" or "genuine" according to their position in the balance of power. However, he says those who label the document as genuine have stronger arguments, while others who argue that the document is "fake" downplay the others' arguments too much, noting that those who support this position, including the TSK, are losing credibility each day. "Those who call the document fake fail to read the course of the developments correctly. Settling for tactical gains, they do not make much effort to see the big picture. They constantly lose strategically. They do not know how to bargain, so they continuously lose their bargaining power," says Güngör.
Vatan's Okay Gönensin thinks a bit differently compared to other columnists and says he wants this controversial document to be revealed as both fake and genuine because Turkey will hit two birds with one stone with regard to the development of its democracy. If the document turns out to be fake, he says, "we will learn and be happy about the fact that plans are no longer made by the General Staff to intervene in politics." But if the document turns out to be genuine, he says, "everyone should understand that no matter whom this document was prepared by, it constitutes a crime. So, it should clearly be seen that engaging in such acts in the TSK is a crime."
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