Please Do Not Erode Demirel's Credibility
First there were repeated claims that the police were listening to phone calls by suspected criminals who they said were calling the presidential palace. There was an attempt to draw everyone's attention to the president and certain "wanted" persons and thus smear him.
The president just disregarded the claims and remained silent, and his opponents could not come up with anything substantial and thus had to throw in the towel.
Now we see that some people are trying to hit Demirel through famous Islamist preacher Fethullah Gülen, who is accused of trying to infiltrate his followers into the state system and eventually destroy the secularist order.
Thus, some newspapers and TV stations have made it a habit of showing Demirel with Gülen at different occasions and thus hinting at a connection between the two. These are ugly attempts to erode the credibility and popularity of the head of state which we feel are futile.
President Demirel is a veteran politician who has become one of the most respected statesmen of our region. We need him at home and abroad in these critical times.
He is one of the few who really understands the Muslim faith while he cherishes contemporary values. He is a devout Muslim but also is a loyal follower of the secularist system.
He is the man who can guide Turkey through some very sensitive periods, and it was these qualities that helped us avoid a coup in 1997, when former Islamist Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan was forced to resign after a military led campaign.
The president today is the head of state and not the head of a government. So he has to be impartial and try to be the buffer between various interest groups and power centers in Turkey. Thus at times he angers the devout Muslims and some even complain, "Is this the prime minister we followed all these years?" But in general Demirel serves as a moderator and a mediator and has proven invaluable for the country.
It is no coincidence that Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit has considered the extension of Demirel's term in office next May when the presidential elections come up in Parliament. He realizes the scene without Demirel may be much more complicated than it is today...
TURKISH DAILY NEWS
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