NGOs: Architects of TSK Plot Have No Place in a Democracy
Nongovernmental organizations that were the subject of an internal memorandum by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) have reacted strongly to documents published by the Taraf daily last week, allegedly belonging to the military, that contained plans for a smear campaign against the governing Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and the Gülen movement.
In April 2006 the Taraf daily reported on the existence of a 73-page internal memo said to have been drafted by Navy Staff Col. Dursun Çiçek and delivered to then Deputy Chief of General Staff Gen. Işik Koşaner in March 2006. The internal memo, according to Taraf, listed the names of some famous personalities and NGOs that it claimed were receiving financial aid from various organizations, including the European Union and the Soros Foundation, while cooperating with the US “to divide” Turkey.
Can Paker, the head of the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) and the Open Society Foundation, was among those whose names were cited in the 2006 memorandum as working to undermine Turkey's indivisibility. Paker told Today's Zaman he has not been surprised by the latest documents reported on by Taraf.
“These are the latest signs of resistance by certain groups who do not want to lose their political power. The plans that they have made are really dreadful,” Paker said, calling the latest plan “more dangerous” than the memorandum reported on previously.
Paker also spoke against those who are more interested with how the documents were leaked than with the content of the documents: “Asking ‘How was this document leaked?' is embarrassing,” he said.
The Social Democracy Foundation (SODEV) was also cited in the 2006 memorandum. Ercan Karakaş was the head of SODEV in 2006 and is currently the honorary president of the foundation. “Such things are not acceptable in a democratic country where the rule of law is sovereign,” Karakaş told Today's Zaman, commenting on the latest report by Taraf. “That's why, it should be rapidly investigated and this investigation should be rapidly finalized. Turkey should leave these kinds of issues behind from now on. We should build a real state of democracy and rule of law.”
Bülent Akarcali was the head of the Turkish Democracy Foundation (TDV) at the time of the 2006 memorandum's release. Commenting on the latest reported plot against the AK Party and the Gülen movement, Akarcali first of all noted that there are those kinds of persons who draw up such plans in every institution.
“What matters for them is being taken into consideration. What is real is that such actions do not comply with democracy and that those who draw up such plans are a small group within their own institutions,” Akarcali told Today's Zaman.
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