Nov 15, 2005

Turkish Daily News

No matter who says what, the public impression, rightly or wrongly, is that officially sponsored provocation is the basis of the Şemdinli case. If the state wants to counter this belief and address the fears concerning the 'deep state,' the investigation should take no prisoners. If not, doubts about the attitude of the security forces and justice system will never be erased.

By: Mehmet Ali Birand

  One can get something good out of something bad every time.

  We face such a situation right now.

  I am talking about the incidents in Şemdinli.

  I write about the importance of public perception a lot in this column. For the public, the important thing is how they perceive a certain matter. Statements made by officials, police officers and the military are less important than what the public perceives as the truth.

  The perception of the Şemdinli incidents by a majority of the public is clear. They believe these bombings were planned by people working for the gendarmerie (in other words, the military) and the police and were aimed at provoking the people.

  No matter what officials say, dismissing such claims and trying to prove their arguments, the public will not believe them.

  The general belief is that some individuals who wear the state's uniform are going around bombing places, blaming the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and then using the PKK as an excuse to violently suppress such incidents.

  There were already some suspicions about such incidents happening in the Southeast. There were rumors about certain state officials and those who benefited from the escalation of violence committing provocative acts to incite the PKK. However, there was no solid proof backing such claims. Some of the public believed the rumors and some didn't.

  However, the situation is very different today.

  Now it is openly said that state officials were involved in such provocative acts. No one can keep a lid on the information coming from the region.

  This is a huge opportunity the state would be well advised not to squander.

  The Republic of Turkey needs to utilize this opportunity and wipe away its past sins.

  The public knows that the Susurluk affair was covered up. No one's hands are clean, including those of the military, the police, the National Intelligence Organization (MİT), the Gendarmerie Intelligence and Anti-terrorism Service (JİTEM) and even some nongovernmental organizations.

  This time, everything needs to be totally cleansed.

Please don't cover it up, or else we will never see the light:

  I see that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the government are very determined to get to the root of the Şemdinli case. The Office of the Chief of General Staff doesn't mince its words, unlike what it did during the Susurluk scandal. This time around, all relevant departments seem committed to resolve the issue.

  However, this is not enough. We all learned our lesson from the past. We all saw how the investigations and the trials could lead to nothing.

  I read in an article by Hürriyet's Ankara correspondent, Nur Batur, about how a top official described what had happened. The official said: “These people formulated a specific anti-terrorism mentality all on their own. They believe they are saving the state. They take the authority they need and make their own rules. Neither the government nor the Office of the Chief of General Staff or the Gendarmerie command are involved in this dirt.”

  This is a very dangerous attitude.

  They are already preparing the groundwork for a coverup.

  Please tell me which state official in the Southeast can secretly explode bombs without getting permission from somewhere in the top? Is it possible?

  Şemdinli is a very small town. If something happens, everyone knows about it. Can you just imagine a group of people organizing to blow up a few bombs without anyone noticing? No one will believe this.

  Let's uncover the real truth.

  No matter how high it goes, lets treat this wound. Let's find those responsible and punish them.

  If we don't get a result that will satisfy the public, we will never be able to erase the stain left by Susurluk.

The state will either gain trust or lose it entirely:

  The state's stance on the Şemdinli affair will either increase the prestige of the Republic of Turkey, both in the country and overseas, or ruin it.

  If the matter is not tackled forthwith in a way that will alleviate public concern, we will face the following:

  - The faith of the people of the Southeast in the PKK will increase. Doubts about the PKK will be wiped clean. The prestige of the group will increase.

  - Whenever a bomb explodes in the region, whenever a person becomes a victim of a murder, people will start to believe it was perpetrated by the state.

  - The doubts in the minds of the Turkish public will deepen. Even those who thought such things in anti-separatist efforts were permissible will find it hard to voice their beliefs.

  - The European Union's outlook towards the Southeast and the Republic of Turkey's credibility will be affected. The international community will start to think that a “dirty war” is taking place in the region.

  - The relations with the United States and the Kurdish leaders of northern Iraq will be affected by our reaction to this matter.

  Turkey needs to fully utilize this opportunity