Turkey under Despotic President Erdogan: Coup Plotters Rushed on Fear of Immediate Arrests
Nuray Lydia Oglu, Noriko Watanabe, and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
The botched coup against President Erdogan appears to be based on bringing plans forward because of knowing about imminent arrests. According to internal sources in Turkey, at least 300 prominent coup plotters faced being investigated prior to the coup. This, sadly, isn’t surprising in Turkey under Erdogan because authoritarianism is casting a dark and lasting shadow over modern day Turkey. Therefore, while Erdogan will claim to be vindicated by using heavy-handed tactics, the reality is that he created the atmosphere of a coup based on him usurping the state apparatus, in order to control the leverages of the central state.
Information published in the Cumhuriyet local paper also alludes to the coup plotters knowing that arrests were imminent. The Daily Telegraph picks up on the Cumhuriyet by reporting, “…some 300 putschists had heard that the Turkish government was about to issue arrest warrants for soldiers accused of supporting Mr Gulen. So, they advanced their plans to Friday night when Mr Erdogan was away on holiday in what would turn out to be a doomed attempt to catch the government before it caught them.”
Other internal sources in Turkey point in the same direction but these sources are releasing information based on anonymity. Of course, given the current climate in Turkey, then this is most wise. After all, it is clear that not only are alleged plotters being arrested on flimsy charges but also clearly lawmakers outside of this scope are being arrested and retired from office.
CNN follows the same theme towards the coup plotters by stating “The timing may be due to what analysts predicted would be a purge of high-ranking military officials at a military council meeting scheduled for August. The purge was expected to target military officers thought to be close to Fethullah Gulen, a 75-year-old moderate cleric in self-imposed exile in the United States.”
Currently, it is known that over 6,000 individuals, including military personnel and lawmakers have been arrested. Erdogan is also threatening to bring back the death penalty. Therefore, the climate of fear is pulsating and this notably applies to journalists, human rights people who highlight the current state of affairs, lawmakers, military personnel, and other areas of society deemed to be a threat to the ruling political elites.
Erdogan said, “We will continue to cleanse the virus from all state institutions, because this virus has spread. Unfortunately like a cancer, this virus has enveloped the state.”
He further states, in reference to the death penalty, “In democracies, decisions are made based on what the people say. I think our government will speak with the opposition and come to a decision… We cannot delay this anymore because in this country, those who launch a coup will have to pay the price for it.”
Prior to the failed coup, many journalists and media sources feared the dark shadow of the state apparatus under Erdogan. This reality, sadly, will be increased further and the same applies to people reporting on state abuses. At the same time, the strengthening of the state apparatus will further alienate the Kurds and lead to further tensions.
In a past article Modern Tokyo Times states “Turkey under Prime Minister Erdogan, alias The Great Leader Erdogan, is moving the nation into the orbit of Central Asia whereby leaders dictate from high. The corruption scandal just like numerous serious issues is being dealt with by manipulation and abusing power mechanisms in order to usurp the truth. Thankfully, a certain “Haramzadeler” is not taking this sitting down irrespective of the intentions of this individual/group. Therefore, it is hoped that a backbone within the institutions will arise whereby Erdogan and other cronies will be held accountable for destroying the reputation of Turkey.”
Michael Rubin, a former official at the Pentagon, said earlier this year – and well before the coup – that “Turks – and the Turkish military – increasingly recognize that Erdogan is taking Turkey to the precipice… he [Erdogan] has taken Turkey down a path in which there is no chance of victory and a high chance of de facto partition.”
Several years ago Erdogan said, “Those who work against Turkey will tremble with fear.”
Therefore, given the coup, even if botched and based on the climate created by the rule of Erdogan, it seems that the intrusive sinister state and Islamist agenda will be increased. Given this reality, fair trials will turn into show trials and rubber stamps. This will be followed by more political edicts that will sow deeper divisions within society.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/16/middleeast/turkey-coup-questions/index.html
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