President Erdogan of Turkey Declares a State of Emergency
Salma Zribi, Noriko Watanabe, and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey announced a three-month state of emergency, in response to the failed coup that took place last week. Erdogan also praised demonstrators who came out onto the streets during the height of the coup. Therefore, central forces under Erdogan will focus on purging and shackling so-called enemies involved in the alleged parallel state based on emergency laws.
Erdogan hopes that this will give credence to the events currently taking place in Turkey following on from the failed coup. Yet, to others, it is a continuation of his authoritarian way of thinking.
Similarly, Erdogan will try to cover-up the excesses of the ongoing purge that is worrying several leading nations. This is based on Erdogan’s claim of a parallel state inside the body politic of modern day Turkey.
Internationally, Erdogan made it clear that foreign states must refrain from the affairs of Turkey. He said, “This nation has the right to determine our own destiny.”
The BBC reports “Earlier, Mr Erdogan warned of further arrests and suspensions to come as Turkish authorities continued to pursue those they believed responsible for the thwarted putsch – the supporters of the US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen.”
Internally, many people in Turkey are extremely alarmed by events taking place. After all, approximately 50,000 individuals have been targeted since the crackdown by the state apparatus under Erdogan. This figure is likely to grow further given the prevailing political conditions. Therefore, modern day Turkey is slipping backwards under the current president of this nation.
The ongoing purge includes 21,000 teachers being prevented from working, over 15,000 educational staff being shown the door, the removal of approximately 8,000 police officers, and others being purged from the Finance ministry and within the office of the prime minister of this country. Likewise, purges within the armed forces and against lawmakers are taking place around the clock. Not surprisingly, many nationals in Turkey fear the growing shadows of the state apparatus under Erdogan. After all, how could such purges take place in such a short time, if prior data and information hadn’t been available?
New York Times reports that the “Secretary of State John Kerry and European Union foreign ministers called on Mr. Erdogan to show restraint in the wake of the failed coup, even as he continued to round up political opponents and as Turkey debated whether it should reinstate the death penalty to deal with the plotters.”
Erdogan is hoping that the state of emergency will give him carte blanche to purge Turkey of elements that he deems to be dangerous. In this sense a parallel state is emerging that is disguising the alleged democratic credentials of Turkey under the leadership of Erdogan. Therefore, Turkey is facing dark times because secularism is being undermined on top of growing divisions within society.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/19/world/europe/eu-turkey-coup-erdogan.html?_r=0
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36852080
Modern Tokyo News is part of the Modern Tokyo Times group
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