Gen. Başbuğ should speak up

Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ must make a satisfactory public announcement. The military must not remain silent against the “junta” claims. Check out the dramatic point we have reached:

Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç invited Gen. Başbuğ via newspapers to “bring out into the open all parties involved ...”

Arınç is in a special position. Since Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is abroad on a trip, Arınç is the acting prime minister. Was it a personal call or did he do it as the acting prime minister? These are critical questions. The “parties involved” to which Arınç refers include generals, lieutenant generals and major generals.

For instance, Gen. Hasan Iğsız is the 1st Army Commander, which is one of the most critical offices of the Turkish Armed Forces, or TSK. He is tipped to be a chief of the General Staff in the near future.

Arınç said, “The parties involved should be removed from duties until the reality emerges; they should be sidelined until they are proven innocent …” This is a common procedure applied during inquiries or legal processes. With this call, I believe Gen. Başbuğ will remain in a very difficult position for a while.

He has to make a choice between the “presumption of innocence” and the “alleged crimes” as cited in the attachment of the letter of denouncement leaked to the press. But that’s not all.

There is also the possibility of Gen. Başbuğ being dragged into a more sensitive situation. In the letter, sentences like “Başbuğ was informed every step of the way” raise suspicion about the ground on which he stands.

In this context, the daily Taraf has asked for Başbuğ’s resignation: “Resign voluntarily.” This is challenging, thought-provoking: A similar approach is being adopted by some other newspapers as well.

Even the most prudent columnists carefully taking the pulse of the nation describe the situation as “perilous.” The transparency of the matter is being questioned. Of course time is needed for a thorough investigation and the top commander cannot speak with only half the information, but he should at least directly answer to the question, “Did he know about the letter?” The answer shouldn’t be delayed.

Though he said in the past that he would take a coup-related question as an “insult” and emphasized the “TSK’s commitment to democracy,” today it is high time for him to give an assurance again. Besides, even if he is unaware of the “Action Plan to Fight Reactionism” the general has to make a statement and say he had no information about the alleged junta group within the military.

Timing of the documents

Without doubt, we should dwell upon why the original copy of the “Action Plan to Fight Reactionism” has been kept secret for four months but has now been revealed. The timing, rather than its content, is of secondary importance but cannot be ignored. Both the motive behind the disclosure of such document and the timing of it should be discussed.

Could it be that the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP’s, loss of potential votes due to the welcoming ceremonies organized at the Habur border gate for the returnees from northern Iraq had something to do with the change in the agenda? Could this explain the timing of the disclosure?

Putting the break on more militants supposed to arrive from Europe… And disclosing the original copy of the anti-government plan… I searched newspapers the other day and saw nothing on either the Habur trials or on the PKK shows. All were concentrated on the original copy, the letter of denouncement and its attachments.

In the meantime, the answer to the question of when is the proper time to reveal such a letter is obvious. For journalists, there is no such timing: Journalists publish documents when they get them. But for those who purvey the news of the document, “timing” is important because the provision is made on purpose. For that, one has to select the time to fulfill the purpose.

 * Mr. Güneri Civaoğlu is a columnist for the daily Milliyet in which this piece appeared Wednesday. It was translated into English by the Daily News staff.