Didim Today

A recently uncovered assassination plot against Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç has led to a bitter polarization in Turkey. While some took the plot seriously because there is strong evidence of the existence of such a plan, others chose to downplay it and said the allegations had been “exaggerated.”

The General Staff on Wednesday made a statement regarding the capture of two of its members near Arınç’s house on Saturday while in possession of a paper containing Arınç’s address, but the statement fell short of being convincing as it accused the press of reporting on the plan instead of responding to people’s questions and said that those two military officers had been assigned by the General Staff to gather information about a member of the military who was accused of leaking military information to third parties.

The growing confusion and suspicion amongst the public about the assassination plot adds more mystery to the case, increasing calls for clarification of the case. Regarding the attitude of circles such as the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and media outlets that have played down the assassination plot against Arınç, Zaman’s Mustafa Ünal wonders what the CHP’s reaction would be if two military officers had been caught red-handed in front of CHP leader Deniz Baykal’s house.

“What would its reaction be if one of the officers tried in panic to swallow a piece of paper on which was printed Baykal’s address? How would they react if it had been discovered that these two officers had been wandering around Baykal’s house for nine months? What if documents about the CHP had been found in their houses?

Would a statement from the General Staff saying that its two members had been sent there for another purpose satisfy the public? Think about it, who would see this as a usual case?” asks Ünal. Regarding the General Staff’s statement, Ünal criticizes it for being unconvincing and says official statements are made to clear up questions and confusion over an issue, not to make an issue more complicated.

He says the General Staff not only failed to answer the questions but it also led to the emergence of new questions regarding the assassination plot. Criticizing some media circles for their failure to give any heed to the assassination plot against Arınç, Star’s Ahmet Kekeç says not only the two military officers who were caught near Arınç’s house last Saturday but also the pro-Ergenekon media were caught red-handed with the assassination plot against Arınç. “Think of the media, it lends support to anything anti-democratic.

It blames those exposing coup plots instead of those concocting coup plots. It slams democratic moves instead of anti-democratic actions. It does not ask questions but covers up facts. It does not report news but conceals it. And it comes up and criticizes the other segment of the media saying, ‘We do not come from a submissive culture like them, we are a free media organization’,” says Kekeç.

Bugün’s Gülay Göktürk says the General Staff’s explanation of Arınç’s assassination plot displays once again its mentality of hiding wrongdoing within its ranks as it once again failed to convince anybody with its statement. “The downplaying by the pro-Ergenekon media and the opposition are terrible.

They try to water down the assassination plot by saying, ‘How can those military officers be assassins if they are unable to memorize an address’,” says Göktürk.

About the Author - Fatma D Zibak This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Today`s Zaman http://www.todayszaman.com