The coup dream of helpless democrats

Just when we thought it was over, the coup-plotting zeal that reminds us of itself every time has once again made itself heard at the most inopportune moment: a voice to the effect of "We have not been toppled, we are standing."

The declaration that retired admirals published at midnight, like a show of strength, has managed to become the occupation of all the country's more and less clever people. Once again, all these clever people have mobilized to pull out the coup stone that these helpless democrats have thrown into the well of politics.

Publishing the declaration at midnight contains a reference to the classic tradition of coups. After all, all coups were carried out at exactly those hours. Except for the 15 July coup attempt, which was hastily brought forward in a panic at having been caught by the scruff of the neck and, because it was brought forward, failed.

Its publication over the internet reflects continuity with the new-generation coup tradition that began with 27 April 2007.

Of course, the non-traditional aspect, perhaps what could be considered new, is that such a coup was published by retired soldiers. A declaration with a flavor of nostalgia, with a breath and a longing that smell of yearning for what they could not accomplish while they were at their posts.

Is it that simple? That is, is the matter just a declaration that 104 retired admirals published one night just for the sake of saying something, so that we too would have made a contribution to the opposition? Can their being retired mean that they have no extensions within the military or within other active forces? Should all reaction to this declaration be determined according to whether or not there are such extensions? Or can the matter be exonerated with the talk of "freedom of expression" that the opposition grabbed at immediately after measuring the first reactions?

As a matter of fact, the discomfort that 103 or 104 retired admirals feel at some of the course of events is perfectly normal. Let them feel it. There is a politics at hand anyway, there is the governance of a country by political decisions, and it is not possible, cannot be possible, for this governance to please everyone. It is likely that there are even those who oppose it, who are uncomfortable with it, whose peace is disturbed by it, and nothing could be more natural than for them to voice their objections and discomforts. After all, the policies pursued please far more people than those who are uncomfortable.

But what is not normal is for admirals, even if retired, to act with a rather meticulous organization and with such timing in a way that gives the impression of a memorandum to democratic politics.

Of course, Turkey, under today's conditions, is far from any possibility of a coup. The reactions displayed against this move do not stem from these coup conditions existing, and therefore from the possibility that these admirals could carry out the threat they imply with this move. On the contrary, it is these reactions themselves that render this coup threat invalid and impossible, helpless as far as they are concerned. There is by now in this country a consciousness lively and alert enough to make the world narrow for those who would even entertain the thought of any coup attempt, to make them pay dearly.

The formation of this consciousness of course did not happen in a day, nor was it so easy. In the face of the coups that were experienced and that cost the country very dearly, a consciousness developed in this people that sees the coup as the greatest devil. The whole world saw and experienced how this consciousness rose up against the coup attempts of 27 April 2007, of 17-25 December 2013 and of 15 July 2016.

In Turkey, anti-coup sentiment at certain times displays an indicator at levels that really gives people the feeling of "never again." But it was seen that this indicator, put forth even after 27 April, although it is the objective condition of Turkey, did not intimidate the coup-plotters all that much. Because let us not forget that the coup-plotters' minds work differently. We had repeated this on a similar occasion before. "The social consciousness formed against coups is all well and good, if only the coup-plotters also knew and understood it. It is like the lunatic who is afraid of all chickens because he regards himself as millet. Right after he is fully treated and leaves the hospital, he runs back to the hospital in a short time, fleeing from a chicken. He says, 'You treated me, but do the chickens know that I am not millet?'"

Saying that the objective conditions for a coup no longer exist in Turkey is not so important. The coup-plotters live in another world and are probably very far from the people's world that radically rejects coups. Especially if they have no hope for democracy either, we can see that they do not shy away from wasting themselves too with such suicide attacks.

Only one day before 27 April, there were many ready to label as lunatics those who spoke of a coup. Did we not see the same people, that night, before the government had yet shown its historic stance, connected to the televisions throughout the night, praising this memorandum and declaring how right, even how belated, it was? And did we not hear these same persons, when things turned around as a result of the AK Parti's extremely accurate stances after the memorandum had begun, evaluate what had taken place as a plot of the AK Parti?

One must ask why the helpless democrats of that day do not tire of making this country relive this déjà vu. The CHP members who are trying to make the coup ship that 104 admirals could not float swim with helpless-democrat talk have this time too not neglected the ever-present last line of this déjà vu: the AK Parti is benefiting from the political consequences of this declaration.

For God's sake, what does someone who can say that his own action serves his opponent do in politics? You are not even yet aware of your own action. You do not even realize where your move, your word, your coup touches. What business do you have in politics, you helpless democrat?