FETÖ’s victimization lies

BY: Ergün Yıldırım*

The second most important character of FETÖ is propaganda. They waged war on the state through a big media organization. We saw this being done abruptly especially after the Dec. 17 and Dec. 25, 2013 coup attempts. I was always doubtful about their tone during the Ergenekon case too. I was amazed to see how these people who looked so naive and gentle during my youth could be so militant-like. This militant language was used against the president during their lie and black propaganda sessions. They pulled the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) on their side for extra support. They tried using certain liberals and nationalists too. They spread their black propaganda globally. Their aim was to topple President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to design the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in accordance with their needs and wants and to capture the whole state in order to establish their theocratic system.

FETÖ’s propaganda still continues. Although experiencing a treacherous coup attempt on July 15, we can see that this black propaganda still continues today. It is just done in a different way. They are trying to do this through their “victimization lies.” FETÖ members who were fired from their positions within the state are collectively crying that they are victims. But the state is acting with the utmost care. It has criterions, it interrogates and investigates. Despite all this investigation, if one still claims to be a victim he is given the opportunity to appeal. These people are addressed in different committees in crisis centers. Thorough research is conducted. President Erdoğan makes it very clear whether FETÖ members are being dealt justly saying: “If we weren’t just and if we acted upon our fury, our security forces would have killed the forces that came to kill me and my family in the hotel room since they were captured a week later in the forests of the region. We arrested them and handed them over to the justice system. This shows how just we actually are.”

It is this clear. Showing mercy to a group that tried to topple all institutions within the state, bombed the Parliament, shot at the people and tried to occupy the country, is impossible. For justice to be served, this groups needs to be given what it deserves. Using this victimization language will be of no help either. The political parties using this victimization language as their own discourse will not help either. The opposition should do decent politics. If the opposition uses a terrorist group’s discourse to do politics while Turkey is trying to do big things in times of hardship, then the opposition will only be pitied. If this is the case it means they have fallen into the heresy of siding with the FETÖ group before July 15. The opposition needs to find more accurate and authentic things to oppose with. Discourse that helps the country succeed should be adopted. Using the discourse of a terror group will only damage the opposition itself. FETÖ is the evilest organization in our history. We need to unite as a nation to overcome this problem. Using this opposition discourse will damage the opposition itself and our country too. They might not realize but they are not opposing the government, instead they are opposing the state and the nation.

*Ergun Yildirim is a Turkish columnist. He writes for Yeni Şafak Turkish daily newspaper.
(Published in Yeni Şafak on Sunday, Oct. 30, 2016)