Sure, power should not be monopolized

Defense Minister Fikri Işık told Deniz Zeyrek from daily Hürriyet, referring to the arrangements at the Naval Forces, “The West has determined how problematic it is when power is concentrated in one center. From their experiences, they have reached the point where power should be balanced.”

So correct. However, the problems stemming from the monopolization of power are not a situation limited only to the military. The final point Western democracies have reached is that they have created checks and balances mechanisms preventing the monopolization of power. They have set up mechanisms separating legislation, execution and justice with clear lines but at the same time preventing any of these powers from dominating the other.  

The policies of the governing party in Turkey were exactly the opposite of this. The “Turkish-type presidential system” path they follow would create the monopolization of power. 

They haven’t given up on that. In an open ambition for one-man rule, they want institutions such as the General Staff and the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) to report to the president who cannot be held accountable for his acts and functions. 

On the other hand, the independence of the judiciary has been destroyed and the legislative organ is unable to do any checks, having been transformed into an institution where deputies automatically raise hands. 
The defense minister should also ponder the problems with monopolizing power from this point of view. Turkey’s problem is that its democracy has not yet fully matured. It should not be forgotten that eliminating the separation of powers also had a role in this state of underdevelopment. While a coup attempt has been thwarted and Turkey has overcome a huge calamity, we should also focus on how we will solve this issue of ours. 

For the apology to be meaningful 

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, after asking for forgiveness from God first then from the nation the other day, said the next day that he had made a mistake on the matter with FETÖ, the “Fethullahist Terrorist Organization,” and apologized to the people. 

It is not a small matter for a politician like Erdoğan, a leader who believes he knows and does everything the best, who regards the smallest criticism as an insult, to publicly apologize. Moreover, in Turkey, apologizing is regarded as “taking the blame,” so those in top positions never apologize, no matter what. 

For this reason, I think Erdoğan’s apology was sincere. 

However, I have to say it is not adequate. We should have assurances that he will not repeat the same mistakes.  

The president attributes the reason why they were deceived by the Fethullahists to their frequent citing of “Allah.” Therefore, from now on, he will not believe everybody who cites “Allah.” For instance, he will know that being a graduate of a religious vocational school will not be the only adequate reference for competence in a job. He should have recognized the problems of using an uncontrolled power. He will turn to a transparent and accountable governing mentality. He will not immediately turn to “animosity” when he is criticized. 

For instance, if he had exerted an effort in the past to similar criticisms instead of seeing them as animosity, if he had lent an ear to us, just a bit, I wonder whether the Fethullah gang would have prospered this much.  
Yes, it is a significant development that he has apologized, but this apology should be combined with a serious self-criticism and the same mistakes should not be repeated so that the apology gains meaning.  

Certainly the threat is continuing 

Erdoğan warned the U.S. that the Fethullahists were involved in secret acts to seize their country one day. He added that all 160 countries they have opened schools in were also under a similar threat.  

There is no such threat in any developed Western democracy because nobody in these countries gives anybody “whatever they ask for” and allows them to inflate their members into the civil service just because they cite God in their speeches. 

The system is well established, powers check and balance each other and nobody is immune from this control.