The General Staff has done the correct thing
The topic of suicides and mistreatment in the army has branched out so much that everybody is writing scenarios. The truth and conspiracy theories are getting mixed.
Col. Nahit Özmenler, also a professor, participated on the TV show “32nd Day” this week on behalf of the General Staff. With his explanations, we could see that the institution was seriously focusing on this topic.
This is what we all expect: transparency. Instead of written statements that are not quite understandable, just like this, send representatives in front of the public, without losing too much time.
Because of this reason, the General Staff has done the correct thing. It was a first. Hopefully, it will continue.
Do ban it
I took a deep breath. Finally a hero has emerged and started preparing a motion that would stop the soap opera “Muhteşem Yüzyıl” (The Magnificent Century). According to media reports, Istanbul deputy from the ruling Justice and Development Party (Ak Party) Oktay Saral has rolled up his sleeves. The motion will be open to signatures soon.
This is the correct attitude!
You should ban them, brother. You should not show pity to any one of them. For those who do not listen to you, you should spray the gas; you should put the ban and silence them.
Why, I wonder, did Oktay Saral take action?
Most probably he thought this would be the easiest way to look cute in the eyes of the prime minister. Right? He will follow up with the prime minister’s statements and further secure his seat. But, he is mistaken, because the prime minister seems to have given up. The reason for this is that the public did not quite adopt the criticism against the “Muhteşem Yüzyıl.”
No, this did not work. Good luck with Oktay Saral’s efforts, but I don’t think his initiative will ever be successful.
Why are we angry?
For days, the talk in the media was that, “They have brought shame on us before the whole world.”
The subject is the documentary “Scam City” featuring Istanbul aired on the famous National Geographic channel. The program showed what a tourist in Istanbul can expect with examples and in a very clear way.
Everything has been filmed and shown: Those who introduce themselves as guides and after a short tour take the tourist to stores for shopping so that they can have their commission, charging different prices for a large boat tour and showing up with a small boat, at a night club on İstiklal Avenue billing 1,700 Turkish Liras for three or four beers and when the tourist objects, threatening them, when the tourist asks for help from the police, the fact that nobody pays attention.
All hell broke loose. Why they were so angry, I could not understand.
When you went abroad, weren’t you ever warned by your guide in the bus right outside the airport, to be careful? That you must bargain in the Far East and in Arab countries and watch out for pickpockets in Rome, Barcelona and Prague? That in Bangkok, you may be extremely overcharged in bars, etc.?
What were shown in the program were not lies. Instead of trying to correct our mistakes, instead of accepting our faults, we always go the easy way and say “They have shamed us before the whole world.”
