By Turker ERTURK 
Ret. Admiral

I had planned to write a column entitled “the Neo-Republic” due to the periodical developments in 2011. However, one of my respected friends told “its not the time, Turkey is going through a difficult period, do not write it for now,” and I did not start writing it.

As you can understand, today’s subject is the Cumhuriyet (Republic) newspaper. I was born and raised in an house where the Cumhuriyet newspaper was being read. Uğur Mumcu and İlhan Selçuk were the two gentlemen of the newspaper and I cut and filed all of their columns. I had also the privilege of reading Nadir Nadi’s columns at that period.

I used to love Cumhuriyet newspaper because it was the castle and outspoken defender of the Turkish Republic, enlightenment reforms led by Atatürk and our founding ideology. It was already established through the order of Ataturk to support the Republic.

Imperial operations

I had conducted my first interview with Cumhuriyet newspaper despite numerous requests from different newspaper at the period that I have resigned from my duty in the Turkish Army in August 2010. Because this newspaper had a special significance for me.

However, things started to change at the Cumhuriyet newspaper after the death of İlhan Selçuk in 2010. The newspaper was increasingly leaving its founding mission. In fact, these incidents were a part of the bigger picture. Turkey was being converted and transformed in accordance with the interests of imperialism. Turkish Republic’s founding and protective headquarters had to be seized to break the resistance.

For this reason, an imperialist operation was conducted against the main opposition party of Turkey, the CHP (The Republican People’s Party). Then, those who have taken the control in the party began to move away from founding mission of the party under the “neo-CHP” discourse. There is much evidence regarding this treason but the first change in party’s route occurred in the Libyan crisis.

Imperial memorandums

The Iraqi war memorandum which was presented to the Parliament in 2003 by the AKP led by Erdoğan had failed to receive sufficient support due to the leadership of the opposition and the CHP’s anti-imperialist stance. The US blamed the two institutions because of the memorandum. The Turkish Armed Forces and the CHP! A transformation operation was thought up, calculated, planned and conducted by the western think-tanks against these two institutions. The political trials such as Ergenekon and Balyoz were activated to destroy the Turkish Armed Forces and then the CHP was finished with a sex-tape operation towards the former Chairman
Deniz Baykal.

Many things have happened between 2003 and 2011 and Turkey was transformed in the direction of the imperialist needs. The first product of this imperialist operation was taken during the Libyan crisis. The CHP supported the Libyan memorandum
which was presented to the Parliament in 2011. The Turkish Armed Forces sent
five warships under the command of the Italian admiral.

The Cumhuriyet Newspaper was not sufficiently opposing the AKP government’s Libya policy which includes disloyalty, shallowness and collaboration.

They want us to be restrained!

However, someone called me from Cumhuriyet to refer to my opinion and expertise
in those days. First I made my assessment towards his questions and then asked
“The AKP’s Libyan policy is a complete ignominy, why don’t you criticize it properly?”

He replied to me saying, “The top officials want us to run slowly and be restrained.”
He had given me some extra details but I do not want to write them down here.
I stopped reading Cumhuriyet after this telephone conversation.

• For me, this newspaper had become a supporter of imperialism.

Today’s Cumhuriyet is a result of the things which happened in those days.

No need to be surprised! I had predicted the future of the newspaper in those days. If the Cumhuriyet newspaper can be loaded onto the Turkish Airlines planes alongside pro-government newspapers and can take place in the VIP sections of the airports, this is the result of its great transformation.

The operations against the CHP and Cumhuriyet Newspaper are similar and aim the same purpose. The expression “neo” which newly takes place at the beginning of the names of these two institutions is the best indication for this. These castles should be captured again, current administrators and officials should be fired and punished.