Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/712794
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 17 JULY 2016 2 News TURKEY MILITARY COUP ATTEMPT Stillborn coup that makes Erdogan stronger 'In retrospect, it seems as though the coup was a false flag used to consolidate power for Erdogan. We'll have to wait and see how it plays out, but it could well be that Erdogan uses it to mobilize his base and press on with his bid to become an executive president' IN the end, the Turkey failed coup was all over by lunchtime, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowing swift revenge on the perpetrators behind Friday's night of bloodshed. Yet the shoddiness of the coup, the fail- ure of the rebels to take over state TV, and the swiftness at which it all fizzled out has created an element of suspicion among Turkish citizens about who exactly was behind the entire operation. "I have seen four military coups in my lifetime, but never one that allowed the government to use national TV and In- ternet to spread its propaganda," former BirdLife Malta director and environmen- tal activist Tolga Temuge told MaltaTo- day. "The organisers just made one public statement, without even identifying them- selves, and Erdogan was allowed to go on state TV to tell his supporters to take to the streets. It's very weird; one of the first things that people behind a coup usually do is seize control of the media." "It's very strange that Erdogan managed to deliver a speech to the nation from a safe spot in the middle of a coup," Malta-based Turkish artist Beri- van Serin said. "Why was the media only showing his side?" Similarly, Monique Agius – a Front Harsien ODZ activ- ist who used to work in Tur- key – noted that the Turkish government tends to react to crises, such as the recent Ankara bombings, by blocking social media. "My friends in Ankara were down- loading Tor, so as to gain access to social media websites [through the Dark Web] in case the government was to impose a ban. However, the ban never happened…" Was the Istanbul coup a false flag? The coup started on Friday night, when tanks took over the two Bosphorus bridges in Istanbul. Shortly after, a faction of the Turkish army released a statement that a "peace council" was in con- trol of the country "to restore constitutional order, democracy, human rights and freedom". Erdogan, who was on holiday at the time, made a televised address to the nation via his mobile phone to urge the people to take to the streets in protest. Thousands answered his call, and graphic footage later emerged of a rebel soldier beheaded by a mob. In total, around 160 people were killed and 1,440 injured dur- ing the night of fighting, which resulted in the arrest of some 2,840 soldiers. A victo- rious Erdogan later denounced the coup as an act of treason and suggested that the coup was the work of Fethullah Gulen, a US-based Muslim cleric who fell out with the President in 2013 after accus- ing Erdogan of corruption. However, Turkish citizens who spoke to MaltaToday said that the situation fell very neatly into Erdogan's hands and his plans to seize more power, per- haps too neatly for it to be a coincidence. "The scary thing is that Erdogan managed to mobi- lize his Islamist base in the wake of civil unrest, and we could see the consequences last night," Te- muge said. "While it sounds like a conspiracy theory to suggest that Erdogan orchestrated the entire coup himself, we shouldn't turn a blind eye to the fact that he will emerge stronger from it. "A coup isn't conducted like that – late at night, with Parliament bombed, soldiers seizing the Bos- phurus Bridge that of- fers no strategic vantage point, and the government allowed to retain control over communications…" "It's all a game, for Erdogan to emerge as Turkey's hero and usher in a new presidential system with himself at the top," Serin said. "That's his dream, and he has previously created ter- rorist attacks to help him achieve that aim." Agius noted that mosques started calling for prayer and support for Erdogan as soon as the President had deliv- ered his statement, even though it was made outside normal praying hours. "In retrospect, it seems as though the coup was a false flag used to consolidate power for Erdogan. We'll have to wait and see how it plays out, but it could well be that Erdogan uses it to mobilize his base and press on with his bid to be- come an executive president." Tumer Gencturk, a Turkish photog- rapher living on the island, warned that Erdogan is likely to consolidate power fol- lowing the coup, heralding another shift of the country into an "Islamist Republic of Turkey". "When identifying a murderer, the first question you must ask is who stands to gain the most from it. It is clear that Er- dogan has emerged as the winner here," he said. "It's a theatre… I can't say who orchestrated it, but the result is that Er- dogan effectively has a clean slate to pass whatever laws he wants to without any opposition. He was in trouble before the coup, with bomb at- tacks taking place around the country. All that will be forgotten now, and popular discourse for the next two months will be all about the failed coup and about how Erdogan emerged as the country's saviour." The ultimate losers, Gencturk warned, are likely to be advo- cates for a modern and secular Turkey. "The coup was probably organised by an Islamist group," he said, referring to Gu- len's supporters. "However, the people pushing for a more secular, modern and democratic Turkey will be the losers. It's worrying for both Turkey and the entire region; a destabilized Turkey will be equiv- alent to a destabilized Mediterranean." tdiacono@mediatoday.com.mt The failure of Turkey's military coup looks set to bolster Recip Tayyip Erdogan's hold on power. Was the entire coup a false flag? Turkish strongman: Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to make an example of the plotters and pave the way for further controls on the state apparatus 'We shouldn't turn a blind eye to the fact that Erdogan will emerge stronger from it' Tolga Temuge Tolga Temuge Tumer Gencturk Monique Agius Tim Diacono