Lessons from Dec. 17: Who is parallel?


Date posted: March 9, 2014

 

TAMER CETIN
Since the corruption investigation initiated on Dec. 17, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his supporters have been claiming the existence of a “parallel structure” that is responsible for the investigation. This illusionary parallel structure is allegedly made up of the members of the Gülen movement.

 

The nature of the parallel state, the existence of which the prime minister and his team are promoting, involves stepping outside the boundaries of state rules and institutions in order to manage state affairs based on instructions from sources outside the state structure. It is clear that defining and identifying such a parallel structure becomes very problematic. Accordingly, the parallel structure has to be identified based on two characteristics. Firstly, members of the parallel structure have to operate outside their job description as dictated by law or, more formally, “step outside state rules and regulations.” Secondly, the members of such a structure need to receive orders from sources other than their superiors in a state hierarchy.

First, let us look at whether the Gülen movement has such a parallel structure. To prove that this is the case, one has to establish that the investigations and wiretappings were not conducted within the scope of a legal investigation. If that is proven, one has to demonstrate that the police and prosecutors in charge of the investigations were receiving instructions not from the state but from sources within the movement. Both of these claims have to be proven with evidence.

In this regard, the prime minister and his followers are far from being able to show evidence. They are being extremely imprudent by repeating their baseless accusations to the point of driving the country to chaos. Unless and until they show evidence, the parallel nature of the movement that they are arguing with an unprecedented insistence remains a patent and blatant lie. One only has to look at the violent tone of these accusations to see that these have nothing to do with the truth. History shows that those who take their power from truth are never this aggressive.

Interestingly, when we follow the same definition of a parallel state, those who are accused of corruption and fraud within this investigation — the people from Erdoğan’s close circle — seem to fit well with this definition. As the leaked evidence, which the prime minister confessed to himself, demonstrates, Erdoğan and the ruling party abused state power to conduct illegal acts such as manipulating the media, intervening in the judicial process, rigging bids and forcing businessmen to donate to charity organizations, to name a few. They used state power to route illegally obtained money (in exchange for bids) to people or organizations close to them. By doing this, they have clearly met the first requirement of being “parallel.”

While they were abusing the power given to them, they wanted to avoid possible problems this would bring by seeking religious justifications. They acquired the necessary blessing and fatwas (religious rulings) from parties they know, fatwas which they otherwise could not get from Sunni Islamic sources. In sum, they were instructed by a structure other than the state, satisfying the second property of being parallel.

The ruling party cadres have obtained the authority to rule the state from the people and swore to use this authority in good faith. Subsequently, they have violated state rules and institutions, acted on the rulings of other authorities and even got involved in the money laundering scheme of an outside power (Iran). As such, they are the true architects of the parallel structure. The prime minister and his team, despite all their resources and power, cannot even come close to proving that the movement is guilty of their accusations. Yet, mounting evidence clearly points to the parallel structure built by the prime minister and the ruling party.

So, where do we stand? Can the evidence be cast aside by arguing that this is just another instance of corruption and that corruption exists everywhere? If all that has come out is true and the prime minister and his followers are acting as though the evidence does not exist and they continue to steal (and accuse the movement), then they know the religious consequence of their actions since they come from an Islamist tradition. They must know that there can be no religious blessing that will allow them to hide from the truth and that their losses will be much more than any amount of money they can accumulate in their houses. If they continue to ignore corruption while knowing it to be true, then they are betraying not only those who supported them and brought them to power, but also the national will. If they argue that people will never believe that corruption and bribery occurred — even if there is audio and video evidence — and that they will receive support in the elections, then they are insulting not only the people, but also their own intelligence.

To conclude, the prime minister and his followers argue that the recordings that show legal and ethical violations are montages, dubbed and obtained illegally, and that the public will not believe them even if there is visual evidence. By making such arguments, they insult and betray people’s intelligence, memories and wills. They have also exhausted their political capital by stepping outside the state rules and institutions and becoming a parallel structure. Despite these facts, they are still engaged in blaming the movement for their own crimes and trying to “finish” the movement, which is itself another violation of rights and law. Furthermore, this will not save them, as they know very well. All the methods and tools they are using in their agitations and efforts to conceal the truth only make their own desperation clearer.


*Tamer Çetin is visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley.

Source: Todays Zaman , March 9, 2014


Related News

When nations spy on their nationals on foreign soil

The targeted Turks have lived in Nigeria for decades, with very high investments profile in the education, health and social sectors of the economy. They are involved in legitimate businesses duly registered and regulated by relevant agencies of government.

NATO Insiders Suspect Turkey Coup Was Staged by Erdogan himself

In the 8 months since Turkey’s government weathered a potentially destabilizing coup, allegations continue to swirl about who was actually behind the surprising flare up of violence. In an unsubstantiated leak to Aldrimer.no, “Senior NATO sources” currently believe the coup was staged by President Erdogan himself.

Erdogan advisor likens Turkey purge to Aborigine, Native American, Armenian cases

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s chief advisor, Mehmet Uçum, has said the Turkish state can apologize to the victims of a post-coup era purge and witch-hunt targeting the faith-based Gülen movement years after the events take place, as Australia did for the Aborigines, the US did for the Native Americans and Turkey did for the Armenians.

Gov’t inspects Gülen-inspired schools while ignoring run-down state schools

The poor condition of state schools in Turkey was exposed by Today’s Zaman reporters on Monday, who found that despite the government expending considerable resources investigating and raiding private educational institutions sympathetic to the Gülen movement, many state schools fail to meet even basic health and safety standards.

Qur’anic Reciters of Nigeria Raise Alarm Over Turkey’s Espionage

The Kano-based Islamic group also cautioned the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia against its planned involvement with the government of President Recep Erdogan of Turkey in the setting up of the NGO in some Muslim countries, saying such a body could end up as a vehicle for spreading intolerance and extremism in the world.

Alevi problems deeper than they seem, opinion leaders agree

On the first day of the 30th Abant Platform meeting on Friday on the Alevis issue in Turkey, Alevi and Sunni intellectuals and opinion leaders agreed that the problems date back to centuries ago and are more complicated than they seem. The event, titled “Searching for peace and a future together,” brought together representatives of various Alevi communities as well as Alevi and Sunni pundits, journalists and academics in an effort to have a comprehensive debate on one of the lingering problems of Turkish society.

Latest News

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

Kazakh leader heads to Turkey to explain decision over Gulen schools

Rule of law casualty of AKP-Gulen conflict

Fethullah Gülen’s vision – Building bridges in Los Angeles

Inside the rural Pa. compound where an influential Muslim cleric lives in exile

Serbian torture base now houses Turkish school

Kimse Yok Mu extends helping hand to Kyrgyz orphans

The AK Party versus the Gülen Community

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News