Lessons From Turkey’s Failed Coup 2 - What Really Is A Democratically Elected Government?

by Eze Eluchie,

For too long, the ‘international community’ has mistaken the ritual of having a date set out when determinable segments of a country’s population troop out to ostensibly express a political opinion as to who rules over the country as indicative of the existence of Democracy – a system that must be coveted and protected from reactionary forces. The clamour to raise whatever is touted as a democracy to near-divine heights that must be protected and vilify whatsoever efforts a populations makes to remove the heavy yoke at times imposed on populations by pseudo-democracies has often times led to the imposition of dictatorships, civil unrests (and outright internal conflicts) in some jurisdictions.

The responses given to domestic governance issues and the failed coup in Turkey by external actors best illustrates a growing paradox relating to ‘Democracy’ and global reaction to pretenders to the lofty ideals of democracy.

Prior to the night of 15^th July 2016 when some elements of the Turkish military rolled out of their Barracks unto the streets of Turkey in the now failed coup attempt against their rulers increasingly dictatorial dispositions, there had been noticeable widespread discontent with the increasing signs of descent to fascism, heightening intolerance, clampdown on the Media and basic freedoms, and repeated terror attacks in Turkey from diverse fronts. There had been consistent efforts by the Tayyip Erdogan-led junta to gradually, but surely, erode whatsoever levels of civil and individual liberties enjoyed by the Turkish population and steadily impose a totalitarian dictatorship, whilst operating under the guise of democracy. The Media was gradually being shackled, the right to assembly and protest was met with brutal security operations and the political opposition was gradually being forcefully extinguished.

Then comes the coup bid - all and sundry, ‘the international community’, waited with bated breaths to know if it will succeed, with many, particularly in the corridors of power in Washington DC, Brussels, London and even Moscow, secretly hoping that the coupists succeeded and signal the exit of a much loathed character; and the moment the coup appeared to falter, all the usual noise on the need to uphold ‘democracy’ and condemn efforts to forcefully remove a ‘democratically’ (s)elected government rent the air – with greater ferocity from the usual sources. Momentarily, the descent Turkey had been making under its current ruling junta towards totalitarianism seemed to have been eclipsed by the desire to appear to be on the side of a ‘democracy’.

It sure did not take long for Turkey’s maximum ruler to take advantage of the belated condemnation of the coup bid and support for ‘democratically elected governments’ by the ‘international community’ to convert the situation to a new opportunity to continue, albeit with much vengeance and added gusto, a devastating purge and clampdown on the Turkish society – all in the name of protecting the ‘democracy’.

With hundreds of educational, cultural and social institutions closed down, over 10,000 security operatives detailed, several thousand more academicians, clerics, politicians and activists detained, and the Media worse hit with about 50 daily newspapers, 20 magazines, 25 Radio stations and 20 Television channels closed down, a blank cheque has been issued by the international community to extremist demagogues intent on muzzling Turkey and reverse the very ideals of a secular state initiated by the legendary founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Ataturk.      

It is now clear that with the gale of arrests and closures of private and state institutions, information on torture of detainees and other wanton acts of disrespect and abuse of fundamental rights, following the failed coup in Turkey, soon enough, the international community will wish that the coup plot in Turkey had indeed succeeded. Considering that the main beneficiary of the failed coup plot is now clearly Mr. Tayyip Erdogan, whose stranglehold on the Turkish state has been strengthened, questions are now being properly asked if indeed the ‘failed coup’ attempt had not been craftfully manipulated as the Turkish version of pre-WWII Germany’s 'Reichstag Fire' incident.  

There has to be a reappraisal of support for whatever portends to be a democracy. Conscious efforts has to be made to unveil the veil, look beyond the outer coats and into the content, and some form of criteria agreed on when a 'democracy' is no longer a 'democracy' and has to be uprooted. Many countries in Sub Sahara Africa have suffered greatly under rulership by pseudo-democracies who are foisted on populations by interests far removed from the domestic populations. When a ‘democracy’ is no longer democratic, it behoves on those bearing its yoke to do whatsoever to remove the shackles, lest it destroys all.

Picture: 1. Detained Turkish soldiers, and 2. Journalists being brutalized by pro-regime mob.