This should be the job of the police

The laws say that in issues that are too extensive for the police to deal with, the military might be called in. And the military, with the authority granted to it by the laws, want to conduct research in order to be prepared.

Every step until now seems to be in order.

Actually, criticisms start after this.

The laws are structured in such a way that the military is burdened with useless and extra duties. The possibility of the military coming into conflict with the people was never thought of.

Instead of strengthening the gendarmes and the police to be prepared against serious incidents, almost all the responsibility was put on the shoulders of the military.

A person can’t stop himself from asking, "How extensive an upheaval should there be to justify the involvement of a army with tanks and guns? Where are the police and gendarmes?"

Didn’t we extract the necessary lessons from what we had to live through between 1960 and 1980?

Let’s make an assessment of the future, by looking at the mistakes in the past.

In social upheavals, the army should no longer be set against the nation. Even if there is a great need, only Special Forces should be used (just like in the United States) and the whole military should not be involved.
The training and equipment of the police and gendarmes should definitely be updated.
The police and the gendarmes should be authorized to protect the regime and the National Intelligence Agency (MIT) and police intelligence should be authorized to "list" threatening groups and persons, leaving the Turkish Armed Services to do what it is supposed to.
General Ozkok’s meaningful attitude
Many of my colleagues, including Hurriyet daily’s chief writer Oktay Eksi, noted it in their columns. I wanted to stress the issue.

The attitude of the Chief of General Staff General Hilmi Ozkok in this affair should set an example to all officials. He said if there was a wrong committed, he, as the commander, was responsible. This was not something we were used to. This coming from a military officer is especially important, because our top officials are usually considered invulnerable.

General Ozkok’s attitude, ever since becoming the Chief of Staff, towards the internal dynamics of the military, the domestic and external political affairs, proved that he was a different commander and showed how lucky Turkey was in having him at that post.

We should protect the regime
The Turkish nation has been brainwashed and indoctrinated for many years. It saw the Turkish Armed Services (TSK) as the primary insurance and security of the regime. It almost forcefully pushed the TSK into domestic politics.

Didn’t all of us, including me say, "Let’s not weaken the military. A day might come when we need them and they will once again come to our rescue?"

We believed in it totally.

No one asked us, "Why do you put so much on the shoulders of your military? Why don’t you give the authority to protect the regime on nongovernmental organizations, the police and the gendarmes?" In other words, no one told us there were alternatives to the military, for the protection of the regime.

This state of affairs made us lazy. We did not bother to stand up for our rights and whenever there was someone we did not like we called on the generals to save us.

And the generals answered.

Some times they were provoked, some times they wanted to come.

However, the times have changed. We are not in the 1960-80 era. Now, even if we or they wanted they can’t come. If they come by mistake, the upheaval will spare no one, neither them or us.

That’s why all of us have to adapt to changing conditions. We have to learn to entrust our secular-democratic regime to the police, the gendarmes, nongovernmental organizations and the judiciary.

If we can’t protect this republic that was left to us by Ataturk, be sure that the military won’t be able to either.

The military will protect us against our external enemies and we will protect the regime.

There is no other way.