BY IRFAN SAPMAZ
STAR- Columnist Irfan Sapmaz comments on the issues Turkey is dealing with and which it should deal with. A summary of his column is as follows:
Speaking at the Turkish Air Forces command handover ceremony yesterday, retiring Gen. Cumhur Asparuk said, ‘While other nations control the world from outer space, unfortunately we’re still caught up in a destructive cycle of preoccupation with the Blue Stream Project, religious schools, women wearing headscarves, religious sects, and clothes worn in other cultures. We live in the information age. Those who have information and can use it wisely will be victorious on the world stage. In the future, you will witness Turkish scientists and businessmen’s work on radar, something which the world has yet to discover. We should support them. We should deal with these issues. Such discoveries will make us respectable and help us prevail.’
When a great many third world countries which take Turkey as their model see us dealing with these issues, they make fun of us, saying, ‘Look at Great Ataturk’s Turkey!’ However, unfortunately Turkey really is preoccupied with such issues as Gen. Asparuk mentioned. Mostly the media is responsible. Our columnists try and act like intellectuals, but they fail to see Turkey as it really is. In addition, certain forces claiming to protect Turkey’s values have harmed the country greatly as well. However, the blameless Anatolian people have remained mute through all this.
In other words, only the ‘reasonable majority’ speaks and makes decisions, with the ‘reasonable minority’ surfacing only now and again to vote. As Gen. Asparuk said, Turkey should open doors for our gifted scientists and young people. Unfortunately our truly valuable people aren’t in the places they deserve. Ataturk’s Turkey doesn’t deserve this situation. We lack a government policy, not to mention statesmen who can look ahead and plan for the decade to come. The only institution projecting itself into our nation’s future is the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK). However, we must continue to develop not only our military, but also our civilian assets.