WHO SHOULD BE PRESIDENT OF TURKEY?

In order to find a satisfactory answer to the question "Why is upcoming Presidency election is important?" and to discuss this on correct basis ,  first the issues "What kind of a duty is Presidency? Which qualities this supreme position and responsibility require?" should be well known. Because the President is the assurance of nation's and country's existence, permanency and stability. President's ability and character is directly related to our National unity and peace. It is obvious that short sighted and unskillful presidents have given troubles to their countries. Bad examples of that has been experienced in Turkey.

In an environment in which we see insidious scenarios on our country and region and we go through very critical processes, Presidency election has gained more meaning and importance. In other words, there is a need for a mature and wise personality who will evaluate and direct not only Turkey but also our region and world balances.

We should dwell on Reşat Nuri Erol's detections and analysis on this issue :

"Let's make an entry starting from an example in order to have the issue well understood:

Millions of bees live in a bee hive. But only one of them is "queen bee".

"Queen bee" does nothing, just wanders in the bee hive, but without  "queen bee" bee hive will be destroyed and scattered in a few days. What should "queen bee" do?

"Queen bee" ovulates and ensures formation of new bees. "Queen bee" leaves a smell in bee hive, this smell spreads out of the bee hive, bees coming from out find their ways to bee hive with the help of this smell. Bees born from the same mother carry the same smell, so they recognize each other with this smell. Security bees wait at the gate, they don't allow a foreign bee in when it comes. Without "Queen bee" bees can't find their ways to bee hive and they can not recognize each other, thus bee hive is scattered and all bees die somewhere around.

What we will write after now should be read with this "queen bee" example in mind.

Recently presidency election and president candidates are on the agenda.

It is evident that a country needs a president. "Presidents" like "queen bees" don't do anything but live in their palace. But the country won't live without anybody in the palace. If you remember and pay attention, it will be seen that military interventions in Turkey generally took place when the presidents were incapable of doing their jobs . Duties of president named in constitution are temporary, (these duties are given to him today, these duties are taken from him tomorrow); but a President has natural duties. These natural duties are not given by the constitution, "social legislations" give these liabilities to him.

So while electing a President we should take these responsibilities into account. If the President can not do any one of his duties well, then we make a legislation and take this duty from him. But it is not possible to take duties that are not given to him by law. Taking these powers from him means discharging him from presidency.

Then we should well know the duties "social legislations" give to president and we should act in accordance with that while electing. What are these legislations? Now let's list them as four items. It is like that everything is created with this foursome philosophy. If you can not find the four duties it means that you are doing an incomplete explanation. Four main duties are the requirement of "social legislations". Their detection is due to our search and finding them.

1) President will sign the laws and decrees

President only lives in the palace and represents country like queen bee. Nothing becomes operative without his signature in the country. His signature is like smell of queen bee in the country. People and foreigners recognize only one signature and that is the signature of the president. They don't recognize the signatures of other authorities. Congress has enacted legislation. People learn that it is law after the president says "Issue" under it. That is why even the congress insists without signature of president and his approval to be issued they are in valid. Cabinet decisions are also same. People recognize only one authority, and that is the president. That is why if the president is inclined to be a dictator, and got the support of army, nobody can stop him. If you take "signing authority" from the president then the country will be scattered like a bee hive without smell. Uniqueness of signature both certifies other signatures and also provides unity within the country. There is nothing we can do if he does not issue a law for a second time even the constitution demands. We can not do anything legally because it is not a treason felony. We should consider everything in detail while electing the president who has so delicate authorities.

2) President preserves official secrets and communicates them to presidents.

Second duty of the president is to preserve official secrets. Like people countries also have secrets. Enemies should not know them. And that happens if only is kept in one brain. And that is the brain of the president. In history prophets and righteous leaders have done this. Fatih said ‘if my beard knew what is in my rain I would cut them". Presidents have red notebooks that passes from one to the other. Nobody other than the president knows whole of it. President records what he sees as necessary on it. He shows any of it to anybody he wants. This notebook assures the permanence of the country. President preserves secrets in his mind. He does not tell them to members of congress or members of cabinet because that are not going to be secrets anymore. If the president allows even prime minster's telephones may be listened, but listening to President's telephone is treason felony. In fact we are not only electing the President we are also electing the one that preserves and owns the official secrets

  3) President should save the country from possible dangers with the decisions he will make in case of emergencies.

Third major duty of president is to save the country when needed even with the risk of  violating the constitution. Because there are laws if there is a country; without a country what are the laws for. Thus, the authority to violate the laws is given to president for country/fatherland. That is why the president is responsible for only treason felony, and not responsible for violating the constitution. If it is necessary to give an example from our history, Ottomans sacrificed their beloved viziers at times. Because some presidents haven't used their such authority interventions took place and  the ones who took their place used this authority.

4) One of the other important duty of president is to ensure the balance between institutions.

Sometimes there is tension between parties in the congress. In such cases congress is locked, because of this problem between parties problems of the country takes a form that is insoluble. President steps in and  settles down the tension between parties or proceeds to the election. In past some presidents could not do that, because of that interventions became a must. Sometimes there may be disputes between cabinet members and operations stop. President steps in, he leads the government and gets over the problems. Time to time such obstructions between government and justice, university and government or justice may take place. There may also be obstruction between the congress and the government. President gets over these problems by stepping in  such cases .

President builds the balance between civilian and military.

Sometimes there may be tension between civilian and soldiers and state affairs may stop. In such cases the president steps in and the problem is got over. At times when the president is not military origined this conflict wasn't been able to got over and military manifestos have been necessary. For example, President Süleyman Demirel attributing his own inability to the Prime Minister got our country into hot water. As a result years after that time are Turkey's lost years. Our present President Ahmet Necdet Sezer is also sometimes insufficient, even he is sometimes a party, building the necessary balance leave aside it is damaged.

President builds the balance between central and local administrations.

President is an equipoise on disputes between local administrations and central administration. Minister and government should not take elected people from their posts, only President should take them from their posts. President steps in ex-offico when the balance is damaged, he builds and maintains the necessary balance.

Considering it as very important, what kind of characteristics should a president have?

1) President should be intellectual and equipped:

He should understand what he reads and comprehend what is told. If you hand over your car to an ignorant man he will overturn the car. Professor and general staff officers have this knowledge officially . Congress should elect the president among these people.

2) President should be powerful and determined:

President should be someone who will have others do what he demands, soldiers also should obey him. If soldiers don't obey him then others will not obey him and the country will be without a president. Soldiers care about two things. First they consider the post. Then they should know that he will administer the country better than themselves. Because this trust and stability was lost at Özal's time Chief of the General Staff resigned, and at Demirel's time 28 February took place.

3) President should be fair and dignified:

President should be fair, make well-balanced decisions, and not violate the order. However there is no mechanism to test it. It is in congress discretion. If a president is ideologically obsessive and he displays it in execution, then this man will violate the stability. There will be conflict, dispute and polarization in the country. According to secularists all pious people are ideologically obsessed therefore there can't be a pious president. According to pious people man can not be faithless. If he does not have a religion he is ideologically obsessed, therefore he won't be fair. However pious man will be fair because his religion requires that. Kur'an says  ‘when you rule people be fair" ; ‘even he is your relative that should not stop you from ruling fairly'. So a pious man can not be tyrant. On the other hand there is no instructive or obstructive factor that controls the unfaithful man. 20th century dictators showed that this is so. So President should be pious in order to be fair, he should be loyal to his own religion; also he should advice equity to the members of the religion he is tied to. However he should treat different sections of society from other religions and other ideas fairly and state should be in equal distance to everybody.

4) President should be loyal to state/fatherland:

If the president is not loyal to state but to ideological obsessions, we will suffer from what we have been suffering in the last fifty years. Being a revolutionist is something, but being a revolution lover is a different thing. Mustafa Kemal did not entrust laicism to the army; he said ‘your only duty is to preserve and defend Turkish republic and independence'. If people like Erbakan has virtuous characteristics, their difference from the others is their being pious."

Earnest and excellent piety requires being loyal to the country, state, and nation and being anti-imperialist. Our Muslim nation rely on and respect and own such figures . In other words a President "one among us " with all his characteristics is assurance of state nation combination.

Medalled from Zionist lobbies, co-president of Great Israel Project, strategic partner of imperialist plans, Dialogue between Religions admirer, Moon and Mason minded AKP candidates unfortunately do not carry these characteristics.

[1] 15.03.2007 / Milli Gazete