ASKING FOR SOME EMPATHY: Democracy and the economy is stronger than ever in Turkey!
Yavuz Selim Silay , MD , MBA
Managing Partner FONKOLAY/ Family Physician / Co-Founder & Managing Partner AFROTURK TV & AFROTURK AGRO TV broadcasting to more than 1 billion people in 49 countries .
I am just kindly asking for some empathy from my colleagues and friends living outside TURKEY.
Turkey has declared a state of emergency last Friday night due to the failed coup attempt. Just imagine for a second that we had a coup in US. God forbid;
1) What if the US Capitol in Washington gets bombed while representatives in the chamber are making statements about the coup.
2)Three helicopters packed with navy seals attack the hotel where the president was and barely manages to escape
3)The secretary of defense is tortured by some of his own officers and is forced to make a statement in support of the coup
4)Tanks close of the brooklyn bridge in New York city and the infantry fires at CIVILIANS! and over 200 people are killed across the country
5)CNN, FOX and CBS studios get raided, taken off air and staff are removed but of course not before they TERRORIZE a young anchorwoman to present a pre-arranged statement!
6) Martial law is declared! US airforce jets fly over New York and Washington DC just to freak people OUT!
7)The CIA and NSA offices get fired at by helicopters!
8)The headquarters of Homeland Security is bombed by a jet
9) The president of the USA is constantly on the move and the only way he can talk to the country is by facetiming FOX news!
10) The president is forced to abandon Air Force One and jump on to an unmarked plane and escape not just one but 2 F16s that are in the air searching for him.
11) ALL churches across the country ring their bells asking people to pray and rise up!
12) REGULAR PEOPLE took over the streets and public squares and within a few hours PEOPLE stopped the coup!
It is unfortunate lives were lost and people were left injured but THE PEOPLE stood up against these betrayers to keep DEMOCRACY alive in TURKEY...
Even after the failed coup attempt, rather than supporting and respecting the elected president Recep Tayyip Erdo?an and the will of the people, some still claim that there is dictatorship in Turkey!
For those who make this claim, Do you have any evidence regarding the dictatorship in Turkey? Please Don't make false judgments without any evidence. Turkey is a democratic Republic , a long time nato ally, having a strong and established rule of law. Turkey has a fully legitimate government elected by fully democratic elections last year. The turkish parliament have 4 different political parties, not only AK party. All 4 democratic political parties in the Parliament are against the undemocratic coup and made a clear statement right after the bombing of the Turkish parliament , the seat of democracy. So, why are some still insisting on lying that Turkey is under dictatorship?
There is great resentment within the Turkish public that an obvious support of west (especially USA) to the coup. When the coup has started and the threat has been cleared the international channels were still broadcasting as the coup is underway!
I hope it becomes a peaceful shift and west doesn't try to bring us democracy (aka invasion.). Most of the Turkish nation lost unfortunately any interest in EU for long years due to the hypocracy. Turkey may just need to declare it officially. We know how terrible a military rule and/or invasion is! No matter we like Erdo?an or not, we won't take side with enemies of the Turkish people. There is no question in my mind like any democrat sensible person that ''the worst government is better than the best martial law'' and again ''the worst native government is better than the best foreign invasion''
The only way relations between Turkey and USA could be salvaged and become sustainable again is to respect democracy, human rights and the will of Turkish people, which is now very much manifest after abortive military-led coup .I strongly believe the US government will respect the request for extraditing Fethullah Gulen back to Turkey who is clearly the mastermind behind the coup!
Therefore I kindly invite all our friends and colleagues to Turkey because, Democracy and the economy is stronger than ever in Turkey!
Many thanks for those who understands and empathize with what is going on in Turkey and RESPECT the will of the people...
Managing Partner FONKOLAY/ Family Physician / Co-Founder & Managing Partner AFROTURK TV & AFROTURK AGRO TV broadcasting to more than 1 billion people in 49 countries .
8 年What you should know about Turkey's President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan: 1. The Turkish economy between 2002 and 2012 caused a growth of 64% in real GDP and a 43% increase in GDP per capita. 2. Erdo?an inherited a debt of $23.5 billion to the IMF, which was reduced to $0.9 billion in 2012. He decided not to sign a new deal. Turkey's debt to the IMF was thus declared to be completely paid and he announced that the IMF could borrow from Turkey. 3. In 2010, five-year credit default swaps for Turkey's sovereign debt were trading at a record low of 1.17%, below those of nine EU member countries and Russia. 4. In 2002, the Turkish Central Bank had $26.5 billion in reserves. This amount reached $92.2 billion in 2011. During Erdo?an's leadership. Inflation fell from 32% to 9.0% in 2004. 5. Under Erdo?an's government, the number of airports in Turkey increased from 26 to 50. 6. Between 2002 and 2011, another 13500 km of expressway were built. 7. For the first time in Turkish history, high speed railway lines were constructed, and the country's high-speed train service began in 2009. In 8 years, 1076 km of railway were built and 5449 km of railway renewed. 8. Erdogan put greater investments into the healthcare system than any predecessor. As part of the reforms, the "Green Card" program, which provides free health benefits to the poor. 9. Erdo?an increased Education spending from 7.5 billion lira in 2002 to 34 billion lira in 2011, the highest share of the national budget given to one ministry and number of universities in Turkey nearly doubled, from 98 in 2002 to 186 in October 2012. 10. In 1996 1$=222 Lira and in 2016 1$=2.94 Lira, even after the recent turmoil.
Managing Partner FONKOLAY/ Family Physician / Co-Founder & Managing Partner AFROTURK TV & AFROTURK AGRO TV broadcasting to more than 1 billion people in 49 countries .
8 年Many thanks for your kind wishes Steve Blacker.Greatly appreciated
President at Media Dynamics Inc.
8 年To continue your analogy, how would we in the U.S. like it if after arresting 8,000 persons who were allegedly actually involved in the coup, Obama also arrested 50,000 more people and fired 2,500 judges, closed down or took over newspapers, as well as radio and TV stations that had expressed negative views about his regime, arrested hundreds of journalists---to join with hundreds more already in detention before the coup---and sacked thousands of university professors who did not endorse his policies? Also, how would we like it if VP Biden, speaking on behalf of Obama, warned about the reintroduction of the death penalty for enemies of "democracy"?
Managing Partner FONKOLAY/ Family Physician / Co-Founder & Managing Partner AFROTURK TV & AFROTURK AGRO TV broadcasting to more than 1 billion people in 49 countries .
8 年Agreed Turgay Sanac