[CAFE CAPITAL] Are the unfortunate mistakes just a result of anger?

A major graft probe in which four ministers face allegations of bribery and wrongdoing, and state bank Halkbank is accused of links to suspicious money transactions and gold smuggling from Iran has caused frustration among the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) executives. Their frustration cannot be explained as just a state of shock or panic. Unfortunately, their frustration prevents them from taking the necessary legal steps that could ease people's consciences. In contrast, their frustration has paved the way for unfortunate mistakes.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told reporters on the day the suspects were detained that “the judicial process is under way so it would not be correct to comment on this issue” but harshly criticized the corruption probe one day later. “There are some groups who want to undermine Turkey's goals for 2023. This has both national and international aspects and, unfortunately, there is a network that is trying to act as a state within the state. However, we will uncover this organization nested within the state. No matter who they are, our only concern is for the survival and future of our people.” With these words, Erdoğan indicated that the government would make one mistake after another.

The sudden change in Erdoğan's remarks is a result of a situation assessment meeting of the AK Party administration. Had some AK Party executives been given the opportunity to express themselves freely, then the AK Party would have drawn up a much better roadmap. However, it is not easy to speak or call on party members to be calm and coolheaded at a meeting where Erdoğan is nervous.

The first option was to maintain the calmness of the first day and to make a clear statement such as “We will do our best to facilitate the judicial process.” Of course there are AK Party executives who would propose this, but this is not what happened. The option that would acquit the AK Party in the eyes of the people was not the one chosen.

The other option was to deem the corruption probe a “dirty operation” and an attempt at political engineering. It was the biggest mistake. The AK Party chose to define the biggest corruption probe in the country's history as a political engineering project and to defend itself against this “dirty operation” with a counter operation.

Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin met with the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK), a top judicial body that has the authority to remove prosecutors from cases if it sees fit. Interior Minister Muammer Güler then launched an operation to remove from their positions the senior police officers and officials who had been ordered by the prosecutor's office to conduct the corruption investigation.

These incorrect steps have been interpreted as an intervention in the judiciary and an effort to undermine the investigation.

Government spokesperson and Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç was tasked with explaining to the public how the interior minister was negatively affected when he heard news reports that his son had been detained as part of the corruption investigation. Arınç, who is known as the party's conscience and whose honesty has been confirmed even by his political rivals, had to hold the hardest press conference of his political life.

The removal of the police officers from their positions was not restricted to those who had been ordered by the prosecutor's office to conduct the investigation. More than 60 senior police officers and officials in 30 provinces were appointed to other provinces.

The interpretation of these incorrect steps is that while the four ministers linked to corruption, bribery and the forgery of documents are keeping their offices, those who uncovered their corruption are being punished. This way, both the deepening of the investigation and any future operations have been prevented.

Another mistake is that Erdoğan has reportedly waited before accepting the resignations of the four ministers so that their resignations will coincide with a Cabinet reshuffle that is expected to happen on Dec. 23.

Making the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) issue a statement that it has received a notice from the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office asking it to take measures to prevent the publication or broadcast in the print and visual and online media that could potentially violate the secrecy of the ongoing investigation or the presumption of individuals' innocence in order to lower the voice of the media and ignoring Iran's role in the corruption are other mistakes the AK Party has government made.

These grave mistakes are the result of frustration. The AK Party administration also knows that acting in anger only proves to be disadvantageous. So, we need to ask if there is another reason behind the AK Party executives making a series of mistakes other than anger.