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Sunday 07th of September 2008 01:48:01 AM GMT+2

When a daily decides to play the role of God

Ilnur Cevik

11 July 2007

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ilnurcevik@yahoo.com

Mass circulation daily Hurriyet, the admiral ship of the Dogan business empire, has done it again. The newspaper has concluded that its reporters roaming around the country have come up with a grand analysis that the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party will still emerge as the top political party in Parliament but with a seriously reduced strength that may open the way for a coalition between the Republican People's Party (CHP and the ultraconservative (CHP).

The paper also dares to say the Democrat Party "may" enter the Parliament.

It is no secret that the Dogan Group has never been too warm to the prime minister or his AK Party. But because they had to live with this government for five years and they had to pretend at least to favor it. The praise that the Hurriyet people have piled on Erdogan and Gul remain in the recent newspaper files.

But these major newspaper giants have this bad habit of pretending to be the kingmaker or even God. When this happens there is no limit to what they can do.

Then they start manipulations of all kinds.

It is clear from serious public opinion polls that the voters will not vote for a party that has no chance of passing the ten percent elections threshold. So Hurriyet seem sot do the DP and its chairman Mehmet Agar a favor by saying he may produce as much as 17 seats in the elections if he passes the threshold. This means Hurriyet is telling the voters that DP is capable on winning seats and thus it should be given a chance…

Then of course is there is the idea that the CHP and the MHP will be able to win so many seats that they will be able to forge a coalition.

We have serious public opinion polls in our possession and we do not see the picture that the Hurriyet people see. Either we are living in another planet or they are simply trying acting with an ulterior motive.

But we have news for the Hurriyet people. What they are doing will only serve to anger the conservative voters and help to increase the votes of the AK Party.

We have seen these giant media groups playing God before. They felt they could bring Mesut Yilmaz to power and keep him there for years. This did not happen. They felt they could boost Tansu Ciller and keep her in office. It did not happen. They even tried to help Ciller to start a war with Greece during the Kardak crisis. They ended up with a religious surge that brought the pro-Islamic Necmettin Erbakan to power. So they rallied to topple him and collaborated with the military to be a part of a coup.

They tried to stall the AK Party but failed and ended up with Erdogan as prime minister. They buttered him up but now they decided the time has come to play their own game. But as usual they will fail. Their advisors are all wrong.

AK Party will enter this Parliament with a majority and will run the country. What will Hurriyet and the Dogan media group do then? They will simply make amends, kiss the prime minister and hope they will be forgiven…

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