Presidency's Director of Communications Prof Fahrettin Altun gave an interview to Tülay Demir from Turkish daily Hürriyet on the current agenda.
To begin with, I would like to ask: What are the Presidency's Directorate of Communications' duties and responsibilities?
The Directorate of Communications, with its mission and function, is one of the most critical organisations established in the Presidential System of Government. I, with the approval of our President, enjoyed the honour of being appointed as the first director of this newly established dynamic organisation. This, in turn, means, of course, a great responsibility to our nation and to our President... We carry out communications-related activities at a national and global level in line with policies and strategies set out by our President. In addition, we manage and maintain the flow of communication between our nation and the state. We exert efforts to contribute to ensuring an efficient and quality media setting is in place as well as to supporting our media workforce. It is also under our Directorate's responsibility to determine, coordinate and implement strategic communication, crisis management and public diplomacy policies. Moreover, we maintain an effective fight in all settings against foreign and domestic perception management operations targeting our country.
"We are in a critical period"
In general, what does your typical day look like? What topics demand your attention the most during working hours?
Honestly, a typical day for me is shaped by our President's day and our country's agenda. This is because we are in a critical period when important developments and urgent matters are emerging for our country, our region and the whole world.
In such a period, communication comes to the fore as a primary rather than an auxiliary domain. All these working conditions rid us of our sense of working hours.
"It is challenging to keep with our President's energy"
What are the matters that challenge you the most in this post?
We are, of course, busy with a lot of matters technically. So, sometimes it gets challenging to keep up with our President's energy. He has such a deep and intense love for serving his nation and country that sometimes 24 hours a day is not enough.
Do you not ever feel tired?
I would like to answer this question in our President's words as a principle: "Whoever works and struggles with love does not get tired." As we conduct this duty and work with our President's spirit, we never know what tiredness or difficulty means. Since this is a tremendous historic chance to serve our nation and country, we only focus on our duties.
How was your relationship with social media before you became the Director of Communications? Have you always been so actively engaged with the digital world?
Yes, absolutely. I think it is important to use all social media platforms based on the truth. Before this duty, I would still actively use social media and share my thoughts there effectively. In my academic career and in the fields of media and communications, I have always found myself worrying about the issues of my country and society I am living in. I have always found myself busy trying to come up with ideas, produce knowledge and take action, in an indigenous and national fashion. I have tried to show these on social media as well.
"Certain circles of people take themselves as unquestionable"
Social media has never been a place without harassment, violence, or threat. We even see terrorism being supported through private or public accounts. What do you think is the reason for this aggression and limitlessness?
The most important cause of all this is that perception and reality have taken each other's places. Regardless of the extent to which certain circles are involved in harassment, terrorism or violence, they produce such perception for the public that they consider themselves as unquestionable.
Also, those who fail to earn the appreciation of our nation in societal and political terms resort to perception management operations based on lies at digital platforms. Not a day passes without them targeting public officials working for our nation and our state, or projects accomplished with great efforts. They seek to hinder the great and powerful Turkey, to drag us away from implementing the political agenda that we try to pursue in line with our claims.
However, they shall not succeed. It is a duty of the public authorities to protect the rights of our citizens. In this direction, the law on social media was enacted last year, prepared to ensure the prevention of turning social media into a crime scene, and the protection of personal rights and public interests.
With this law in place, we will be better able to protect our country from defamation campaigns, and our citizens from attacks targeting their personal rights.
"Social media is not a place of limitless freedom"
As someone born and raised in the Netherlands, I can say that there is no such thing as unsupervised social media use abroad. It is like even the smallest interference is taken like a censure or restriction of liberties in our country... How will it be possible to break this cycle, and is social media doomed to change eventually?
In developed countries, the ones shown as the so-called stronghold of democracy, you are likely to see large-scale restrictions and rules in such fundamental domains. These rules are necessary for the true establishment of social peace and security and democracy.
It would be nothing but a delusion to take social media as a place full of limitless freedoms. It is purely malicious opportunism to think that one can make terrorist propaganda on social media while not in the public arena.
"We will never allow digital fascism"
We are among the top countries to make the most of social media use, but platforms like Facebook and Twitter have not felt the need to appoint a representative to Turkey for many years...
This was really a multidimensional problem. The decision taken by our state on this issue has actually brought a solution to the problem. In this context, some social media platforms have started to appoint legal representatives to our country. This is pleasing for us. This development also reveals our rightfulness in protecting the rights of our citizens and freedom of expression. Global social media platforms should abandon the habit of seeing themselves above the state and act within the framework of the law. We will never allow digital fascism in our country.
As far as I know, Facebook has taken a step back and started the process of appointing a representative. What are the developments in that regard? What will the appointment of a representative change?
The "advertising ban" procedure for social network providers that have not appointed representatives came into effect last month. Those who do not have a representative here will no longer be able to receive advertisements from our country as well. The relevant decision also states that the sanctions for the social network provider that does not fulfil its obligation to assign a representative and report will go as far as the narrowing down of internet traffic bandwidth. I hope that these platforms will take the necessary steps without the need for this. Our only concern here is to protect our nation and citizens' data, privacy, and rights. On the other hand, we have witnessed that social media platforms presenting themselves as "the only channel of democracy and freedom of expression" are not impartial on political and social issues, and we have witnessed the attempts to mute the voices of the political institution and the representatives of the nation. This is open censorship to democracy, the will of the nation, and freedom of expression, and is never acceptable. Unfortunately, these platforms do not show the tolerance that they display to protect terrorist organisations and meretricious groups, to the posts that criticise them. We will never allow these platforms to exploit minds and values.
"What WhatsApp did, is literally double standards"
WhatsApp also pursued a double standard on a different issue. The new privacy policy to be updated will introduce data sharing obligations for the users in Turkey. However, the update in question does not cover the European Union countries. Why is there such discrimination?
This is literally double standards. It is absolutely tyrannical to try and implement the policies, which they cannot even speak of in Western countries, in Turkey. After all, the viewpoint of such organisations towards states like Turkey is a clear example of hypocrisy. It is their own problem in which category they place Turkey since these media platforms do not give anyone confidence in the world on issues such as human rights and the right to privacy, but indeed, we will not allow this categorisation. We cannot accept such a double standard either as a state or as a nation. Everyone saw our public reaction in addition to our official reaction when the issue came to the fore."
WhatsApp postponed the update deadline, which was February 8, due to the reactions, but the issue was not completely closed as far as I know. What will be the consequences on the condition that it insists on data sharing?
If they try to employ this policy in the same way on March 8, the reaction will be the same because our citizens' awareness about the protection of their personal data is high. On the other hand, this development has led to a better understanding of domestic digital platforms' importance. We need to empower our successful platforms in these areas. This is not only a technological issue but also a vital requirement for the protection of our state's security and stability.
"Dialogue with the EU will be enhanced in the upcoming days"
Our President has announced in recent weeks that our course has been towards Europe and the European Union. Are there new efforts on this issue, will new steps be taken?
Indeed, the work has never stopped on our side. Some time may have been lost due to EU member states' double standards, but we, as Turkey, have been working tirelessly to fulfil "Ankara criteria". In the new period with the EU, our President himself has been conducting leader-to-leader diplomacy. Furthermore, our Ministry of Foreign Affairs is holding talks as well. In the upcoming days, the dialogue with the EU will be further enhanced.
As Turkey, we have never refrained from fulfilling what falls upon us, and we never will. The EU-Turkey relations are of strategic importance that cannot be confined to some member states' narrow interests. The EU should be aware of this fact and develop an approach in this line. We also expect the EU to keep its promises.
"Reform and new constitution are a must for our country"
Our President's announcement of the new period, the period of reform also has drawn attention. What kind of reforms are of top priority? May we ask for some information on this subject...
The most prominent feature of our President's leadership is his constant reformist character. Society is continually being renewed. In this context, our President has initiated preparations for a new legal and economic reform. Technical studies have been brought to a certain level. It will be shared with the public soon by our President himself. These reform efforts are built on the basis of fundamental rights and freedoms and the strengthening of the atmosphere of trust in the economy. Thus, we will reinforce our economy and raise the bar of our democracy. On the other hand, our President emphasised that it was time to discuss the need for a new civil constitution by taking the reform discourse one step further. We believe that a new civil Constitution will open new horizons for our country.
The fact that the People's Alliance is pioneering this work indicates this partnership's historical mission for our country. We will take all necessary structural steps to strengthen our regional and global power. Our most important issue in the new period will be reform and the new Constitution. This is a necessity for our country. There is no turning back from this.
"Diyarbakır mothers display an unprecedented resistance"
In order to save their children from the terrorist organisation and take them back, Diyarbakır mothers continue their sit-in for their children day and night, whether come snow or winter. Are you also working to make their voices heard in the world?
Diyarbakır Mothers display unprecedented resistance in the world today. They face threats and isolation, and let me put it more clearly, they are risking death and resisting for their children. The only strength they rely on in doing this is the mother's heart…
While our state is working to bring our mothers together with their children, our task is to make these mothers' voices heard. We are trying to make Diyarbakır Mothers' cries, and their struggle for their children be heard both in national and international media. On the other hand, we present the works that take the terrorist organisation PKK and its collaborators down a peg to our nation and the world public opinion. We strive to spread the subject through documentaries and other means and ensure Diyarbakır Mothers' struggles are not forgotten. Despite the busy agenda we encounter every day, we see it as our duty to make the voices of mothers waiting for their children heard.
The slightest post praising terrorism or terrorists in Europe results in detention. Could there be more tolerance in our country? What would you like to say about this?
Yes, unfortunately, it is made popular in Turkey by certain groups to be associated with terrorism and legalise violence rather than being a reprehensible situation. They are able to say things that cannot be said in the context of support for terrorism in any democratic country in the world, share them on social media, and yet they wish not to be touched. Some continue their hostility against our President and the state at the expense of being the bolster for the terrorist organisations. It is perhaps the easiest fight today if you are fighting a terrorist with a gun. We witness the successful operations of our security units in this direction day by day. Believe me, our biggest problem today is legitimising violence in social terms, seeking help from terrorist organisations to overthrow power, not even mentioning the names of terrorist organisations in terrorist acts to win an election. Violence and terrorism have no legitimacy whatsoever. Nothing is more valuable than human life. While terrorist acts should be condemned without the slightest political calculation, it is very saddening to remain silent due to the possibility for a break-up of the alliances formed.
"The radical views of a small group should not be attributed to Boğaziçi University entirely"
Let's talk about the events at Boğaziçi University... What do you think is the intention? Could they be trying to organise a new Gezi protest? Do you think some segments are trying to take the citizens to the streets?
A rector was appointed to Boğaziçi University by our President in accordance with the law. This decision bothered those who saw this university as a 'liberated zone' for themselves. They supposedly sent a small radical group of students onto the field to protest. The protests were swarmed with people linked to terrorist organisations. There were those from different political parties who hung on to this uproar. However, so far, all rectors in Turkey have been appointed. Those who pave the way for this uproar ignore this fact. Or even though they see or know it, they try to turn it into a political rent, an opportunity every time. We clearly remember that there were similar protests in previous appointments of rectors.
However, the protests here started to become the base of terrorist organisations. It was determined that people from different terrorist organisations participated in the protests for provocation. There was also an attack against our sacred values. Many of the young people detained in the protests are not even students of that university. Undoubtedly, there are those who try to create a Gezi from this with their vandalism. If people are carrying banners that read "The issue is not Boğaziçi, don't you understand?" in different Turkish cities, we can see that there are those who control them and turn this into an instrument of the opposition by politicising the issue.
However, neither this state nor this nation will allow this. Let's not ignore that the vast majority of the students with a common sense at Boğaziçi University stay away from these protests and do not accept the vandalism displayed here.
We want our universities to come to the fore with their scientific, academic and technological achievements, research, education and social services. Our state will continue to provide all opportunities and facilities for this.
We will continue to protect our youth from the danger of radicalism and terrorism and to establish peaceful and secure educational environments in our universities.
