September 29, 1995
Ankara

 


My Dear Friends,
Dear Children,

 

In a society where rule of law is adopted, individuals see law, the judicial mechanism and rights not only as an organization that defines crime and penalty, but as a frame lighting the way for development and humane living. Activating the system this way is possible by allowing the concepts ‘law’ and ‘state of law’ to enter our lives, because law and rights become concrete with the activities of citizens who demand them and show efforts for this purpose.

Individuals who are strangers to this concept and such mechanisms may easily lose their faith in justice and turn out to be individuals who give credit for brute force. In that case, introducing you, our children, the rule of law and making sure that you well adopt this concept must be a duty belonging to us, elder people, and our precious educators.

Life full of reconciliation and peace is an honorable life. And, this is a yearning which can be reached by means of adopting the principles of state of law. In societies where law is nonobjective or weak, brute force prevails and chaos arises. In such societies, it is impossible for individuals to sustain an honorable life. And, this conclusively leads to dishonorable individuals and dishonorable societies. We have to live honorably; therefore we must show efforts for the rule of law.

Honorable societies are those societies that respect law and that are able to protect the right to live humanely. Honor is the prestige balance of peace and the guiding compass of development, which never deviates from rights and freedom. And, we know that the human honor is synonymous with the adoption of state of law, protection of law and development of law.

We cannot expect from others the protection of our honor at personal, national and international levels.

Brute force is disproportionate with the phenomenon of being a human. Here, the task belonging to individuals is to lay claim to law with honor and perform duties under their own responsibility. We have to takeover the load of the judicial system in our country. We should not see the rule of law as a concept under the possession of only jurists and the judicial system. It must be seen as a goal that each citizen internalizes and for which efforts are shown.

We have to show efforts to turn clash which is a part and even itself of life, from a bad, corrosive and relations-harming social phenomenon into a positive, constructive and development-bringing process.

Physical power is God’s gift. Power is raised by using tools. Using and developing tools requires mind; therefore it is unique to the mankind. Gun is a tool developed by the mankind, which increases attacking power. Even if it is used for defending purpose, it is a kind of means of violence. Violence is not God’s gift; it is something learned; the society teaches us how we will use violence against each other and to whom and under which circumstances we will use it; the society defines traditions and rules for using violence. Using gun is a learned behavior just like violence is. Gun is a tool used by people who are violence prone.

We know that problems should not be settled by means of violence or guns. Contrarily, problems further inflame internal chaos and consequently bring inextricable problems or leave behind insufferable sorrow and pains.

These are intermediate measures. The main thing is to eliminate or at least minimize the need for committing violence and using gun which is its main instrument. For this purpose, we need to change our regional and social conditions. We need to grow generations that prefer to settle their problems through peaceful ways without feeling the need for committing violence.

I lost my son Umut ÖNAL because of a bullet that came from his friend’s gun. Here we memorialize him. A peaceful life is the hope of all of us. We aim to keep this hope alive and to make it strongly turn into reality.

Regardless of how violence is created, the nicest way of preventing it is to be tolerant. The key to social balance and harmony is the education system based on love, peace and tolerance. In this context, I wish we all become constructive and reconciliatory individuals within love and tolerance.

I thank you all.