İYİ Party Leader Dervişoğlu: We Are Becoming an Umbrella Party
Ankara, March 12 – İYİ Party Chairman Müsavat Dervişoğlu, speaking at an iftar dinner with journalists in Ankara, declared that the İYİ Party has transformed into an “umbrella party” that can bring others together. He noted that they are witnessing requests from other political parties to join them, and a decision will be made in due course.
Comments on the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Case
Dervişoğlu also addressed the request for live broadcasting of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) court case. He drew parallels with the Yassıada trials of Adnan Menderes, emphasizing the need to consider the potential negative impact of live radio broadcasts. While expressing his concerns about the process to both Mr. İmamoğlu and Mr. Özel, he stated, “I would vote ‘yes’ if a motion for live broadcasting is brought to the Parliament by the CHP. I was among the first to visit Çağlayan Courthouse. My statement regarding live broadcasting in today’s hearing was misunderstood. Some friends sent messages saying, ‘We expect support from you.’ But I already gave our support from day one. It should not be turned into a political arena. What is being debated is justice. If the sense of justice is eroded, no institution will remain unharmed.”
S-400 Missiles and Air Defense
Regarding a question about President Erdoğan’s statements on security measures following two missiles fired from Iran into Turkey, Dervişoğlu expressed his difficulty in understanding some situations concerning Erdoğan and his partners in power. He highlighted Turkey’s vulnerable air defense and the issue of S-400 missiles, stating, “We all know that the S-400 missiles, which we acquired for billions of dollars to address this deficiency, cannot be activated. Everyone knows this, especially those who acquired them. It is also known by everyone that we were removed from the F-35 project because we bought those missiles. Therefore, I can never allow Turkey’s military power to be debated. And I choose my words on this matter very carefully. The Turkish Armed Forces are one of NATO’s strongest armies. But there are deficiencies that need to be addressed in some areas. We understand and see that missiles likely to enter our airspace are destroyed by NATO countries. For this reason, yes, the country’s security is guaranteed. Because the Turkish Armed Forces are a strong army. The Turkish nation is also a prudent nation. I can never have a thought of making the country’s security a matter of debate. I say this first and foremost because my national feelings prevent it. However, it is known to both us and the public that there are elements waiting to gain political advantage from a security perspective. Therefore, I believe that Turkey’s military and technological capabilities should be at a very high level. Turkey’s geopolitical situation already dictates this. That is, if there are things that have not been done until then, some developments force us to remedy those inadequacies. From that point of view, I do not see this as a matter for politics to discuss. This is directly a national issue.”
‘Turkey Without Terror’ Process
Dervişoğlu also touched upon the ‘Turkey Without Terror’ process, stating, “The definition of a ‘Turkey Without Terror’ has two subjects: one is ‘without terror’ and the other is ‘Turkey.’ I have stated on every occasion that I am not speaking with nationalist reflexes on this matter. I have also stated that what I am doing serves as a defense line for the Kurds living in Turkey. Those in Turkey are not the same as those in Syria, Iraq, and Iran; they have an identity. There were times when the Kurds in Syria were not even deemed worthy of an identity. Moreover, look at the identity-less Kurds in Iraq. Another group did not have the right to vote and be elected until recently. Those in Iran did not have the right to be civil servants. Turkey has already achieved its national unity and solidarity with its unitary state structure, its definition of citizenship, and its definition of national identity. More than 60 percent of people of Eastern and Southeastern Anatolian origin lived west of Ankara. And they act with the joy of being equal, honorable citizens. Now, while this ‘Turkey Without Terror’ issue is being discussed, we have always forgotten Turkey. We only talked about terrorists. That is, we talked about and debated the proposals of terrorists, the recommendations of terrorists, starting with the chief murderer in İmralı; their proposals. We did not talk about anything related to Turkey. Turkey is not a problem-free area; just as there are Turks with problems, there are, of course, Kurds with problems in this country. Steps needed to be taken to solve these problems by approaching them with a common perspective. What are we talking about today? What we are talking about today is the definition of citizenship. Both the government and a large part of the opposition were against opening the definition of citizenship to debate. But none of us know what will happen tomorrow. We do not know the extent of the demands. They also say they have developed the internal front. That is, we did not have a problem on the internal front anyway.”
National Solidarity, Brotherhood, and Democracy Commission Report
Referring to the report prepared by the ‘National Solidarity, Brotherhood, and Democracy Commission’, Dervişoğlu said, “In this report, they even avoided stating that the İYİ Party did not participate in that commission by naming the İYİ Party. 50 years later, your children or grandchildren, while doing their master’s or doctoral work, will take this report. The İYİ Party is not mentioned in it. It says; ‘The party that previously informed our presidency that it would not participate in the commission’s work.’ Let us go down in history; let it be a stain on the history we did not participate in. Let everyone know. But the fact that the name of the Turkish nation is not mentioned in that commission report coincidentally explains why our name is not in that report, I think. Where there is no Turkish nation, let the İYİ Party’s name not be there either. But the Turkish nation will not leave those who did it alone, everyone should be sure of that. We will see. That is, they will be accepted as legal entities in the coming period. We will see what is wanted for the İmralı murderer. We will see what is desired for his organization that murdered 50 thousand of our citizens. We will learn what status the murderer named Abdullah Öcalan wants and desires. That is, Devlet Bahçeli gives these in encrypted form. No clear sentence has been uttered by Mr. President on this matter. But Mr. Bahçeli moderated this work. First, he invited him to the parliamentary rostrum. For that murderer to come to the rostrum, he must have gained his freedom. But Mr. Bahçeli is very adept at using freedom by changing its location. He is not doing this for the first time. We have witnessed similar sentences from him many times before. I said it then too. The man does not live in Aşağı Ayrancı for him to come to Parliament and make a speech. The first person to talk about ‘the right to hope’ there is Devlet Bahçeli. The first person to utter the right to hope in the old report is Abdullah Öcalan. The real owner of the request to establish a commission is Abdullah Öcalan. Recently, he talks about status. It’s like folk poets giving a foot. Mr. Bahçeli is openly acting as Abdullah Öcalan’s postman in this process. There is no aspect of this that can be accepted by us. That’s why I said there is definitely a red line between them. I wonder who established that line. We will see. That is, who is fond of İmralı and Öcalan, what they are doing for him, we will see. We continue to deal with Turkey’s problems. Everyone who lives in this geography, who is proud to continue their existence under this flag, in its shadow, who considers this their homeland, who proudly carries the identity of the Republic of Turkey, is our brother. And no one in this geography is a guest. Everyone is a host.”
Alliances in the Nationalist Front
Regarding the formation of an alliance among parties in the nationalist front, Dervişoğlu stated, “I will not make an assessment before its time.” On the issue of alliances, he said, “This is not a decision I can make alone. This is a decision to be made by discussing it in the party’s most authorized bodies. But we have not had any alliance negotiations with any political party since the 2023 elections. The İYİ Party is being mentioned at around 8 percent these days. There were also those who predicted a lifespan for the İYİ Party at one time. In this system, we need to get more votes. The İYİ Party has become an umbrella party that can bring others together. We are witnessing requests from parties who want to be with us, and we will decide when the time comes. In politics, two plus two does not make four. While you think synergy will be created, you may also face a negative situation. We are not in need of establishing a political equation based on this. Why are we uniting nationalists, let’s unite the nation. Let’s unite the leftists and the rightists. Let’s unite the nation. We will make our mark on Turkish politics.”
Source: https://www.dha.com.tr/yerel-haberler/ankara/ankara-dervisoglu-iyi-parti-altinda-toplanab-2834871
