İYİ Party Leader Dervişoğlu: ‘This is a Stop of Politiclessness’
Ankara, May 25 – İYİ Party Leader Müsavat Dervişoğlu stated that the operation against the CHP demonstrates the desperation and next steps of those governing Turkey, calling it a ‘stop of politiclessness’. He added that the Turkish nation is being pushed towards a path where their inalienable, untransferable, and indisputable right to choose can be taken away.
Dervişoğlu organized a press conference at the party’s general headquarters. He asserted that Turkey is experiencing a period of shame under the Presidential Government System. “If it were otherwise,” he said, “the 30-year-old Bilgi University would not have been closed with a two-line presidential decree and reopened a few days later. If it were otherwise, we would have been somewhat surprised by the breaking of the CHP General Headquarters’ doors and the forced entry, or by the appointment of a party chairman by a court decision. However, we are not surprised; because we are long past this stage. In fact, we are confused about what to be surprised by anymore. We are not surprised by injustices, corruption, immorality, the tutelage of the judiciary, midnight decisions taken against the expectations of the nation, decisions that the nation debates whether they are ‘legal or political,’ and morning operations. In short, they have started to make us accustomed to the extraordinary as ‘ordinary.’ We question ourselves, ‘What else will happen to surprise us?’ This is a complete state of decay and not a situation that Turkey deserves in this century.”
‘There is a So-Called Republic’
Dervişoğlu noted that they are following recent developments with great concern. “We are witnessing events that make us miss, or perhaps unfortunately even miss, the periods of uniformed coups. Therefore, we are deeply concerned about the future of our Republic. Today, I regret to say that there is a so-called Republic. They unfortunately want to turn our Republic into a republic of trustees. This is a search for an order where a trustee is appointed for nationalists, another for Atatürkists, and a convicted terrorist for Kurds. Through this, Mr. Erdoğan harbors the ambition to appoint himself as a permanent trustee to the Turkish state. From this perspective, the operation against the CHP shows both the helplessness and the next step of those governing Turkey. This is a stop of politiclessness. We are being pushed towards a path where the Turkish nation’s inalienable, untransferable, and indisputable right to choose can be taken away. If we are not burying our heads in the sand today, if we are not trying to grab logs from the flood, it is because of the founding process, principles, and values of the İYİ Party. This is our responsibility arising from this process.”
‘We Believe This Period Will Be Overcome’
Dervişoğlu stated that the AK Party government is trying to survive with judicial tutelage, but the Turkish nation is silently following what is happening and will have the last word against coups and illegalities. Dervişoğlu said, “Every tremor experienced by our democracy and law shrinks our nation’s table and places new mortgages on our country’s future. There is a common point shared by almost all political parties, except the ruling party, and that is the fact that the CHP is an important institution and part of Turkish politics. Even if we sometimes diverge politically, we cannot consent to such an institutional structure being severely damaged. This approach is a requirement of our democratic ethics. We are in favor of building a political climate that prefers to compete with its political rivals rather than destroying them through various means and methods. This is the main reason why we reject and condemn every anti-democratic intervention. In this context, I would like to express our belief that all problems arising in the CHP, where developments that saddened our nation occurred yesterday, will be overcome within an institutional integrity. With our 150 years of democratic experience and accumulation, we sincerely believe that this negative period will be overcome with minimal damage.”
‘MHP’s Wishes Do Not Find a Response’
Answering questions from journalists, Dervişoğlu commented on MHP Deputy Chairman Feti Yıldız’s post regarding the process in the CHP. “He probably just now understood that this process was reached with fanfare. He also had difficulty understanding that this message should be conveyed directly to Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as a ruling partner, rather than to the public. However, despite their good wishes, there are periods when they cannot facilitate those good things. The authorities must first take steps to ensure compliance with laws and the existing Constitution. Calls and wishes from the MHP generally do not find a response,” he said. (DHA)
