AKP deputy Şükür stands behind his TV job

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

A deputy for the ruling AKP and a former football star, Hakan Şükür (R) says he is not worried about criticism following his decision to work at Lig TV as a pundit. AA photo

Ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputy and former football star Hakan Şükür said yesterday he had consulted with Parliament’s secretary-general before inking a deal with Lig TV as a commentator and was told there was no legal obstacle to the move.

“I don’t renounce my legal right because of the criticism. But if our prime minister or Parliament speaker tells me not to do it, I will obey them,” Şükür told reporters yesterday.

Şükür abandoned his job as a television commentator on the state-run TRT network after he won a parliamentary seat in last year’s elections. However, it was announced this week that he would appear as a pundit on Lig TV, the broadcaster of the top-flight games. Opposition deputies criticized the deal on grounds that such an activity would not accord with deputyship.

Challenging his critics, the former Galatasaray striker said: “After consulting with Parliament’s secretary-general, I also informed Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan about the contract and he told me I could go ahead if there’s no legal obstacle and if it would not hinder my legislative duties.”

The chairman of Parliament’s Constitution Commission, Burhan Kuzu, said, “If deputies get involved in activities which are not in accordance with their duties, they lose their parliamentary seats.”