New CHP coming to an end

FUAT KEYMAN

First, Adıyaman deputy Salih Fırat resigned from his party upon the words of another deputy, Birgül Ayman Güler, “You cannot make me regard the Turkish nation as equal with the Kurdish ethnicity.”

Then it was human rights defender and deputy chair in the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), Sezgin Tanrıkulu, who was attacked by Uşak deputy Dilek Akagün, with a hard-to-believe accusation of “You are a CIA agent, you are splitting the party.”

Finally, my dear friend Gülseren Onanç, who took risks and assumed responsibility, joined the CHP, despite the fact that she was placed in an undesirable place on the list in the 2011 elections, who did not resent and opted to work for the CHP, has resigned from her deputy chairperson post.

More precisely, CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has asked her to resign.

Why? It was because Onanç appeared on a television show despite the party leader’s opposition. More importantly, it was because she said, “In the grassroots of the CHP, those who support the peace process are 65 percent.”

The number of deputies within the CHP who say they should support the commission work within Parliament related to this process is around 35. They want to declare their “support for the process.”

All of these people who have been excluded from their party are people who believe in democracy, human rights, equal citizenship, justice and peace.

All of these people believe that the CHP is very important and can play a pioneering role for a “democratic, just, righteous, respectful-of-human-rights and based-on-equal-citizenship Turkey where different identities live together.”

All of these people are those who stand up against those who say, “Nothing can come out of the CHP” by taking risks, assuming responsibility and say, “No, it can.”

All of these people are those who have stayed in the CHP and continue working for it despite the unjust criticisms, attacks and even insults in the party building, party assembly meetings and central executive board.

All of these people are those who believe that the strengthening of the CHP is good and important for Turkey.
Now, all of them are being excluded one by one from their party.

Gülseren Onanç’s resignation is actually one that comes after the extremely necessary and good-willed work for the party, the expressing of the truths, despite the insults coming from within the party to say, “The CHP is important for Turkey.”

Onanç’s resignation is actually and essentially a resignation of the new CHP from the CHP.

What is called the new CHP is consequently the strengthening of the CHP; for the CHP to unite with the people everywhere in Turkey, for the CHP to adopt active policies both domestically and internationally and a demand to become an alternative for the government. It is the resignation of this mentality from the CHP.

The new CHP is finishing, together with this, the CHP is segmenting once more, weakening, leaving the political arena to primarily the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and other parties.

While the AK Party, Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) are strengthening, the CHP is weakening.

Those people working for the CHP are excluded.

Those who are excluding these people say, “We are the real CHP.” As they say so, they weaken the CHP.
Very sad. It is not possible not to be angry and not be disappointed.

Just as all of Turkey is focused on laying down arms, just in the middle of the peace process, who wants to continue their work with all their good will, despite all insults and difficulties?

Insulting Tanrıkulu and asking for the resignation of Onanç isn’t only excluding the concept of the new CHP but also excluding the CHP from Turkey’s reality?

In all the meetings I attend abroad; one of the questions I and people like me face is, “Why did the CHP pay a visit to Bashar al-Assad?”

Now the question “Is the CHP being divided?” will be added.
This is tremendously sad.

Fuat Keyman is a columnist for daily Milliyet, in which this piece was published on April 19. It was translated into English by the Daily News staff.

FUAT KEYMAN -fkeyman@milliyet.com.tr