The CHP, the community and the AK Party

Hüseyin Gülerce

During the press conference he held to declare his resignation from the leadership of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), Deniz Baykal surprisingly disclosed that he believed in the sincerity of the message Mr. Fethullah Gülen had sent him.

But, during the same conference he also hurled severe, though unfounded, accusations at the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and the prime minister. This double act of fairness and unfairness was enough to foment a cauldron of provocation and mischief. Some have claimed that “the CHP is coming to terms with the Gülen community while sowing the seeds of dissension between the AK Party and the community, as the two have not been on good terms with each other for some time.”

I personally attach great importance to Mr. Baykal referring to the sincerity of the message from Pennsylvania, and this is what I told a number of TV stations in interviews. I made it clear that Mr. Baykal was acting with fairness, and this is a valuable step towards establishing social peace. But I also added that I cannot approve what he did to the AK Party.

Let’s open a parenthesis here. Whenever there is an important development, news stations ask writers and journalists about their opinion. From time to time I am also consulted as a writer. Most of the time, my views are expressed with the note “Gülerce, who is known for his affinity to Gülen, says” because of my respect for Gülen. I always say that my affinity to Gülen is the biggest honor for me. However, I am not a spokesperson for the Volunteers Movement which is also associated with Gülen. There is no spokesperson position. Gülen does not need anyone to act as his spokesperson. When need be, he expresses his views and ideas by way of his lawyers or news outlets. What I say does not bind the Volunteers Movement in any way. The heroes of “service” are the guardians of affection who quietly make sacrifices in different parts of the words in temperatures measuring from 50 degrees below zero to 50 degrees above zero.

Now let’s turn to the CHP, the community and the AK Party issue. Indeed Baykal’s step to mend a mistake is very important and valuable. For there is one circle in Turkey that, despite the Court of Appeal’s decision to acquit, has created a new fear for the secular segment: The Fethullah Gülen community. In particular, during the Ergenekon case, the derogatory term “F-type” was created. The “Gülen community” has been blamed for everything. They are said to be the “focal point in the police force” and to be forming a “staff within the bureaucracy.” People who are eager to believe these kinds of allegations keep talking about them. Bülent Ecevit, may he rest in peace, always had a principled stance on respecting beliefs with his secular understanding. He was truehearted. But CHP executives did not act this way. Occasionally, Baykal himself behaved inappropriately as well. So the new approach is very important in the name of freeing a large segment of society from lies and allegations. It is also very valuable in terms of spreading the culture of tolerance and compromise.

Causing dissention between the Gülen religious community and the AK Party is an evil effort. The respectable Gülen has always said the following regarding politics and the religious community: “We stand at an equal distance from all parties. We are equally close to all.” However, the support extended to the democratization efforts which commenced during the rule of the AK Party is continuously being presented as the “politicization of the religious community.” The support given to the government for democratization and Turkey’s EU accession is support for the supremacy of law, freedom and attaining international standards in liberties. Whatever government supports these will receive the same level of support from us.

The Volunteers Movement is a movement towards integrating with the world and meeting international values of humanity while we remain true to ourselves. This movement cannot be thought of as one that eyes politics and political leveraging. In ample time, everyone will witness this. Thus, the “Gülen religious community,” which is a nongovernmental movement, is not a party-affiliated movement and thus it being on bad terms with any given party cannot be thought of.

Published on Today's Zaman, 14 May 2010, Friday