In the wake of the video clips that have surfaced involving four senior members of the MHP having affairs with women and insulting right-wing voters, Bahçeli accused those “beyond the [Atlantic] ocean” of having a role in the emergence of the video clip scandals.
He was referring to renowned Islamic scholar and intellectual Fethullah Gülen, who resides in the US. Gülen, who has pioneered educational activities in a number of countries, along with efforts to promote intercultural and interfaith activities around the world, strongly denies these accusations. Bahçeli's reference to Gülen as the mastermind behind the video scandals has drawn strong reactions from various segments of the society who interpreted his attacks as a sign of fears about election loss and political incompetence.
Despite growing reactions against him over his accusations to Gülen, Bahçeli continued his attacks on Gülen in remarks that appeared in several Turkish newspapers on Thursday.
When asked by the Milliyet daily about the reaction Gülen gave to his accusations, Bahçeli responded: “I deeply regret that Turkey is locked to the equilateral triangle of [Prime Minister Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan, Gülen and [outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah] Öcalan.” He also called on Gülen to return to Turkey to “make a healthy analysis,” and “act as a mentor.”
Bahçeli’s putting Erdoğan and Gülen in the same basket with the PKK leader who has been orchestrating a bloody war in Turkey’s Southeast since 1984 brought him further criticism.
“I associate Bahçeli’s statements regarding Gülen with his being in a state of political burnout and fears about his party’s failure to pass the election threshold,” Erhan Başyurt, the editor-in-chief and a columnist from Bugün daily, told Today’s Zaman over a phone interview. “The MHP is on the way of staying under the [10 percent] election threshold. The stress resulting from this fear makes the party even more aggressive,” he said. When asked whether Bahçeli’s offensive statements against Gülen might hurt the MHP grass roots, which are comprised of individuals from a conservative background and include people who appreciate Gülen’s services, Başyurt explained that the MHP lost the support of its traditional grass roots due to the party’s opposition to constitutional reforms last year, hence it is now trying to woo the secular CHP grass roots with statements targeting Gülen.
The MHP carried out a “no” campaign against a government-sponsored constitutional reform package which was voted on in a referendum last September. Among other things, the package included an article which made the trial of the perpetrators of the 1980 military coup possible. Although many MHP members known as “idealists” were among the victims of this coup, the party opposed the package, which was approved by 58 percent public support. Despite the position of the party administration, prominent idealists and a large segment of the MHP grass roots endorsed the package.
According to Professor Doğu Ergil, a distinguished political scientist who penned a book on the volunteer movement inspired by Gülen with the title, “Fethullah Gülen and His Movement in 100 Questions,” Bahçeli’s attack on the Gülen movement shows his failure to correctly analyze the developments taking place in the country, to realize who his real enemies are. “The support for the party is dying down. Without making a good analysis of the reasons behind weakening public support for the party and announcing future projects to win the elections, the MHP leader is creating imaginary enemies. Neither the parties’ rivals not its goals are clear. He is just creating conspiracy theories without having any concrete evidence,” he said, adding that the party has no chances of success in the elections.
Ergil also noted that Bahçeli might have an assumption about Gülen community’s support to the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government and he might be propelled to direct accusations to Gülen because he was disturbed by the support the Gülen community “gives” to the government.
Gülen refrains from involvement in politics or endorsing a certain political party. In an earlier interview, he announced: “We are in equal proximity to all parties. I am not saying equal distance, we are in equal proximity. Because all of the followers and sympathizers of every party are our people. People’s parties and people’s political ideas are not barriers to our being friends with them.”
Bahçeli drew yet another reaction for his offensive statements about Gülen from retired imam Abdullah Tüzün who witnessed the latest moments of idealist youths Selçuk Duracık and Halil Esendağ who were executed by the military junta of 1980.
The retired imam said Duracık and Esendağ were real nationalists who went to the gallows with prayers while Bahçeli attacks an imam.
Published on Today's Zaman, 12 May 2011, Thursday
