MHP deputy Osman Durmuş, who had once served as the minister of health, forgot that he was in Parliament and started to talk in an inappropriate manner that would offend even his own party’s supporters. He was obviously not alone as a few other deputies from his party also came prepared. It may not have been realized that the sharp discourse, which accompanied the waving of CDs, would create a scene that did not suit Parliament. I don’t know, but the resulting events were not pleasant at all.The head of a local branch of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) had supposedly described Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as a “prophet.” This is utter nonsense. Who would believe that? Whose conscience could accept this madness? Even if such a description had really been made, such a delusion cannot be connected to Erdoğan. Who can be accused of some nonsense uttered by a crazy person? What is the justification for triggering a quarrel in Parliament because of such an outlandish description? Isn’t it obvious that such a heated approach to the matter would lead to the other party obtaining and waving CDs in their hands? There is no end to this.
It was very obvious that such an incident would occur one day. It came with all the signs of its arrival and darkened the horizons of the country. MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli was actually one leader who could foresee such communication accidents beforehand. He was able to diagnose the provocations targeting the Ülkücü (idealist) movement and the MHP and adopted a cool-headed stance against them, eventually showing his aptitude for leadership. Mr. Bahçeli had to foresee the extremely nervous behavior of one of his party’s deputies, who makes frequent public appearances to showcase the MHP. Certain events have already disrupted the MHP’s image, showing it as more aggressive. For instance, people still remember how Sadi Somuncuoğlu, one of the people regarded as symbols of the Ülkücü movement, was harassed by a number of MHP deputies. Of course, the progress the MHP has made since then should be acknowledged. They at least know now that they must act in a more cold-blooded manner. However, some leading figures of the party are still contentious and aggressive.
Opposition is of course an important occupation, but sitting in the opposition rows requires reviewing the government’s performance, not starting quarrels. What Durmuş sparked that evening was an expected development. He criticizes and charges everyone, and he cannot control himself or suppress his rage while speaking. That night, Durmuş went so far that one would get the wrong impression and think that he lent support to Emine Erdoğan being prohibited from entering a military hospital because the person who he had referred to as “the wife of the prophet” in a sarcastic manner is not only the wife of the prime minister but also a person who has been victimized because she wears a headscarf. Who benefits from an attitude that might be construed as support for the headscarf ban because of the mumblings of a tactless person? Apparently, the MHP administration did not approve of Durmuş’s words because they did not invite him to a number of meetings they held on Wednesday. It means the party management realized that Durmuş made a mistake and caused a misunderstanding, hurting not only AK Party members and supporters but also the majority of the nation. If only they could have predicted that such an accident would have happened, they could have been able to take measures before the tire went flat.
What happened to Emine Erdoğan has happened and is happening to hundreds of thousands of people. Years ago I personally witnessed one such incident. The dictatorial management of the Higher Education Board (YÖK) at the time turned a wedding ceremony held at Baltalimanı, which belongs to İstanbul University, into a living hell. They invited then-Mayor Ali Müfit Gürtuna but told him that his wife should not come wearing a headscarf. They further banned the relatives of the wedding party from wearing headscarves.
Newspapers published a document several days ago in which former Air Forces Commander Gen. İbrahim Fırtına had ordered that women who wear a headscarf should not be allowed to see their relatives serving their military service even if they remove their headscarves. Who can avoid saying, “Woe to them,” after reading about these practices? Speaking to Murat Yetkin of Radikal, former Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Özkök said: “Everything changes. And so the Turkish Armed Forces [TSK] should also change. One should not be afraid of this.” Özkök Pasha is perfectly right. Not only the TSK, but everyone -- of course including the ruling and opposition mentality in politics -- must change because of the tendency to pay greater respect to beliefs, society and democracy.
