6 November 2009 / TODAY'S ZAMAN WITH WIRES, İSTANBUL
The Democratic Left Party (DSP) held a memorial service in honor of former Turkish Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit at his gravesite at a state cemetery in Ankara yesterday, on the third anniversary of his death.
DSP head Masum Türker stood at attention out of respect at the side of Ecevit’s grave after laying a wreath there. In his speech, Türker said that the anniversary of the death of the founder of the Turkish Left Movement was a day for all to remember where they where, where they had come from and who they were. “Today actually … will always remind Turkey how farsighted Ecevit was and how he captured the future with the dynamism of this [leftist] movement,” he said. “His absence is a loss not just for democratic leftists, but for all of Turkey.” Türker recalled comments Ecevit had made warning of the role of religious people in politics because they would distance Turkey from the world and democracy.
