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Moustache controversy grows with Bahçeli’s apology appeal
Speaking on the Kanal 24 television station last week, Çelik made statements about the new special forces command to be established to combat Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) terrorism, and said: “In the past, the wrong men were in the special operations task force. They were likely typical MHP militants with downward-sloping moustaches.”
Çelik’s statements drew a strong reaction from Bahçeli, who said: “Just as those ‘wrong’ men had downward-sloping moustaches, they were claimed to be MHP supporters. What will we do now? There are plans to establish a special army.
Will this army have members with almond-shape moustaches [a moustache worn generally by pious people]?” asked Bahçeli. Speaking at the parliamentary group meeting yesterday, Bahçeli said both Erdoğan, as leader of the AK Party, and Çelik should apologize to the families of the martyrs and members of the special operations police forces as well as their relatives over Çelik’s remarks likening them to militants.
Bahçeli also reiterated yesterday that his party will not lend support to a government-sponsored reform package that will be presented to a referendum on Sept. 12 because it believes that the AK Party aims to establish a civilian dictatorship through the amendments. He also criticized the governor of Aydın, stating that last week MHP posters put up on the party’s Aydın branch building against the campaign were removed. He said what happened was an arbitrary and oppressive attack. “The fact that the person who ordered this could either be the prime minister, the minister or the government doesn’t change the insult that’s been done.” He said his party members avoided getting into conflict with the police officers sent by the governor’s office, and that they had not fallen into their trap.
The poster in question criticized the government’s Kurdish initiative, which the government says aims to stop mothers from crying, and read, “The more you push for the initiative, the more the mothers will cry.”
Bahçeli said he will hold the first of his party rallies against the reforms in Aydın, where he said will meet with his Aegean brothers who share the same belief and excitement as his party.
The MHP leader cited 28 reasons behind the MHP’s resistance to the government-sponsored reforms. Stressing that the nation will appreciate the principled approach of his party, Bahçeli said, “I wonder how Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has made this nation suffer hell over the past eight years, will face the public.”
He said the Sept. 12 referendum is a turning point that will determine the fate of Turkey.
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