CHP Chairman Özgür Özel’s remark, “No one should beg me for a party convention,” had sparked a backlash.
The sharp response from party spokesperson Deniz Yücel to CHP Istanbul MP Oğuz Kaan Salıcı’s statement criticizing Özel caused the controversy to escalate further.
Mahir Polat, a CHP Member of Parliament from Izmir, issued a written statement regarding today’s debates.
Polat’s statement contained important warnings directed specifically at the party leadership.
“Democracy is built not through favor, but through struggle! The path to power is forged with the support of the people and party members. Democratic demands within the party do not represent a loss of power; rather, they are the embodiment of the culture of consultation that is deeply rooted in our party’s traditions,” Polat began, and went on to issue the following warnings:
“Presenting it as a favor does not benefit either our party or our future”
“If policies are implemented that the grassroots do not know about, do not endorse, and even oppose, the hope of social opposition will be shattered! That is why diverse approaches give our party hope and our people confidence. This is how collective wisdom is built. Every CHP member possesses the awareness and competence to act with the resolve of an organization in their own right. Presenting the fulfillment of anyone’s democratic demands as a favor benefits neither our party nor our future.”
Polat’s warnings did not stop there.
“This is the party’s reasoning, not its conscience”
“An environment where dissenting voices are silenced, subjected to a witch hunt, and—as if that weren’t enough—where monotonous, authoritarian statements are made, harms our party’s existence not only in the medium and long term, but even in the short term,” said Polat, concluding his remarks as follows:
“This mindset is not the party’s mindset! It is certainly not the party’s conscience! The power that will save us from the AKP is democracy and determination. Unless we defend democracy without any ”buts,’ ‘howevers,’ or ‘if’s,’ we cannot inspire trust in the people or hope in our organization. Democratic celebrations marked by love, not hatred, and a festive atmosphere, not conflict—these are our party’s debt to the people, our hope, and, most importantly, our responsibility.”