CHP Istanbul Provincial Call Committee Chairman Gürsel Tekin wrote an open letter to CHP members who were recently expelled from the party for criticizing some of the policies of the headquarters administration and meeting with them.
Gürsel Tekin began his open letter with the following words: “Dear dear comrade, I am writing this letter to you not out of a sense of duty, but out of a sense of loyalty.”
“You and I know very well the reason for the expulsion you have been subjected to today. You have faced this price not for any person, not for any office, but only because you consider it a responsibility to protect your party. You were punished for supporting the fulfillment of a legal duty, for believing that the institutional honor of the Republican People's Party must be protected, and for not hesitating to express this openly. History and conscience know this fact.
I would like to say this frankly: Your stance is not an ordinary support, it is a stance of character. The real measure in politics is not the words spoken in comfortable times, but the attitudes displayed in difficult times. You have chosen to speak in difficult times, to stand by him in difficult times and to take responsibility in difficult times. That is why your will will be remembered as one of the most valuable examples of struggle not only today but also tomorrow.
We are all saddened by the situation our party finds itself in today. However, no period, no understanding of governance is stronger than the faith of people who are loyal to their principles. Institutions survive not by individuals, but by cadres loyal to principles. When our Party is cleansed of the understandings that damage it one day, this dignified stance you have shown today will be much better understood; each of you will be remembered as honorable representatives of this struggle. No one should have any doubt about this.
I want you to know that you are not alone. We have not lost any of you, we have not forgotten any of you. The true owners of this great political legacy are you, who draw strength not from office but from labor, not from title but from faith. The prices paid today are temporary, but loyalty, courage and character are permanent. You have been the bearers of these permanent values.
For this reason, I consider it an honor, not a duty, to thank you.
With my feelings of solidarity in this journey we are on shoulder to shoulder,
Yours sincerely,