MHP Chairman Devlet Bah\u00e7eli, in a speech he delivered at his party\u2019s caucus meeting, said, \u201cWe cannot be like those who harness a horse to the back of a car, those who look for whales in poplar trees, those who search for squirrels at the bottom of the sea, or those who endlessly flounder in the quagmire of tautology. We are the MHP,\u201d he said, adding that no ulterior motive should be sought behind Abdullah \u00d6calan\u2019s request to come to Parliament and announce the dissolution of the terrorist organization.<\/p>\n
Later in his speech, Bah\u00e7eli responded to criticisms that \u201dthey are looking for a way to get Erdo\u011fan re-elected\u201c by admitting, \u201dWhat are we supposed to do\u2014go looking for a candidate within the CHP when there are still four years left before the presidential election? \u201cIn this context, won\u2019t making the necessary constitutional amendments be among our upcoming tasks? Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan is a source of confidence, a man beloved by the nation, and, in our view, the only option,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Journalist S\u00fcleyman Karan, who analyzed Devlet Bah\u00e7eli\u2019s speech and the new process on the Halkweb YouTube channel, said, \u201cBah\u00e7eli said, \u2018Don\u2019t look for a squirrel at the bottom of the sea,\u2019 but I found the squirrel. The squirrel is clear. He\u2019s saying, \u2018Erdo\u011fan must be re-elected, and for that to happen, the constitution must be amended.\u2019 \u201dIn this story, both those looking for a squirrel and those looking for a whale are right. It turns out both the CHP, which said \u2018there\u2019s a catch here,\u2019 and the public were right on this issue,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
As for what Bah\u00e7eli aims to achieve with this move, Karan said, \u201cHe\u2019s acting like a crafty villager who thinks he\u2019s the only one in the village with a scheme, so he\u2019s intent on taking another shot at the CHP over the peace process. He wants to stir up a rift between the DEM Party and the CHP. \u201dBut I don\u2019t think the DEM Party will do such a thing. It won\u2019t act the way it did in the past this time. If it does, it will have made its biggest mistake. This issue is as much a Turkish problem as it is a Kurdish one. As long as the CHP isn\u2019t part of this process, the problem cannot be resolved,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n