A Turkish intellectual worthy of his name, Mümtaz Soysal

The teacher of teachers Prof. Dr. Mümtaz Soysal, we lost on November 11, 2019. It is an irreplaceable loss for Turkey.

It must be a twist of history that he, who looked at life from the left and wrote the constitutional bookforcommunist propagandaafter being tried and arrested following the March 12, 1971 memorandum on charges of engaging in, Professor Mümtaz was born right at the time of the global economic depressionof theGreat Depressionin 1929, in Zonguldak, a city defined by its coal mines, miners, and laboridentitywith his prominentcity. As a graduate of Galatasaray High School and a die-hard Beşiktaş fan, he passed away in 2019 in Istanbul's Beşiktaşdistrict,leaving us.

He was aRepublican, Professor Mümtaz. Just as the Republic stood for reason, science, enlightenment, secularism, independence, and anti-imperialism, it also stood forpublic interest, planning, andthat it was holistic development; that it was populism and statism; that it was nationalism and revolutionism; and that it was cculture and artas well as a Republicanwho knows.

Mümtaz Hoca was a leftist. A leftist who found both nationalismthat lacks leftism, and leftism that is not nationalist, to be incomplete.

A proponent of a public-oriented economythoughtHe was a man ofthought and cause,Professor Mümtaz. He opposedprivatizations. Hefiled lawsuits.Heappealed to the Constitutional Court. For this purpalong with a group of intellectuals,trade unionists, and scientists, he pioneered the establishment of the Center for the Development of Public Management (KİGEM), ledits presidency,and fought for its cause.

In Turkey's significant cases,he served as our country's lawyer.was Professor Mümtaz. As an advisor to the founding president of the TRNC and national hero Rauf Denktaş, hewas one of the jurists who defended the Cyprus cause most prominently on the international stage. Healsowaged the samestruggle against theallegations of genocide.In the trial heldfollowing the attackcarried out by theASALA terroristorganization againstTurks at France'sOrly Airport in 1983,he used his perfect Frenchwith his clarity and vast legal knowledge our country, at homedefended our rights.

He was a very competent scientistProfessor Mümtaz. He was a world-classconstitutional law professor. His constitutional law book is the most brilliant in this field workamong his works. His contribution to the 1961 Constitution is significant.

He was a courageous fighterProfessor Mümtaz.With his knowledge andstriking style, in his articles for magazines and newspapers,he reached a wide readership. Yas a member of the core group that signed the preliminary declaration and published the Yön magazine, he was a pioneering intellectual.

Professor Mümtaz was an intellectual who knew how to enjoy life. He was also known for his interest in sailing, his passion for boats, and his love of football. With the Mekteb-i Sultani and Mekteb-i Mülkiye traditionHe was a distinguished representative of his generation.

He was a principled, determined, and consistent administrator, politician, and statesman, Professor Mümtaz. When he was arrested after the March 12, 1971, coup while serving as the dean of the Faculty of Political Sciences (Mülkiye), he entered prison with his head held high and left with his head held high, unbowed.emerged. After becoming a member of parliament from the SHP in 1991 and the DSP in 1995, when he resigned from these parties due to disagreements with theirleadership,he remained principled, consistent, and steadfast, just as he was when he resigned from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs due to disagreements withPrime Minister Tansu Çiller. In our political literature,he was a constant figure. The phrase“to withdraw while fighting” belonged to the professor.In the international meetings where he representedTurkey and the TRNC, he stood out not only with his knowledge, expertise, and experience, but also with his patience, determination, andtenacity.He would also draw attention with his warmth. He used to say,“The first to get angry at the negotiating table is the first to lose.” He would emphasize thatno international treaty could be signedwithout reaching an agreement on all articles, and he would add: “Without consensus on every issue, nonothing can be consideredagreed upon".