Yeniden Refah Party Chairman Fatih Erbakan: 'The office of mayor is not a place of commerce, but a place of worship'

Yeniden Refah Party Chairman Fatih Erbakan arrived in Sivas as part of his 'Thank You Visits.' Following a series of programs, he visited the Gemerek district, where they won the mayoral election with 58.91 percent of the vote in the March 31 local elections. Visiting Mayor Sezai Çelikten in his office, Erbakan wished Çelikten success and made statements.

Stating that the office of mayor is not a place of commerce but a place of worship, Erbakan said, "We are experiencing the happiness and joy of the beginning of an era of moral municipalism in our Gemerek district. Moral municipalism means that the morality, understanding, and spirit applied in the Milli Görüş municipalism of '89 and '94 prevail in municipalities once again. It means that justice prevails. It means a mayor and a municipality that share the troubles of the nation. It means that abundance prevails, that is, municipalities are saved from debt and interest, and a balanced budget is achieved. It means that the municipality produces services and provides a remedy for the nation's troubles. Our nation saw very well what these services were during the Milli Görüş municipalism period of '89 and '94. Sivas met with Milli Görüş municipalism back in '89 and witnessed these services closely. Along with this, moral municipalism means being aware that the office of mayor is not a place of commerce, but a place of worship. In other words, it is a municipal administration where there is no corruption, bribery, theft, nepotism, cronyism, injustice, or unfairness, and no waste, luxury, or ostentation," he said.

''IN AN HONEST, MORAL MANNER...''

Touching upon the fact that Yeniden Refah mayors will provide services in an honest and moral manner, Erbakan said, "Our Prophet says in a hadith, 'A ruler who rules with justice for one day is written a reward greater than 60 years of supererogatory worship.' A ruler who rules with justice for one day cannot receive this reward even if they perform supererogatory worship for 60 years. Now, hopefully, our mayor here will rule with justice for 1,800 days, and he will receive a reward greater than performing supererogatory worship for 1,800 times 60 years, that is, for 1,800 human lifetimes. Could there be a greater piece of good news than this? Hopefully, he will perform this service with a love for service in an honest and moral way and will attain this great reward. That is why, in fact, the office of mayor is the greatest place of worship. It is a reward that cannot be obtained by going on Umrah, fasting, praying, counting prayer beads, or reading the Quran. If performed in a moral, honest, and fair manner, the office of mayor, which is a position of service to the nation, is the greatest place of worship. Our mayors will hopefully act with this understanding. The beginning of such an understanding, such an era in Gemerek, in our Sivas, makes us happy," he stated.

News Source: İHA