Dervişoğlu criticizes debates that pose a threat to our country: Federalism or autonomy

Regarding the debates on the agenda, Dervişoğlu stated, "Debates on federalism or autonomy are a threat to our country."

Addressing important topics on the agenda in his speech, Dervişoğlu stated that law cannot have a political view. The Chairman expressed that the workshop was not an intra-party event, saying, "Law is not a burden that can be carried by a single institution, a professional group, or a party alone. Law is the backbone of society, and every bone of that backbone is tightly connected to the others."

Reminding that the law cannot be differentiated for anyone, Dervişoğlu quoted the philosopher Immanuel Kant, saying, "The great German philosopher Immanuel Kant does not see law merely as a set of rules. According to Kant, law is the sum of all universal principles that make it possible for free-willed individuals to coexist. When Kant says, 'Be free in a way that can coexist with the freedom of others,' he declared that the rule of law is not a choice, but a rational necessity. When we look at what is happening in our country today, we see how vital this principle is. It is never possible to accept the violation of the Constitution, the violation of the law, and the trampling of democracy and the national will just to keep one person in their place."

Stating that faith in the law has weakened, Dervişoğlu said, "Our goal is to rebuild Turkey's legal resilience. It is to establish an order where people can say, 'the law works for me too'."

STATE REASON IS NOT A SHIELD OF IMMUNITY WORN FOR EVERY ILLEGALITY OF THE GOVERNMENT

In his speech, Dervişoğlu touched upon the term 'state reason' frequently used by the government wing. Dervişoğlu continued his remarks with the following expressions:

"We fundamentally reject the 'deep state' fallacy that poisons Turkish politics and legitimizes secret power centers that do not account for their actions. Our philosophy is this: A state does not have a 'deep' side; it has a law. The state is a transparent entity that does not avoid accounting to its citizens, but rather presents the legal justification for every decision it makes. State reason is not a shield of immunity worn for every illegality of the government. State reason is the common sense of the nation, filtered through history. State reason is constitutional loyalty. This is exactly the essence that lies in Bilge Kağan's warning about 'state and tradition', in Tonyukuk's policy of independence, and in Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's principle that 'Sovereignty belongs unconditionally to the nation'! This essence is the supremacy of institutions, norms, and the will of the nation, not of individuals.

"DEBATES ON FEDERALISM OR AUTONOMY ARE A THREAT TO OUR COUNTRY"

In line with this founding vision, we will take an X-ray of Turkish law and try to write its prescription across the ten main topics of our workshop: We will address the Unitary State Structure and the Parliamentary Democratic System.

The position of the İYİ Party on this matter is clear:

Turkey's unitary state structure is the red line and the guarantee of its territorial integrity and national unity. Debates on federalism or autonomy are a threat to our country. However, while we defend the unitary structure, we refuse to hand over the power of the Parliament to a single person. Transitioning to a Parliamentary System where the executive is accountable to the legislature, where the government cannot last forever, and which ensures pluralism and oversight is the first priority of our constitutional reform. Regarding the revision of the rule of law and human rights, it must be said that human rights cannot remain on paper. If journalists are being tried while freedom of expression is under constitutional protection; if trade unionists are being detained while there is freedom of association; if mayors are being arrested in morning operations by being pressed down by the back of their necks, then there is no rule of law there."