Pro-government columnist criticizes Bahçeli over 'list of 154 people': 'It produces insecure results'

MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli has admitted that his party has compiled files on the activities of 154 individuals who have criticized the party regarding the Sinan Ateş murder trial.

Okan Müderrisoğlu, a columnist for the pro-government newspaper Sabah, criticized the list of 154 people announced by Bahçeli in his article titled "MHP... Legitimate defense... And its boundaries."

Müderrisoğlu stated, "Even though Mr. Bahçeli said that 'no one needs to be afraid and that they will fight on legal grounds,' our recent history is full of examples showing that such listings also produce insecure results," adding, "Moreover, the possibility that active factions wanting to take advantage of this murky atmosphere might orchestrate strange events that could be blamed on the MHP should not be ignored."

Okan Müderrisoğlu wrote the following:

"In the face of a picture where politicians, journalists, researchers, academics, and retired soldiers—those alleged to be systematically wearing down the MHP—are all lumped together... there are many ways to take a stance within the limits of legitimate defense against chronic opponents or malicious actors, and to use a communication language that will have an impact on public opinion.

It is also possible for the MHP to manage a dynamic process by:

Maintaining its principled and historical position,

Developing continuous and persuasive arguments against perception operations,

Keeping the organization and the Hearths (Ocaklar) constantly vigilant,

Regulating its relations with the media in a multi-dimensional way,

And by weeding out those who try to advance themselves in the public sector or the market by associating themselves with the MHP."