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Ümit Özdağ's 'Saraçhane ban' leads to resignation in Victory Party: 'You become a Kemalist through action'

The Victory Party (Zafer Partisi) has decided not to attend the rally scheduled for 8:30 PM this evening. Bartu Soral, a member of the Victory Party who reacted to the decision, announced his resignation from the party, stating, "Unfortunately, you cannot be a Kemalist just by saying so... You become one through action."

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The CHP will hold a major rally this evening in Saraçhane titled "100 KARASI" (A Century of Shame) to mark the 100th day of the detention of its presidential candidate and Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.

The Victory Party has decided not to attend the rally, which will be held at 8:30 PM with the participation of CHP Chairman Özgür Özel.

In a letter sent from party headquarters to district chairs, it was stated, "No one from the Victory Party organizations will attend the CHP's event in Saraçhane today."

Speaking to İsmail Saymaz from Halktv about why they made such a decision, Victory Party Chairman Ümit Özdağ made the following statement:

"I asked the organization not to attend the rally due to the possibility that the provocations and reactions arising from the inappropriate cartoon in LeMan might be carried over to Saraçhane. Furthermore, this is a CHP rally, not ours."

SARAÇHANE BAN LEADS TO RESIGNATION

Following the party's decision, Victory Party member Bartu Soral stated that he would be in Saraçhane this evening, remarking, "Empty words don't sail the ship."

Following this statement, Bartu Soral made another announcement on his social media account, declaring his resignation from the party.

Stating, "Unfortunately, you cannot be a Kemalist just by saying so... You become one through action," Bartu Soral included the following expressions in his statement on his social media account:

"TO THE PUBLIC: In a period where our constitutional and legal rights are completely suspended and those who are in opposition are treated like second-class citizens, rescuing Mr. Ümit Özdağ from the clutches of lawlessness was the most important and only duty; we all made an effort for this.

The economic, social, and legal difficulties Turkey has faced under the AKP government over the last 23 years are obvious... we are constantly making these assessments. However, making assessments is insufficient; we must also find solutions and present them to the nation. To recover from this destruction and complete the Atatürk revolution, a 'founding cadre, almost like in 1923' is needed. Indeed, in my X message dated May 21, which I quoted below, I touched upon this issue with these words: '(...) I think that the tendency prevailing in the party, both in terms of reaching out to the country's Kemalist, enlightened, intellectual cadres and incorporating them into the party to create social synergy, and in terms of ideological perspective and behavior, remains insufficient in meeting today's needs.' I believe that within the cadre I define as the 'founding cadre,' there should be names like Türker Ertürk, Ümit Kocasakal, Adnan İslamoğulları, Ahmet Yavuz, Servet Avcı, and others I cannot name here who have public standing, are Kemalist, knowledgeable, and experienced. I believe the Victory Party needs to transform into a cadre party managed with institutional and collective wisdom.

I see such a well-equipped cadre and management by collective wisdom as essential for a party that aims for power and can cope with today's regional and national chaos. Of course, these names cannot be convinced with a call like 'let's do politics together,' but with a commitment to collective wisdom and collective management. This fundamental fact already lies at the heart of a cadre party. However, Mr. Ümit Özdağ's comments and preferences on this matter as chairman have always been different from mine. I see that he still stands at the same point regarding cadres, institutionalization, and opening up to the Kemalist wing even after his unlawful detention. Of course, he may have also decided to change his way of doing politics during the difficult process of his unlawful detention. Naturally, these are all his own discretion. He is the chairman of the party; we will respect his preferences. However, Kemalism is revolutionism. It is the protection of the unitary structure, it is nationalism, it is statism, it is populism, it is meritocracy, it is science, it is law, it is struggle.

In this process that the Republic of Turkey is going through, it needs Kemalism like water, like air. Unfortunately, you cannot be a Kemalist just by saying so... You become one through action... Being in a place where you do not believe it can solve the country's problems, solely for political career goals, would not be a sincere stance towards the chairman, the citizens who trust us, or myself. On the contrary, it would be deceiving everyone. That is not suitable for my character. I offer my wishes for success, my love, and my respects to all the organizations, members, and volunteers of the Victory Party and to Mr. Ümit Özdağ."