Yılmaz Özdil's 'Sheikh Said' reaction to Özgür Özel: 'Without reclaiming the CHP, which has been distanced from its founding principles...'
CHP Chairman Özgür Özel commented on the 'Sheikh Said' debates, stating, "If the pain caused during the suppression [of the rebellion] hurts the hearts of the grandchildren, one must be respectful." Journalist Yılmaz Özdil, reacting to Özel's words, said, "It is not possible to reclaim Turkey without reclaiming the CHP, which has been distanced from its founding principles."
12punto
12punto.com.tr
CHP Chairman Özgür Özel has joined the 'Sheikh Said' debate currently on the political agenda.
Participating in a TV program, Özel stated, "I will not call Sheikh Said a traitor, nor will I call him a hero just to please you... I know that the Sheikh Said rebellion was an uprising against the Republic in its own context. If the pain that occurred during the suppression of this uprising hurts the hearts of some grandchildren today, one must be respectful of that pain.
But we must learn lessons from history. It is not anyone's place to attribute certain discomforts or sorrows that occurred in a time when the Republic's founding cadres did not have today's communication capabilities and when it was impossible to track orders given, to Atatürk, or to strike them like a burden on the back of the CHP," he said.
These words by Özgür Özel sparked debate in the public eye.
'WITHOUT RECLAIMING THE CHP...'
Journalist Yılmaz Özdil, reacting to Özel's words, said, "Özgür Özel stated that he is 'neutral' on the Sheikh Said debate and that this is a subject for historians, not politicians.
For the eight million six hundred seventy-four thousand nine hundred forty-fifth time, I am writing this again with the hope that perhaps this time it will be understood: it is not possible to reclaim Turkey without reclaiming the CHP, which has been distanced from its founding principles," he said.