Final response from Müsavat Dervişoğlu to Bahçeli: 'I will not speak of this again'

İYİ Party Chairman Müsavat Dervişoğlu spoke at the Local Governments Meeting held at the Kocaeli Culture Center.

Stating that he would address the recent developments involving MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli for the last time, Dervişoğlu said, "If you do things to the community I represent that I, as Müsavat Dervişoğlu, could personally endure, then regardless of my respect for you, I carry the responsibility to protect the political honor of the comrades I represent, and I will never back down from that. I say it everywhere: just because I show respect to individuals does not mean I will leave my comrades halfway or make them bow their heads. The person I show respect to must show respect to the Turkish flag, the Turkish homeland, and the Turkish nation. If they act against that, they must be sure that they will find me standing against them."

'I WILL NOT SPEAK OF THIS MATTER AGAIN'

"Look, I am bringing this up one more time to end this debate here," said Dervişoğlu, adding, "I will not speak of this matter again; there are those who try to feed off this. I am explaining the issue in a reasonable manner. But the pool media comes out and says Müsavat Dervişoğlu made scathing remarks. I do not use scathing words; I speak the truth. I do not represent a group of nobodies like some others do. I represent brave, good, courageous party members whose passion is Turkey and whose concern is the future of Turkey. I represent every individual of our nation who shares these feelings, regardless of which party they belong to. Therefore, there is no point in keeping this debate alive or deepening it. In fact, in my opinion, it will not create any resentment. Because there were those who said they were forced to say things for the sake of politics after stepping down from certain podiums."

'WE WILL STAND AGAINST IT TO THE END'

Stating that there is an attempt to bring a new constitutional amendment and an amnesty bill to Turkey's agenda, Dervişoğlu continued:

"With this constitutional amendment, they plan to consolidate the one-man regime and make Recep Tayyip Erdoğan President until his final day. I declare from here: The İYİ Party will never, under any circumstances, allow any constitutional amendment that would consolidate Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and thus the one-man rule. Friend and foe alike should know this. There are those who want to bring Abdullah Öcalan to the podium of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey to speak; for this to be done, Abdullah Öcalan must first be released from prison. It is likely that a general amnesty has been planned for this to happen as well. This general amnesty is not just to get Abdullah Öcalan out of prison; there are other groups and people whose imprisonment creates trouble for this government. I do not want victims of fate to rot in dungeons. But as the İYİ Party, we will not vote 'yes' to any constitutional or legal regulation that would ensure the release of traitors and murderers from prison. We will stand against it to the end."

WHAT HAPPENED?

Speaking at his party's group meeting last week, Bahçeli had said, "The talk of a handful of fools who found a place and gained reputation in the nationalist idealist movement, just because their interests were cut off, is an impudent delirium. The ranting of these unprincipled people is as meaningful as the sound made by an empty barrel. It is a known fact that when the masks of those who cunningly hide themselves and try to damage our cohesion fall, they slip away from among us... A wolf knows a wolf, but we do not know these people and we do not care about them at all. No cradle has yet wrapped a political formation that could put our love for the homeland on a scale."

Following these remarks, İYİ Party Chairman Müsavat Dervişoğlu responded to Bahçeli at yesterday's group meeting, stating, "I am addressing them from here: My respect is not for you, but for the seat you occupy. Because I know the first and true owner of that seat. I hope you consider the respect I have shown you until now as alms for the loyalty I feel for the true owner of that seat. This much is enough for you, and more would not suit me anyway. We know who is spinning you like a top."

Following this statement by Dervişoğlu, Ülkü Ocakları Chairman Ahmet Yiğit Yıldırım threatened him, saying, "You are a Müsavat who barks like a rabid dog, go dance for those who hold your leash, do not find your trouble from us."