Özgür Özel should take Yusuf Tekin as an example!

Let us state from the outset that there is no irony in the title of this article.

Let us be more explicit. If Özgür Özel wants to be a source of hope for Turkey, he must, absolutely must, take Minister of National Education Yusuf  Tekin as an example!

Why, you ask? Let us explain.

When Yusuf Tekin announced during his speech at the 2024 budget negotiations in Parliament that they had signed protocols with sects and religious communities, things got heated.

After stating that the Ministry of National Education had 2,709 valid protocols as of 2023, and that 1,167 of these were with official institutions and 550 with non-governmental organizations, he said: “Among these, there are at most 10 protocols with structures that you call ‘sects and communities’ and we call ‘NGOs.’ I thank those who serve us and support us through these protocols. We will continue to sign protocols with them. Because they prevent children from going to the mountains. You are uncomfortable with them for this reason.” he said.

It immediately took the top spot on the agenda.

As if it were expected that he would give a different speech, or speak of secular, modern education and republican values, a barrage of criticism began following these words from Yusuf Tekin. 

Reactions grew like an avalanche, especially on social media.

Yet, since the day he became Undersecretary of the Ministry of National Education in 2013, he had never felt the need to hide himself, the ideology he serves, his mindset, or his purpose.

For those, especially the CHP and “our side” there should have been nothing surprising about what he said.

He was the person carrying out the AKP's project of raising a vengeful and religious generation. 

To put it more clearly, he was responsible for transforming future generations to serve political Islam, the Ummah, the President, and his successors. 

In a sense, the success of the Islamist, religious indoctrination imposed on the Turkish nation depended on the success Yusuf Tekin would demonstrate.

TİP's spirited deputy Sera Kadıgil explained in Parliament, in her own unique style, who Yusuf Tekin is, what he has done, how his path was cleared, and with whose support he acts so recklessly.

Those who wonder how he speaks so boldly today can look at Yusuf Tekin's journey in bureaucracy and politics.

He was appointed Undersecretary of the Ministry of National Education in 2013, and the button was pressed that year to dismantle the 'national' character of education.

As soon as he took office, his first act was to abolish the Student Oath. Although the Kurdish opening was cited as the justification, this was a critical step taken toward turning Turkish society into an ummah. In any case, even after the Kurdish opening was shelved, the Student Oath was not brought back.

Of course, the other justifications he put forward while defending this showed that he was not just at odds with the idea of a republic, but that he practically loathed the country's founding values.

Just as they are today, what he said back then was unacceptable. So, what did the CHP do? They brushed the issue aside with a few perfunctory statements. Kılıçdaroğlu mumbled something in his own unique style, but at the end of the day, the CHP failed to put forward a strong and effective reaction, or perhaps they simply did not want to.

A year later, in 2014, the path was cleared for Yusuf Tekin with Law No. 6528. With the same law, the way was paved for teachers working in private schools to receive lower salaries than those working in the public sector, while the Ministry of National Education's inspection system was dismantled.

In the 2014-2015 academic year, under the name of “educational support for private schools,” 

funds began to be transferred per student to schools controlled by sects and religious communities. With the same regulation, the practice of hiring contract teachers was implemented. 

During Yusuf Tekin's tenure as undersecretary, a legal regulation was also enacted to allow the opening of private dormitories at the middle school level. Thus, the activities of so-called underground dormitories run by sects and religious communities were legalized. 

In the same year, a requirement for prayer rooms in schools was introduced.

In 2017, the Social Activities Regulation was amended. Inter-school and international organizations were replaced by the activities of organizations such as TÜGVA, Ensar, and the Foundation for the Spread of Knowledge (İlim Yayma Cemiyeti). Then, as expected, he took his seat in the ministerial chair.

The result is clear; as the education system decays, generations are growing up in Turkey who do not know the multiplication table, lack basic skills, are unaware of their history and geography, and cannot even understand what they read.

This is the summary of what Yusuf Tekin has done and achieved in 10 years!

This is the summary of what Yusuf Tekin has done and achieved in 10 years!

Let us turn to the reaction of Özgür Özel, who, since taking the seat of CHP Chairman, has acted like a wedding drummer at a wedding and a mourner at a funeral, thundering like an angry teenager but never actually raining.

The brand-new Chairman, via social media, “Those who made protocols between the state and FETÖ in the past have learned no lessons from the pain they caused this country. The Minister of National Education, who says they will continue to make protocols with sects and religious communities, is challenging the Constitution from the parliamentary podium. Tayyip Erdoğan, if you do not dismiss this Minister, you are the one responsible for this audacity!” he said, addressing the Palace.

It is unknown how seriously Erdoğan took this outburst, but this was not Yusuf Tekin's first challenge to the Constitution. 

Throughout his time as both undersecretary and minister, there were many instances where he disregarded both the letter and the spirit of the Constitution.

In short, since 2013, Yusuf Tekin has fully embraced his own ideology and done whatever his archaic mentality required. He has walked the path he knows and believes in.

In order to appease the other side he did not give the impression of defending "secularism," "modernity," or "Atatürkism," nor did he fall into the trap of trying to please those who criticized him. He did not try to curry favor with anyone.

He defended the medieval mentality they wish to make dominant in the country without compromise, and he spared no effort to fulfill the requirements of this agenda. 

He strengthened the foundation of the path they walk with sects and religious communities, and fortified the Palace regime.

So, what have those at the helm of the CHP done during this time, apart from a few statements made out of a sense of duty?

Nothing of substance; other than uprooting the party from its foundations and emasculating it!

Not only did they fail to strongly embrace the country's founding ideology and the republican revolution, but they also attempted to pass off the shy fascism of identity politics to the party base as democracy. They gave concession after concession to appear charming to sects and religious communities, and they could not stand behind secularism. They mistook the fallacy of 'reconciliation' and walking the path with former political Islamists for politics, and they thought that trying to please everyone would pave the way to power.

This is exactly where Özgür Özel needs to take Yusuf Tekin as an example.

Just as he has embraced his own archaic ideology and walked the path he knows without compromise, you too must embrace the founding ideology of your own country; you should not worry about pleasing this person or that, and you should not be swayed from side to side.

You must first fortify your own base so that you can cultivate hope in other segments of society as well.

It cannot be done by chatting on the phone with Buket Aydın, one of the Palace's hitmen, by talking about "equal citizenship" or "Kurds are less equal," or by dodging the question of "Is Sheikh Said a traitor?" for fear that someone might get offended or upset. 

You are not obligated to appease the descendants of registered traitors. You have even fallen behind Abdullah Öcalan on this issue; did no one warn you?

If you continue like this, one day you will find yourself having to apologize to the descendants of those who slit Kubilay's throat.

You must have ideological clarity.

You must know the ideology of the CHP and the political history of the country well. If you don't know, you must learn.

You shouldn't just kick every ball that comes from the government. First, you should cushion it on your chest so that you have the opportunity to think about how to use the ball. 

You don't have to constantly talk or make statements. You must carry the weight of being the Chairman!

You should strive to be in power; you shouldn't play at being the government by planning "official visits" to the TRNC, Azerbaijan, or Bosnia and Herzegovina. You shouldn't turn the Party Assembly into a kindergarten by claiming you will rejuvenate the CHP.

You should have well-equipped, formidable political advisors so that you can back up what you say in live broadcasts with knowledge and not just babble nonsense.

In short, you must return to your roots, to the values that made the CHP what it is.

Otherwise, it cannot go on like this. 

The new CHP mentality has already condemned the party to the opposition for 13 years.

The way to save the party from this impasse is clear.

While the other side builds even its pragmatism upon its own core ideology, you must plant your feet firmly on your founding principles. You must return to your revolutionary essence and view life from the left; this way, you can become a breath of fresh air for people who have lost hope in the grip of hunger, poverty, and deprivation today. 

Otherwise, let us conclude the article by saying that you will prove those who say 'the current one goes, a worse one comes, and the newcomer makes you miss the predecessor' right.