The tsunami hitting Istanbul from Europe in the CHP: Parallel structures, trustees, and the traces of invisible hands

Işın ERTÜRK - STUTTGART-12punto

CHP Unions in Germany were established approximately 13 years ago through efforts led by the then-Overseas Organization Coordinator Ali Kılıç. However, the preparation process had begun in October 2012. A circular published under the signatures of CHP Deputy Chairman Faruk Loğoğlu and Secretary General Bihlun Tamaylıgil announced the establishment of a nine-person representation for overseas organizations.

In this initiative, managed by Coordinator Kazım Kaya, former DİSK Chairman and CHP deputy Süleyman Çelebi, Nihat Öztürk, Cemal Bulut, and Turabi Yıldız from Germany, and Ercan Karakaş and Fikri Sağlar from Turkey took part. It was not easy. There was great effort, vision, and organizational energy in the background. Over ten thousand members were gained, and more than nine unions were established. This structure became one of the party's most important political levers, not only with its membership numbers but also with its power to mobilize. Especially when considering the potential of over 2 million Turkish voters in Europe, the value of these organizations was very clear.

NEW STRUCTURE AND COLLAPSE

However, this structure was not recognized in 2022 on the grounds of a "new structure." The unions were shown the door, and city organizations were imposed. Things got messy. Ears were closed to complaints and solution proposals. Managers knocked on Ankara's door with files in hand. There was hope: If the Headquarters listened, the problems could be solved.

From the outside, it seemed as though tensions had subsided in 2022. However, a time bomb ready to explode was ticking inside. The seams held together with patches were about to burst.

THE BREAKING POINT IN COLOGNE: FEDERATION IMPOSITION

The meeting held in Cologne on January 21, 2024, became the turning point that severed ties. At the meeting held under the chairmanship of CHP Overseas Organization Coordinator Mehmet Tüm, the charter of the CHP Germany Federation was imposed on the unions.

The unions reacted sharply. In evaluations penned with scathing expressions, it was emphasized that the charter prepared by Günay Çapan and his team condemned the unions to the federation and that the unchangeable articles would constantly create disputes. Those who objected were shown the door with the excuse, "The charter came from the Headquarters."

While Mehmet Tüm was accused of being "uninterested" and "unaware of the charter," it was alleged that Günay Çapan wanted to seize the unions by convincing Tahsin Tarhan.

THE FIRST TRUSTEE WARNING FROM BERLIN

The harshest reaction in Germany came on January 28, 2024. CHP Berlin Union President Kenan Kolat spoke out publicly, naming names against trustee appointments and attempts at parallel structuring. This was the first open warning from a CHP manager in years. In his press statement, Kolat said:

"Democratic grounds for discussion are being destroyed, and organizations are being put under pressure. We oppose trustee appointments and parallel structuring. A different structure is imposed every term, which is why institutional memory cannot be formed. In this way, even the official status of the CHP in Germany is at risk."

These words made the crises that had been covered up for years visible. While supporting the rejection of all kinds of trustees against the CHP in Turkey, Kenan Kolat also wanted the interventions in overseas organizations to be seen as a mistake by the party administration and for the injustices committed to be corrected.

"THE CHP COULD HAVE BEEN THE FIRST PARTY IN EUROPE TOO"

On the other hand, many CHP Unions in Germany are still not members of the federation established under the name of "new structure." One of them is the Hamburg CHP organization. Hamburg CHP President Hulisi Işıtan expressed the following in his statements regarding the agenda:

"Mehmet Tüm tore the unions in Europe to pieces. He caused fundamental damage to the party by establishing parallel unions for those who did not bow down. On May 17, he called us to Ankara and sat those who were members of the federation and those who opposed it at the same table. They presented the programs they could not implement as if they had been realized and argued that we needed to be convinced. Politics cannot be conducted with a charter in Europe; a charter cannot shape politics that has no public benefit. He contradicts himself. However, although the situations in Turkey are unlawful, the fact that they do not intervene in the trustee abroad but show the necessary sensitivity domestically at least relieved us to some extent. I wish the necessary warnings and precautions had been taken when parallel structures were established in overseas organizations in time. Today, the CHP could have been the first party abroad as well. Whoever stands against the CHP today can never be accepted or forgiven. This could be Gürsel Tekin, or it could be another name. I would also like to emphasize that when Gürsel Tekin entered our building with an army of 5,000 police, those standing next to him were AKP trolls. The silence of former Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu deeply disturbs us."

"GERMANY CHP WAS IGNORED"

On the other hand, another CHP manager from Europe reacted to the appointment of a trustee to the Istanbul Provincial Presidency. Erol Buldak, a founding board member of the CHP Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein Union and former President, pointed out that the CHP is a mass party and noted that separation and marginalization cannot be in the interest of anyone or any segment. Evaluating the problems of CHP organizations in Europe that have not been resolved and the parallel structures, Buldak said:

"Our CHP Headquarters has made our party unmanageable under the guise of changes. Rather than managing a party that founded the Republic of Turkey, they are merely administering it. The multi-headedness in the party administration and external interventions must be ended immediately.

In our Republican People's Party, those who have served in the past and paid the price for it, especially our former Chairman and his colleagues, are being subjected to an organized lynching campaign. There is no intention for any sensible manager to come out and say two words about this impasse.

If efforts to end this bad course are not initiated on this occasion, it will take a long time to heal the wounds the CHP will receive. These negative situations are nothing more than grist for the government's mill. It is a sign of helplessness to only discuss problems for a long time and not find a way to solve them.

Those in the position of finding solutions need to take concrete steps to improve things rather than just discussing the problems. The CHP is a mass party, and separation and marginalization cannot be in the interest of anyone or any segment.

If we look at the developments in Europe... CHP overseas organizations have been subjected to a form of treatment beyond that of a stepchild. CHP Unions in many cities in Europe, especially in Germany, have been ignored and neutralized through arbitrary appointments and dismissal attempts.

We are the only union that stood against the appointments and the charter change and made the charter change in the General Assembly held in 2022 'we can only be a member of the Federation to be established'.."

FROM EUROPE TO ISTANBUL: TRACES OF A TSUNAMI

When the picture that emerged today with the appointment of a trustee to the Istanbul Provincial Presidency is placed side by side with what has been happening in Europe for years, it raises a striking question:

Can we say that the "new structure" process in Europe was a preliminary rehearsal that laid the stones for the great wave being experienced in Istanbul today?

Or did the transformation operation that invisible hands started in Europe years ago hit Istanbul like a tsunami today?

News Source: 12punto