Türkan Saylan's legacy in Germany is being dragged through the mud: Crisis spreads from ÇYDD to CHP

IŞIN ERTÜRK- STUTTGART

A crisis that is embarrassing the Turkish community in Germany is escalating. Two important values of the Republic, the Association for Supporting Contemporary Living (ÇYDD) and the Republican People's Party (CHP), are being mentioned in shameful debates because the crisis within the ÇYDD's German organizations cannot be resolved.

The struggle for education, the symbol of women's rights, the tradition of enlightenment... We are witnessing all of these being overshadowed by a severe debate that has been going on for months in Germany.

The Baden-Württemberg branch of the Association for Supporting Contemporary Living, founded by Prof. Dr. Türkan Saylan in Turkey, has been associated with a fierce crisis for months. There are mutual accusations. There are expulsion decisions. There are social media polemics. And now, there is a legal process.

An institution seen as a respected educational movement in Germany is now being debated in the public eye. To present this merely as an internal association debate would be to underestimate this shameful picture that is shaking the Turkish civil society life in Germany.

WHY DID THE DEBATE START?

It is a scandal triggered by personal scores that makes one say "the excuse is worse than the offense" when reading about it. According to what is told in association circles, the process began with tension regarding the president's private life. Then, intense phone calls and messaging took place. Fierce debates emerged, involving women from different non-governmental organizations as well.

Some women, including those who also serve as presidents of Turkish NGOs, claimed they were met with harsh words during these conversations. An open apology was demanded. On the president's side, it was stated that the spreading of issues related to private life was unacceptable. Thus, a "personal" tension—and we are talking about a group that is uncomfortable with this definition and argues that what happened is psychological violence against women—grew rapidly. However, the ÇYDD President, who is at the center of the debates, also voiced the same argument. The debates spread into the civil society sphere with all their lack of decorum. They moved to social media. While these were happening, the President's resignation was demanded, and a general assembly was insistently called for.

EXPULSION DECISIONS AND THE LEGAL PROCESS

The tension created a new fracture within the association. The management expelled some members.

The expelled members argue that these decisions are against the bylaws. They announce that they have taken the process to the judiciary. In the applications submitted to the court, the cancellation of the expulsion decisions is requested. Furthermore, it is alleged that the association management took some decisions without activating the authorized bodies. The "critical wing" reports that an extraordinary general assembly has been called for a long time. The president's resignation has also been on the agenda for months.

PRESSURE ON THE PRESIDENT FOR A "FINANCIAL REPORT"

Another dimension of the debate is financial issues. Some members demanded that the income and expenses of various events be explained in detail. In the applications made, it was requested that the financial dimension of some organizations be laid out item by item. In addition, clarifying the allegations that the association office rent was paid with donations and how the donations were used are among the questions asked.

While some members remind that the association's primary duty is to provide scholarships, the timing of the office move in the middle of the crisis is also being questioned.

WHY DID HE INVITE POLITICS TO INTERVENE IN CIVIL SOCIETY?

The tension did not remain only within the association.

Ahmet Gül, one of the founders and former presidents of ÇYDD Baden-Württemberg, announced that he had resigned from the Republican People's Party (CHP) Württemberg organization. In his resignation letter, Gül specifically emphasized that his decision was not related to party policies. He said that the attitudes within the local organization brought him to this point. Gül used the following expression in his statement: "The issue here is not who is right. The issue is the violation of rights and law. We expected support on this matter but did not see it."

Following this development, criticisms also came. Among the comments, expressions such as "Ahmet Gül, the former Esslingen Provincial Organization or Working Group President of the CHP, asked his party to 'adjust' the Contemporary Living association. In other words, he invited politics to intervene in civil society. When he failed, he resigned. Yet, wouldn't it have been a more consistent and correct step to resign from Contemporary Living when he could not get the intervention he desired from the CHP from the ÇYDD Headquarters?" also drew attention.

THE TURKISH COMMUNITY IN GERMANY IS UNCOMFORTABLE

The debates that have been going on for months have created serious discomfort in the Turkish community in Stuttgart.

Many civil society representatives say they watch with sadness that an institution bearing the name of Türkan Saylan, one of the symbols of the struggle for secular education and women's rights in Turkey, is coming to the agenda with such polemics. The problem is no longer seen as a personal disagreement. The respectability of Turkish civil society life in Germany has also been drawn into the debate.

WHY IS THE HEADQUARTERS SILENT WHILE CONTEMPORARY LIVING COLLAPSES?

Legally, ÇYDD Baden-Württemberg is an independent association established in Germany.

However, in the public eye, this structure has been associated with the Association for Supporting Contemporary Living in Turkey for many years. It is known that executives from Turkey attend events in Stuttgart. And that scholarships are sent from here to students in Turkey. For this reason, the same question is asked in many circles in Germany: While an institution bearing the name of Türkan Saylan is being dragged into such fierce debates in Germany, why is the headquarters in Turkey silent?

Among the criticisms is that the headquarters is aware of this crisis, which has spread over a very long time and thus embarrasses the Turkish-origin community in Germany, but has not intervened.

A strong opinion has formed that what is happening is damaging Türkan Saylan's enlightenment legacy. The question, "Does the headquarters have a plan to make a public statement on this matter?" is repeated very often. Another question voiced more loudly is as follows: "While the name of an institution founded by Türkan Saylan is mentioned with such heavy debates in Germany, does the silence of the ÇYDD headquarters mean ignoring what is happening or indirectly approving it?"

IS THE CONCERN OF "LET THE INSTITUTION NOT BE WORN OUT" STILL VALID?

It is observed that the rhetoric of "Let no one hear, let the institution's name not be worn out" has lost its old effect over time. There are members who argue that not saying "Stop!" to this filth that has even spilled over to social media and reflected on a political party, and not demanding purification, would also be a betrayal of Türkan Saylan's legacy. There are also comments that this situation is a clear alarm for the Turkish civil society life, which has been built with effort for over half a century in Germany.

Indeed, accusations are also being made that an institution identified with the name of Prof. Dr. Türkan Saylan being mentioned for months with insults, expulsion polemics, social media fights, and court processes is not only sad but has now become a picture of shame.

Today, the political atmosphere in Germany is already harsh. Europe is on the brink of war. The Middle East crisis is growing. Germany's position on the Israel issue is clear. The cost of living does not allow one to breathe. In such an environment, the already fragile position of immigrant communities, especially the Turkish community, is a fact everyone knows.

It is claimed that the fact that Turkish non-governmental organizations are dragged into such destructive fights within themselves at such a time is something that far exceeds "misfortune."

DISRESPECT TO THE GENERATIONS WHO WORKED FOR ORGANIZATIONS

The criticisms can be summarized as follows:

All of this is a grave disrespect to the legacy of our generations who have worked for organization since the first years of migration to Germany. The labor of people who have founded associations, opened cultural centers, provided scholarships, and formed solidarity networks for years is being left in the shadow of these debates today.

What needs to be done is clear. Everyone who has a share in this process, whether right or wrong, should withdraw. For the institution to stand up again, it must be purified from all the debates. To be frank, all the cadres that gave birth to this chaotic environment must be liquidated and cleaned out. Türkan Saylan's republican, enlightenment legacy is entrusted to all of us, and it is too sacred to be sacrificed to anyone's ambition and ego.

THEY MUST OPENLY APOLOGIZE TO THE TURKISH COMMUNITY

There is one more very important detail. Everyone who has responsibility in these embarrassing debates, all parties, must openly apologize to the Turkish community in Germany. Because there is not only a crisis but also a serious loss of reputation. The shame created by this loss is now at dimensions that cannot be ignored.

News Source: 12punto