Former Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Bülent Arınç has directed his criticisms toward former Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Melih Gökçek, this time focusing on the footage of him as he went to give a statement at the Ankara Courthouse.
Speaking at the wedding ceremony of Ahmet Davutoğlu's son, Arınç targeted Gökçek without mentioning his name. Criticizing the footage of Gökçek chewing gum as he entered the courthouse, Arınç stated, "The day before, another politician stated that he had gone upon invitation. Chewing gum with a 'smack, smack' sound... I watched with shame; I don't even want to mention his name. He wanted to say, 'These have come before me five thousand times until today, and I just jumped over them; what is this?'"
In his speech, Arınç described former Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu's decision to go and give a statement upon a prosecutor's invitation as a "noble act." Stating that Davutoğlu was giving a statement due to a remark he made years ago, Arınç said that the former prime minister was defending his right to criticism as a politician.
Arguing that there is a difference between the attitudes of the two politicians, Arınç said, "In terms of the path we have drawn in our political life, we stand with Ahmet Davutoğlu, and we appreciate him."
Gökçek, in a previous statement, had indicated that what was seen in his mouth while going to the courthouse was not gum. Gökçek said he used a chewing tablet to relieve dry mouth caused by diabetes and stated, "The chewing tablet incident ended when I stepped into the courthouse. I threw the tablet into the trash can at the entrance."
News Source: 12punto
