CHP lawmaker criticizes Interior Ministry's July 15 circular, highlights police issues

CHP İzmir Deputy Murat Bakan has strongly criticized a circular issued by the Interior Ministry regarding the commemoration of the July 15, 2016, coup attempt. The ministry's statement described the event as a "founding and unshakeable turning point in world democracy history." Bakan challenged this framing, questioning what exactly was founded on that night.

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The founding of this state is clear. The Republic of Turkey was founded on October 29, 1923, under the leadership of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his comrades, through the War of Independence and the nation's will.

"The founding of this state is clear. The Republic of Turkey was founded on October 29, 1923, under the leadership of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his comrades, through the War of Independence and the nation's will," Bakan stated on social media. He asserted that the founding will is singular, national, and indisputable, with Atatürk as the founding leader. Bakan argued that the July 15 events saw the nation defend the Republic and the constitutional order against tanks and planes, thereby protecting what was established in 1923, not creating something new.

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July 15 did not found anything new; it protected what was founded in 1923.

Bakan expressed concern that attributing "founding" status to July 15 risks sidelining the Republic's establishment and attempting to write a "second narrative" starting from 2016. He linked this to recent efforts to remove the War of Independence from the curriculum, suggesting a deliberate erosion of the state's founding memory in official discourse. "We will not allow this," he declared.

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Attributing 'founding' status to July 15 risks sidelining the Republic's establishment and attempting to write a second narrative starting from 2016.

Furthermore, Bakan shifted focus to the Interior Ministry's responsibilities, particularly concerning law enforcement. He expressed disappointment that issues like unpaid overtime for police and harsh working conditions for gendarmes remain unaddressed. "The minister's agenda is not the unpaid overtime of the police, but the ambition to write history in circulars," Bakan stated, contrasting this with the urgent need to ensure police receive fair compensation for all hours worked, humanely limit weekly working hours, and address issues like canceled leave and holiday duties. He also called for honest investigation and prevention of police suicides and the recognition of police union rights.

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The minister's agenda is not the unpaid overtime of the police, but the ambition to write history in circulars.