The founder of the AK Party, Hüseyin Çelik, makes a scandalous "dictator" remark about Atatürk.

One of the founders of the AK Party and former minister Hüseyin Çelik participated in the Rota program broadcasted on Halk TV. Criticizing the trustee application and the partisan presidential system, Çelik stated while discussing the partisan presidential system, 'Our people defend the partisan presidency by hiding behind Atatürk. For years, didn't we say, 'These are dictators'? Don't do this.'

Here are Hüseyin Çelik's words; "'Aren't Atatürk and İsmet Paşa partisan presidents?' they say. Haven't we criticized this for years? It was absurd for Atatürk to be a partisan president. The same goes for İsmet Paşa. It was not right. Yours is not right either. Our people defend the partisan presidency by hiding behind Atatürk. For years, didn't we say, 'These are dictators'? Don't do this.'

It is noteworthy that the program's moderator Kürşad Oğuz and guests İsmail Saymaz and Barış Terkoğlu did not object to Çelik's words.

REACTION FROM A CHP MEMBER

Ali Özgündüz, a former CHP Istanbul MP from the 24th term, reacted to Çelik on his social media account. Özgündüz used the following statements; "Former minister Hüseyin Çelik, while criticizing the partisan presidential system in the program he attended on @halktvcomtr, exceeded his limits by saying to those who cite Atatürk and İnönü's era, 'Haven't we called them dictators for years?' and has unjustly labeled Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and İsmet Paşa as 'dictators.'

Program moderator @kursadoguz and other participants @ismailsaymaz and @baristerkoglu unfortunately did not object to this. To call Atatürk, who founded our Republic and established the revolutions, and İsmet İnönü, who facilitated the transition to a multi-party political system, 'dictators' is, to put it simply, an impudence. I condemn @hc_huseyincelik for this inappropriate term and I say; the dictator comes from the political tradition and mentality you come from!..

Atatürk was as democratic as possible under the conditions of the time and valued pluralism; he is the most visionary and revolutionary leader of the 20th century. While celebrating the 101st anniversary of our Republic, comparing the years of the establishment of the Republic and the revolutions with the present time is absurd. Moreover, the current system called the 'Presidential Government System' is even more backward than the system known as the Parliamentary Government during the years of the War of Independence and the establishment of our Republic (1920-24).

At least at that time, all powers related to sovereignty (legislative, executive, and even judicial) were exercised by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, but now these powers are concentrated in the hands of one person. In other words, the current system is a 'single man' system instead of a 'parliament.' Which one is more suitable for democracy?