Communist Party of Turkey comes back to political scene

After a three-year break, the Communist Party of Turkey is back to the political scene through a historical meeting in İstanbul with the participation of thousands of communists
Monday, 23 January 2017 04:54

After a three-year break, today, the Communist Party of Turkey, or TKP is back to the political scene as the result of a historical meeting held in İstanbul with the participation of thousands of communists from all over Turkey and central committee members of several communist and worker’s parties of the World.

The political crisis in 2014 that led to division and suspension of the TKP came to the conclusion today through the will of thousands of communists. Following the appeal of the seven members of the TKP on December 27, 2016, and the declaration of the committee responsible for the continuity of the TKP, which was formed in 2014, thousands of communists from all over the country gathered in İstanbul.

The historical meeting started with the speech of Yaşar Çelik, one of the seven members of the TKP who made the appeal for today’s meeting. 

GIORGOS MARINOS (KKE): ‘WE SALUTE THIS DECISION OF COMMUNISTS OF TURKEY’

Giorgos Marinos, the member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), read the congratulatory statement of the KKE.

"In April 2016, while saluting you, we had stated that your party should take over the name that it deserves and it was the time to struggle as the Communist Party of Turkey, as the TKP, among its people, and within the International Communist Movement. We salute this decision of the communists of Turkey and congratulate them," said the statement.

Giorgos Marinos

Marinos, underlining the strong relation between the TKP and the KKE that has been lasting for several years, also stated that ‘The relation between the TKP and the KKE is an example of an internationalist relation that is built up under very complicated conditions.  This relationship is experienced by the guidance of the class interests, the union of the working classes of the two countries, the struggle for overthrowing the capitalism and building socialism-communism. The same thing is valid for our youth organizations the KG [Communist Youth] and KNE [Communist Youth of Greece].’

After the speech of Marinos, Alberto Gonzalez Casals took the floor on behalf of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC). Casals mentioned the importance of the return of the TKP to the political scene.

Alberto Gonzalez Casals

COMMITTEE DELEGATES ITS RESPONSIBILITIES AND POWERS

Following the speech of Casals, İbrahim Bulut, the member of the committee responsible for the continuity of the TKP made a statement on behalf of the committee. He stated, despite several problems, the committee has carried on the mission that it had undertaken with patience and honor.

"The committee, with the sense of responsibility, made an appeal in July 2016, considering the need for the Communist Party of Turkey of our country and the struggle for socialism, for the return of the TKP to the political scene. This appeal is welcome enthusiastically and supported by numerous comrades," Bulut said. 

Bulut explained and summarized the process since then and stated that the people who gather today show the will for the return of the TKP to the political scene. He said that the committee would be happy to delegate its responsibilities and powers that it has been shouldering for more than two and a half years to the council formed in the assembly.

Kaya Güvenç, another member of the council, following the speech of Bulut, stated that, along with the testimony of the committee, it is possible and legitimate for the meeting to take decisions.

Güvenç submitted the proposal to the TKP members in the meeting that the central committee members of the Communist Party (KP), Turkey form the central will of the TKP and these comrades take on the task of the Central Committee of the TKP until the regular congress to be organized in 2017.

KEMAL OKUYAN: ‘A COMMUNIST PARTY IS THE PARTY THAT FOCUSES ON OVERTHROWING CAPITALIST RULE’

Following the approval of the proposal by the members of the TKP, Kemal Okuyan, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the KP,  was invited to take the floor on behalf of the Central Committee of the TKP.

Okuyan started his speech with the question of ‘what is the use of a communist party?’ and underlined the irreconcilability of the interests of the working class and the bourgeoisie, stating the TKP has never backslid to compromises with the capitalist system and on its agenda of socialism. Kemal Okuyan mentioned that a communist party ‘is the party that focuses on overthrowing the capitalist rule; the vanguard, the facilitator of this process.'

Kemal Okuyan

Drawing comparisons from the Soviet  and Cuban revolutions, which started with the leadership of parties and movements with limited number of people and overthrew the capitalist rule,  and contrasting them with the German Social Democratic Party in the late 19th century, which then attained high election scores but lost its ability to pose a threat to the capitalist system, Kemal Okuyan underlined the importance of sticking with the ultimate target of overthrowing capitalism.

34 communist and worker's parties of the World sent support messages to the TKP.