Turkish Parliament had a plenary session for the April 23 national sovereignty and children's day ceremony. The MPs of the Turkish Parliament requested to have a moment of silence to commemorate Atatürk as part of the anniversary of the Turkish Parliament's foundation.
Ismail Kahraman, the chairperson of the Turkish Parliament, denied this request saying "there is no implementation as having a moment of silence in Turkish Parliament". Yet, taking a moment of silence for commemoration has been a common practice in the history of the parliament.
Levent Gök, the group deputy chairman of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), reacted to Kahraman's decision, saying "we condemn you for not commemorating Mustafa Kemal and his brothers in arms."
In response to Gök's reactions, Kahraman said "we are never disturbed of commemorating anybody", abstaining from mentioning Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's name.
Ismail Kahraman's decision of not commemorating Mustafa Kemal has been criticised widely as an example of the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) systematic attack on laicism and national sovereignty since it came to power.
The official ceremonies of April 23 national sovereignty and children's day are marked by the Turkish government's reactionary understanding of "children's day". The children had made janissary band performances in different cities, a band that has historical roots from the Ottoman Empire. In Antalya province, a southern city of Turkey, the children performed in bridal gowns, reflecting the conservative ideal for girls to get married as soon as possible.
İSMAİL KAHRAMAN'S NOTORIOUS BACKGROUND
Ismail Kahraman had previously made other statements of public controversy regarding issues of laicism in Turkey.
In April 2016, Kahraman declared his longing for sharia. He said "Turkey is a Muslim country. Thus, we must have a religious constitution. Secularism should not be in it", which drew harsh reaction from the public.
Kahraman, in his youth, was a member of the National Turkish Students' Association (MTTB), a reactionary student organisation in the 1970s. MTTB was an anti-communist counterinsurgency organisation notorious for the "bloody Sunday" massacre on February 10 1969. The bloody Sunday massacre took place as the revolutionary youth and worker unions held a demonstration against the US imperialism, symbolised by the American 6th Fleet anchored at the Bosporus, Istanbul. MTTB attacked the demonstrators, killing two and fatally injuring hundreds.
