CHP Chairman Özgür Özel's statement that the party's emblem will be evaluated along with its statute and program during the congress in September has naturally sparked a debate.

While there are undoubtedly some who view the idea of changing the emblem as “a good thing,” I believe that introducing such an initiative at this time carries different implications.

I want to refresh your memories and remind you that this discussion is not new. In 2019, Engin Özkoç, then CHP Group Deputy Chairman, spoke to Hürriyet newspaper, stating, “We will reconsider the inclusiveness of the Six Arrows. We will redefine nationalism, statism, and populism according to the country's conditions, while preserving their essence and reason for existence, in a manner that incorporates the goals of the 21st century.”

Five years later, Özgür Özel stated, “We will paint half of the arrow of statism in the center of the CHP’s emblem green and the other half purple, in line with the environmentally friendly, nature-loving, sustainable development projects and our clear stance on gender equality that we will present at that programme convention.”

QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED TO CHP MANAGEMENT

1. Is the emblem of the CHP, the founding party of the Republic, a simple symbol that can be changed by decisions made at the central headquarters?

2. If a new administration comes into power, will they also paint the other arrows differently?

3. Have those who want to paint half of the arrow of statism green forgotten what those who carried out the Republican Revolution did to make this land green? The founder of the CHP, who drained swamps to open the Atatürk Forest Farm, said “The villa will be moved, not the trees!” to avoid cutting down trees in Yalova, and who planted trees in Ankara to build a modern city with city planning experts at that time when concepts like environmentalism were unknown, and built the Gençlik Parkı, have they forgotten all this?

4. Have those wanting to paint half of the statecraft arrow purple forgotten the enormous steps taken for women's rights by the founders of the Republic? Have they forgotten that the founding cadre granted women the right to vote and stand for election before many European countries, and enacted the Civil Code to ensure women had equal rights with men in essential areas such as marriage, inheritance, divorce, and testimony in court?

PRINCIPLES THAT TURN INTO DUST AND FADE AWAY...

5. Does the CHP still fully uphold the principles symbolised by the arrows—republicanism, secularism, populism, nationalism, statism, and revolutionism (reformism)—enshrined in the 1937 constitution?

For instance, is the CHP aligned with Atatürk’s principle of full independence against imperialism and capitalist pressure? It seems not, as evidenced by its swift transition from resisting imperialism to supporting NATO, because NATO support is Americanism!

While the political Islamist AKP imposes the "unity of the ummah" on society, it is meaningful that those who today cannot defend a revolution that united people who had been "servants of the sultan" for centuries into free and equal citizens of the secular republic and united them as a nation regardless of religion and race, focus on the colours changing.

Regarding the principle of secularism, which is listed among the characteristics of the state in the constitution, this principle has been completely shelved during the AKP era, and the CHP, which has watched and remained silent, and even supported the reinstatement of the medrese system through institutions like the Diyanet Academy, is complicit.

The party can advocate for more environmentally friendly policies and increase women’s representation in politics by featuring more female candidates on its lists. This would be supported by all. However, painting the emblem and making the principles open to any form of alteration is not the way to achieve this.

In reality, the red Six Arrows of the CHP have long faded to a rose-tinted hue. Those who do not defend them as they should, and who do not return to the foundational principles, merely deceive with changes in the colour of the arrows.