Ustel Hits Back At Defector Altugra: We ‘Became The Bad Guys’ After Sacking Her

Speaking during a meeting in İskele in response to questions, Ustel said the party closely monitors the performance of its MPs.

“We, as the elder of the party, try to observe which of our MPs can work more effectively, what kind of experience they have, and how they can reflect this experience to the public,” he said.

“WE BROUGHT HER INTO THE CABINET AT THE REQUEST OF HER FAMILY”

Explaining the process leading to Altuğra’s appointment, Ustel stated:

“The MP who resigned today is like our daughter; I am also like her elder brother. We included her in our team at the request of her family and her father.”

“WE SAW PERFORMANCE ISSUES AND MADE A CHANGE”

Ustel said issues emerged over time regarding performance.

“After a while, we observed some problems in her performance. We spoke with her, she continued for a while, and then we thanked her and assigned another colleague,” he said.

Commenting on the aftermath of the decision, Ustel added:

“When we appointed her, we were like brothers and everything was very good. But when we made a change, unfortunately, we became the bad guys.”

“WE CHOSE PATIENCE OVER DISCIPLINE”

Responding to questions about why disciplinary action was not taken, Ustel said:

“Many people asked why she was not referred to discipline. But as the elder of the party and the parliament, we preferred patience. We thought she would realise her mistakes, but unfortunately that did not happen.”

He noted that the process continued for months:

“While parliamentary legislative work was ongoing for months, her stance was different. We also showed patience towards that.”

“SHE TOOK A DIFFERENT PATH… WE WISH HER WELL”

Commenting on her resignation, Ustel said:

“Today she has left our party and announced she will continue her political path with another party. At this point there is nothing more we can do. We wish her well.”

“WE CONTINUE WITH 28 MPs”

Concluding his remarks, Ustel said the government would continue its work.

“We continue our path with 23 MPs and our coalition partners,” he said.