’Gov’t struggling in Lighthouse swamp’
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Hürriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Haziran 17, 2009 00:00
ANKARA - Opposition party leaders on Tuesday accused the government of having links with German charity Lighthouse e.V., which embezzled millions of euros in donated funds and allegedly transferred the funds to Turkey. "I don’t know if the money has been transferred or not. Did some AKP [ruling Justice and Development Party] members visit the German headquarters of Lighthouse e.V. or not? I say what I know," main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, leader Deniz Baykal told his deputies in Parliament. "There are very important affairs."
"The prime minister is blaming us instead of responding to claims. He is trying to get free of accusations by attacking the CHP," Baykal said. "It is crystal clear that there is protection from the government. The AKP is struggling in the Lighthouse swamp."
Turkey’s Supreme Board of Radio and Television, or RTÜK, head Zahid Akman is accused of having connections with the German charity. After Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç said Akman must resign, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said this opinion belonged to Arınç and did not represent the government’s view.
"The prime minister is acting as an advocate for Zahid Akman," Baykal said. "Nobody with common sense can say that Akman must stay in office."
In his address in Parliament, Nationalist Movement Party, or MHP, leader Devlet Bahçeli said, "The AKP’s fake lamp and Lighthouse’s yellowish light are illuminating the same dirty path." The MHP leader said the AKP had pledged to be a clean and honest administration nearly seven years ago when it came to power, but instead has become a focal point of corruption today. "Prime Minister Erdoğan’s attempts to act as the guarantor of the RTÜK head by saying that he is an honest friend should not be found odd in the face of the Lighthouse e.V. robbery, which made the Turkish nation’s tradition of charity and clean religious feelings an instrument of theft," Bahçeli said. President Abdullah Gül is facing a serious test regarding the controversial law on de-mining the border with Syria, said Baykal.
Turkey’s Supreme Board of Radio and Television, or RTÜK, head Zahid Akman is accused of having connections with the German charity. After Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç said Akman must resign, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said this opinion belonged to Arınç and did not represent the government’s view.
"The prime minister is acting as an advocate for Zahid Akman," Baykal said. "Nobody with common sense can say that Akman must stay in office."
In his address in Parliament, Nationalist Movement Party, or MHP, leader Devlet Bahçeli said, "The AKP’s fake lamp and Lighthouse’s yellowish light are illuminating the same dirty path." The MHP leader said the AKP had pledged to be a clean and honest administration nearly seven years ago when it came to power, but instead has become a focal point of corruption today. "Prime Minister Erdoğan’s attempts to act as the guarantor of the RTÜK head by saying that he is an honest friend should not be found odd in the face of the Lighthouse e.V. robbery, which made the Turkish nation’s tradition of charity and clean religious feelings an instrument of theft," Bahçeli said. President Abdullah Gül is facing a serious test regarding the controversial law on de-mining the border with Syria, said Baykal.