The Speech (Beginning date: 15 October 1927) The general situation
Ankara becomes the new capital of Turkey
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- Long live the Republic!
- The abolition of the caliphate
- O Turkish youth!
- Turkish youth! Your first duty is to preserve and defend forever Turkish independence and the Turkish Republic.
Ankara becomes the new capital of Turkey Gentlemen, after the execution of the protocol for the evacuation which formed an appendix to the Treaty of Lausanne. Turkey was completely freed from foreign occupation and had thus confirmed her territorial integrity. It now remained to determine the location of the seat of the Government of the new Turkey. Considerations of all kinds demanded that it could only be in Anatolia and, furthermore, that it should be at Ankara. Strategic considerations were very important. It was necessary to settle the question of the location of the seat of the government as soon as possible, as the uncertainty was causing hold-ups at home and abroad. It was generally assumed that the capital would be Istanbul. Ismet Pasha, Minister of Foreign Affairs, introduced a bill to the Assembly on 9th October 1923. This bill, to which were appended fourteen other signatures, was carried on 13th October by a large majority after 1ong discussions. The bi11 read: "The seat of the Turkish State is the town of Ankara." Long live the Republic! It was already dark. When I left the bui1ding of the Assembly to return to Çankaya, I met Kemallettin Sami Pasha and Halit Pasha in the lobby I invited them to come and dine with me. I also asked Ismet Pasha, Kazım Pasha and Fethi Bey to accompany me. On arriving at Çankaya, I found that Fuat Bey and Rusen Esref Bey had also come to talk to me. I asked them also to stay to dinner. During the meal, I declared: "Tomorrow we shall proclaim the Republic." The comrades present hastened to endorse my plan. Leaving the table, we drafted a short programme of action outlining the role which I was assigning to each to them. All who were with me that night, except Ismet Pasha, left early. The latter stayed as my guest at Çankaya. When we were alone, we drafted a bill. I made some changes in some of the articles of-the Constitution of 20th January 1921.
a. The President of the Turkish Republic will be elected by the Grand National Assembly from among its members and will hold office for one term. A retiring president is eligible for re-election: b. The President of the Republic is the Head of State. In this capacity, he presides over both the National Assembly and the Cabinet when he believes it necessary. c. The Prime Minister is chosen by the President from among the members of the Assembly. The other ministers are chosen by the Prime Minister. On the following day the party met under the chairmanship of Fethi Bey. After lengthy discussion the draft was accepted. After this meeting the Cabinet meeting took place. It was six o'clock in the evening. Whi1e the commission set up to examine the Constitution read the draft and prepared their report, the Assembly deliberated on certain other questions. At last Ismet Bey, the Vice Chairman, declared: "The Constitutional Commission urgently requests a discussion of the draft for the amendment of the Constitution." Shouts of approval were heard and the report of the Commission was read and opened to discussion. Finally, after various speeches from different deputies, the amended law was accepted and greeted with shouts of Long live the Republic." The election of the President Then business passed .to the election of the President. Ismet Pasha announced the result in the following words: "One hundred and fifty-eight deputies have participated in the election for the President of the Republic. They have unanimously elected His Excellency Ghazi Mustafa Kemal Pasha, Deputy for Ankara, to serve as President." The resolution appertaining to the proclamation of the Republic was carried in the Assembly at 8.30 on the evening of 29th October 1923. Fifteen minutes later the President was elected. Both events were proclaimed throughout the country on the same night and greeted with a 101-gun sa1ute. The first cabinet was formed by Ismet Pasha, and Fethi Bey was elected Chairman of the Assembly. The proclamation of the Republic was received with joy everywhere and enthusiastic demonstrations took place. Only a few people, together with two or three newspapers in Istanbul, hesitated to participate in the general festivities. The abolition of the caliphate At the beginning of 1924, it was decided to hold a military exercise of some importance in Izmir , I travelled to that city in the first days of the new year and remained there for nearly two months. During my stay. I came to the conclusion that the moment for the abolition of the caliphate had arrived. On 1st March 1924, I was to open the Assembly. We had returned to Ankara on 23rd February and I had informed the necessary people of my decision. The budget debate was going on in the Assembly. Our comrades had begun to criticize and discuss certain points. The debate was intentionally prolonged. In the speech which I delivered on the 1st of March, the fifth anniversary of the opening of the Assembly, I emphasized three points: 1. The nation demands that the Republic be protected from every attack. This demand of the nation may best be met if, without further delay, the republic is set upon a course following tried and tested principles. 2. We declare that it is necessary to implement without delay the unification of education - a policy which has been accepted by public opinion. 3. We also recognize that it is inevitable in order to secure its revival, to rescue the Islamic faith from being a political instrument, which it has become over the centuries. The discussion lasted for over five hours. When it closed at 6.45p.m., the Grand National Assembly had passed Laws 429, 430 and 431. Thus the Caliph was declared deposed and his office abolished. All members of the deposed Ottoman dynasty were forever forbidden to reside within the frontiers of the territory of the Turkish Republic. O Turkish youth! Gentlemen, I have tried to show in this account how a great people regained their independence and created a modern state. The result that we have attained today is the fruit of what has been learnt from centuries of suffering and at the price of rivers of blood, which have drenched every inch of our beloved homeland. I bequeath this treasure to the youth of Turkey. Turkish youth! Your first duty is to preserve and defend forever Turkish independence and the Turkish Republic. This is the only foundation for your existence and your future. This foundation is your most valuable source of strength. In the future, too, there will be enemies both in your homeland and abroad who will try to deprive you of this source. If one day you are compelled to defend your independence and your Republic in order to perform this duty, you must do so without regard for the circumstances you are in. These circumstances may be extremely unfavourable. It may be that the enemies who nurture designs on your independence and your republic have won a victory unprecedented in the history of the world. By force and by deceit, all the fortresses and shipyards of your sacred homeland may have been seized, all her armies dispersed and every corner of your homeland invaded. What is more tragic and awesome than even these eventualities, those in power in your country may have fallen into ignorance and error; they may even be traitors. Moreover, those in power may identify their personal interests with the occupying enemy's political goals. The nation may have fallen into complete destitution, into the most extreme distress, it may be crushed and exhausted. Turkish youth of the future! Even under these conditions, your duty is to save Turkish independence and the Republic! The strength you need for this is already present in the noble blood that flows in your veins! Ending date: 20 October 1927 107 Download 195.24 Kb. Share with your friends:
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