ISTANBUL – Meral Danış Beştaş mentioned that Sırrı Süreyya Önder had a unique ability to turn negativity into positivity and stated that those who attended his funeral pledged to continue Önder’s fight for peace.

 

Sırrı Süreyya Önder, Deputy Speaker of the People's Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party and a member of the İmralı delegation, passed away on May 3rd at a hospital where he had been undergoing treatment. Önder's illness, funeral, and condolences received intense attention from various groups.

 

Meral Danış Beştaş, co-spokesperson of the Peoples' Democratic Congress (HDK), a close colleague of Önder, pointed out that Önder’s popularity and the respect he garnered stemmed from his loving nature, his way of expressing himself, and his peaceful identity. She said, "We worked together in different contexts at various times. We spent two and a half years in the Constitution commission. He was hesitant to hurt people. He was full of love, and his way of expressing his thoughts was very unique. Even when Önder expressed his anger, it had an aesthetic quality. What he meant was always understood because he spoke from the heart. His sincerity gave trust to many people. Truly, his void will not be easily filled."

 

TURNING NEGATIVITY INTO POSITIVITY

 

Meral Danış Beştaş emphasized that Önder spoke not just the language of politics, but the language of humanity and peace. She said, “Sırrı Süreyya Önder made tremendous efforts to solve the Kurdish question and bring lasting peace to Turkey. He played an important role during the İmralı negotiations with Abdullah Öcalan between 2013 and 2015. Above all, he was a person who truly believed in peace and worked tirelessly for it. Of course, we all believe in peace. Önder especially put significant effort into bringing peace in his final years. He wanted to spread the issue of peace throughout Turkey, to convince people to embrace it. He discussed this with everyone. Sırrı knew how to persuade and turn negativity into positivity.”

 

NO MORE TIME TO LOSE

 

Meral Danış Beştaş stressed that Önder showed everyone how possible peace in Turkey was, saying, “Everyone who attended Önder’s funeral came not only to bid him farewell but also pledge to work for peace. They promised to fulfil this commitment. The people’s longing for peace became intertwined with Önder’s struggle for peace, which is why his loss is so deeply felt. If only he had been able to witness the peace before saying goodbye. Peace was Önder’s greatest desire. We must now make this peace a reality. Turkey has no more time to lose.” 

 

MA / Esra Solin Dal