Hüseyin Çelik: Our Sensitivity Belongs to People

Following his criticism on the open cleavage of a TV presenter who subsequently lost her job, AKP Vice President Hüseyin Çelik stood behind his words.

“Our sensitivity is the sensitivity of people. It is my very right to express this,” he said on twitter. 

Some of the highlights from Çelik’s tweet messages included: 

“I attended a TV program on Sunday where a presenter asked whether the lifting of headscarf ban could go extreme in Turkey. 

“I said that I already expressed my views on the topic during the lifting of headscarf ban in universities. I said that the worries have no base. 

“In my response, I said that wearing headscarf is different than hijab or burka - just like not wearing a headscarf didn’t mean necessarily showing one’s cleavage.  

“During the interview, I said that it would be extreme for a presenter to show her cleavage. I didn’t disclose any specific names or programs in the meantime. 

“Following that, several speculations were made by the media. I am repeating again; our sensitivity belongs to people. 

“It is also my right to express my views as an individual, TV spectator or politician. 

“Departing from my remarks, some created rumors that we were intervening lifestyles. This is a bad abuse of my remarks.”

While CHP and MHP deputies reacted upon Çelik’s remarks, Turkey’s prominent humor website Zaytung published a mock  article on the issue. 

What happened? 

“I can’t accept the dress of a female TV presenter yesterday. We are not intervening anybody but it was way too much. It doesn’t get accepted worldwide,” Çelik told Beyaz TV. 

Rumors spread that the aforementioned TV presenter might be Gözde Kansu, a presenter at ATV.  

Producer Caner Erdem released a statement, saying that nothing was certain.

“Ms. Gözde has another program shooting scheduled for next week. There might be a schedule conflict, so we might move on with a new presenter,” he said. 

Sabah newspaper columnist Sevilay Yükselir, on the other hand, claimed that she met with the producer who told her that she was fired due to performance issues and not Çelik's remarks. 

According to Hürriyet newspaper, Kansu was laid off after a series of meetings between the TV network and production company. (ÇT/BM)

* Click here to read the original article in Turkish.