Politicians call on religious directorate head to resign over use of luxury car

• published: 26 May 2015
• views: 0

Religious Affairs Directorate President Mehmet Görmez has been at the center of controversy for his use of a luxury armored vehicle, with politicians from opposition parties calling on him to resign in order to prevent his reputation from being tarnished any further and to avoid being part of the government's waste of public resources. In an interview with Today's Zaman on Tuesday, former İzmir Mayor Burhan Özfatura, saying that the directorate has been made a party to the extravagant spending of public resources by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), called on Görmez to resign from his post so that he would not be part of the government's reckless spending. The revelation of the price of Görmez's previous car, which was valued at TL 1 million sparked public controversy, subsequently forced Görmez to announce that he would return the car. The debate surfaced once again after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that the President's Office had provided Görmez with a new armored vehicle as a gesture for Görmez returning his previous car. Previously, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli had also criticized the gift of a luxury car to Görmez during an election rally in Kırşehir province last week, stating: "Such a polemic regarding the luxury vehicle should not be allowed to damage Görmez and the institution he represents. Instead of accepting such a car, he should refuse to accept it from Erdoğan. This would befit his dignity. [Görmez] is accepting a car similar to the one he returned, because he does not wish to offend Erdoğan. Can it be acceptable? [Görmez] should refuse the vehicle by saying, 'Sorry, I cannot take this one.' He should resign immediately." Speaking to Today's Zaman on Tuesday, former Culture and Tourism Minister Ertuğrul Günay questioned the motive for the head of Turkey's top religious body to use a luxury car by saying that partaking in such luxuries constitutes disregard for Islamic values. “If [Görmez] wants to make a display of luxury to certain people, I would like to remind him of a verse from the Quran, ‘And do not walk upon the earth exultantly. Indeed, you will never tear the earth [apart], and you will never reach the mountains in height,” said Günal. Görmez had previously called the reports about his luxury car a “perception operation” designed to misinform the public. “I will return the vehicle to serve as an example," Görmez said. Günay commented on Görmez's remarks by saying that “being an example" to people by returning a luxury car is simply a reflection of pride and reveals a lack of religious knowledge. Günay argued that the fact that the head of the top religious body needs an armored vehicle to travel in public shows that there is a lack of security in society. The former minister then lamented that due to the deterioration of the image of the directorate in the eyes of the public, respect and trust for religious intellectuals has declined. Pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş had previously slammed Görmez for having accepted a new luxury armored car from Erdoğan. Speaking at an election rally in the Bağcılar district of İstanbul last Sunday, Demirtaş called on Görmez, saying: "For your information, a Mercedes does not help you pass the required stages to get into heaven! Does that vehicle's armor protect you from sins? While such a great number of people are in need, it is a shame to accept a luxury vehicle.”