Dear Comrades

We gathered here at this historical building, which is a memorial to us from Marks and Engels, where Lenin published Iskra, a place closely associated with the International Brigades, to pay our last respects to comrade Yürükoğlu, the leader of the Communist Party of Turkey.

This historical building, was also the venue of a turning point in the history of the Communist Party of Turkey and in the life of Comrade Yürükoğlu. In 1979, when the bureaucratic leadership of the Communist Party of Turkey started to pursue a policy of exclusion and expulsions against the revolutionary majority of the party, the Leninist comrades held a meeting in this historical building to adopt a resolution to start an organised opposition under his leadership.

That turning point of our party’s history, was also a very good reflection of a major character traits of comrade Yürükoğlu: openly criticising what he believes wrong, and resolutely defending what he believes true.

Comrade Yürükoğlu, has always followed the basic tenet of the revolutionary Marxism that is the predominance of theory, the power of ideas. His often heard statement “the revolutionary ideas would gather around a suitable cadre to implement them.”

The unfortunately short life of comrade Yürükoğlu has corresponded with important turning points of the world history as well as the history of proletarian struggle in Turkey. Comrade Yürükoğlu has always been the first person to bring about the new ideas and new prospects required by the vanguard of the working class in these turning points.

Persuading the comrades nearest to him, then the larger echelons of the party cadres and pulling the party organisation into the struggle to win over the active majority of the working class have always been the lot of comrade Yürükoğlu.

However each of such turning points, has also brought along a separation of roads with comrades, most of whom he loved dearly, and consequent organisational problems.

Therefore, the short but intense life of comrade Yürükoğlu has passed away with wrestling with successive organisational problems while struggling to achieve the pioneering ideological tasks.

He was entrusted leading organisational positions and he accepted them without hesitation as obligations to be fulfilled however he was always fully aware of the consequences on his personal life and relations.

In fulfilling the duties of the organisational positions, he has always tried to resolve positively the conflict between his humanist personality and the cold objectivity of the organisational life. He has tried to use the organisational power under his command sparingly and constructively,  conscientiously and mindfully, of course within the parameters allowed by the organisational realities. His political rivals as well as his friends are the witnesses of this trait.

For many comrades here present today including myself, taking part in the struggle within the ranks of Communist Party of Turkey under the leadership of Comrade Yürükoğlu, and learning from him has been a great privilege and great honour.

While paying my last respects to Comrade Yürükoğlu,  I would like to express my sincere hope that his last prediction turns true as many of his proven predictions before. One of his last words was “it seems to me that my death would provide a foundation towards the unity of communist, which did not came about while I have been alive despite all my wishes and efforts.”

Esen Uslu

Marx Memorial Library

London

16 December 2001