Suphi Baykam (1926–1996) was a Turkish physician and politician from the

Republican People's Party The Republican People's Party (RPP; , CHP ) is a Kemalism, Kemalist and Social democracy, social democratic political party in Turkey. It is the oldest List of political parties in Turkey, political party in Turkey, founded by Mustafa Kemal ...

(CHP). He served at the

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

for three terms.

Early life and education

He was born in Adana in 1926. His father worked as a teacher and then as a tax official. He graduated from of the School of Medicine,

Istanbul University Istanbul University, also known as University of Istanbul (), is a Public university, public research university located in Istanbul, Turkey. Founded by Mehmed II on May 30, 1453, a day after Fall of Constantinople, the conquest of Constantinop ...

in 1950. He was also educated at Institute of Public Administration for Turkey and the Middle East in 1955 and at the Radiology Institute in 1956. Baykam served as the president of the Turkish National Student Union between 1948 and 1950 while attending the School of Medicine. During his term the Union adopted a

Kemalist Kemalism (, also archaically ''Kamâlizm'') or Atatürkism () is a political ideology based on the ideas of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first president of the Turkey, Republic of Turkey.Eric J. Zurcher, Turkey: A Modern History. Ne ...

approach unlike its previous ideology of nationalism.

Career and activities

Baykam worked at the student dormitories until 1951 when he was dismissed by the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

due to his criticisms against the ruling Democrat Party (DP). Then he left political activity and worked as a physician in

Karaman Karaman is a city in south central Turkey, located in Central Anatolia, north of the Taurus Mountains, about south of Konya. It is the seat of Karaman Province and Karaman District.Ankara University Ankara University () is a public university, public research university in Ankara, the capital of Turkey. It was the first higher education institution founded in Turkey after the History of the Republic of Turkey, formation of the Turkish republ ...

. The same year he also joined the CHP. He became the first head of the youth branch of the CHP on 17 February 1954. He was dismissed from his assistantship when he was involved in the CHP's propaganda activities before the

general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...

in 1954. The DP government also cancelled the three-year scholarship awarded by the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

to Baykam. Baykam was elected as the head of the Ankara Medical Chamber in 1957. The same year he was elected as a deputy from his hometown for the CHP and served at the Parliament during the 11th term. He became a member of the CHP's council in the 14th congress on 12 January 1959. Following the

military coup A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

on 27 May 1960 a

Constituent Assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...

was formed. Baykam was a representative of the CHP at the Assembly. Baykam was elected as a deputy from İstanbul in the elections of 1961 and 1965. During this period he was the vice general secretary of the CHP and a member of the left of center group. He was again elected as a member of the CHP's council in the congress held in October 1964. While serving at the Parliament he developed the first law to improve

Turkish cinema Cinema of Turkey or Turkish cinema (also formerly known as ''Yeşilçam'', which literally means ''Green Pine'' in Turkish language, Turkish), () or Türk sineması refers to the Turkish film industry, film art and industry. It is an importa ...

which is known as the Baykam Law Proposal. After the end of his term at the Parliament he retired from politics.

Views

For Baykam Kemalism was the opposite of wild capitalism,

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...

, communism, and reaction. He was instrumental in the development of the concepts such as Left of Center () and land reform () which were very crucial in the reorganization of the CHP.

Personal life and death

Baykam married Mutahhar Baykam in 1952. She was an architect. They had two children, a daughter and a son,

Bedri Baykam Bedri Baykam is a Turkish artist. Early life Baykam was born in Ankara, Turkey. Baykam's father, Suphi Baykam, was a deputy in the Turkish parliament, and his mother, Mutahhar Baykam, is an architectural engineer. Baykam studied at Sorbonne U ...

. Baykam died on 21 June 1996.

Legacy

Alptekin Gündüz published a book in memory of Suphi Baykam in 2004.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baykam, Suphi 20th-century Turkish physicians 1926 births 1996 deaths People from Adana Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine alumni Republican People's Party (Turkey) politicians Deputies of Adana Deputies of Istanbul Members of the 11th Parliament of Turkey Members of the 12th Parliament of Turkey Members of the 13th Parliament of Turkey Members of the Constituent Assembly of Turkey