Suphi Baykam (1926–1996) was a Turkish physician and politician from the Republican People's Party (CHP). He served at the Parliament for three terms.

Early life and education

He was born in Adana in 1926. ^[1] His father worked as a teacher and then as a tax official. ^[1]

He graduated from of the School of Medicine, Istanbul University in 1950. ^[2] He was also educated at Institute of Public Administration for Turkey and the Middle East in 1955 and at the Radiology Institute in 1956. ^[2]

Baykam served as the president of the Turkish National Student Union between 1948 and 1950 while attending the School of Medicine. ^{[2] [3]} During his term the Union adopted a Kemalist approach unlike its previous ideology of nationalism. ^[1]

Career and activities

Baykam worked at the student dormitories until 1951 when he was dismissed by the Ministry of Education due to his criticisms against the ruling Democrat Party (DP). ^[1] Then he left political activity and worked as a physician in Karaman. ^[1] Following his return to Ankara in 1953 he began to work as a medical assistant at the School of Medicine of Ankara University. ^[4] The same year he also joined the CHP. ^[1] He became the first head of the youth branch of the CHP on 17 February 1954. ^{[4] [5]} He was dismissed from his assistantship when he was involved in the CHP's propaganda activities before the general election in 1954. ^[4] The DP government also cancelled the three-year scholarship awarded by the World Health Organization to Baykam. ^[4]

Baykam was elected as the head of the Ankara Medical Chamber in 1957. ^[2] The same year he was elected as a deputy from his hometown for the CHP and served at the Parliament during the 11th term. ^[5] He became a member of the CHP's council in the 14th congress on 12 January 1959. ^[6] Following the military coup on 27 May 1960 a Constituent Assembly was formed. Baykam was a representative of the CHP at the Assembly. ^[5]

Baykam was elected as a deputy from İstanbul in the elections of 1961 and 1965. ^[5] During this period he was the vice general secretary of the CHP and a member of the left of center group. ^[7] He was again elected as a member of the CHP's council in the congress held in October 1964. ^[6]

While serving at the Parliament he developed the first law to improve Turkish cinema which is known as the Baykam Law Proposal. ^[8] After the end of his term at the Parliament he retired from politics. ^[9]

Views

For Baykam Kemalism was the opposite of wild capitalism, racism, communism, and reaction. ^[1] He was instrumental in the development of the concepts such as Left of Center ( Turkish: Ortanın Solu) and land reform ( Turkish: Toprak Reformu) which were very crucial in the reorganization of the CHP. ^[9]

Personal life and death

Baykam married Mutahhar Baykam in 1952. ^[2] She was an architect. ^[10] They had two children, a daughter and a son, Bedri Baykam. ^[10]

Baykam died on 21 June 1996. ^[5]

Legacy

Alptekin Gündüz published a book in memory of Suphi Baykam in 2004. ^[9]

References