IF SHE GIVES PERMISSION
Another characteristic of Atatürk was his delicate, elegant and meaningful jokes. His wife, Lady Latife, explains one of her memories as follows:
One day, we were going to visit the Governor with Atatürk in Adana. At the top of the stairs, an old woman fighter, who was very popular during the National Struggle and was called Mother Sultan, appeared before us with a bunch of yellow and red flowers in her hand. The Veteran (Atatürk) thanked her and accepted the flowers. Sultan Ana said:
- My blue eyes son, I will not leave you, without kissing you,
When Gazi pointed to me,
- If she allows...
Before Atatürk could finish his words, Mother Sultan replied:
- I do not ask anyone's permission. I have an oblation!.,
After saying this, she put both her hands around Gazi Mustafa Kemal's neck and kissed him on both cheeks.
The Gazi turned to me and said, smiling,
- What can we do? These are people who go up to the mountains and fight when necessary without asking anyone's permission.
* * *
During Atatürk's presidency, Turkish women were granted the right to vote and be elected as mayors in 1930 and as members of parliament in 1934. Women gained the right to vote and be elected in France in 1944, in Italy in 1945, in Belgium in 1948, in Greece in 1952 and in Switzerland in 1971.