CHP Chairman Özel criticizes his party's municipal council decision: 'It does not befit Anatolian culture'

During his Konya program, at the opening of the 75th Year Republic Martyrs Park City Restaurant in the Ereğli district, Özel mentioned that the park's name had been changed to Martyrs Park in previous years, and that CHP Mayor Ümit Akpınar had restored the park's original name after taking office.

Thanking the municipal council members who made the decision regarding the matter, Özel spoke as follows:

"I want to express this to the AK Party members and Nationalist Movement Party members here; Turkish politics must leave behind the politics of bickering with each other, dealing with names, fighting over names, and tension.

In my own hometown, when our Municipal Council removed Mr. Bahçeli's name from a place, I was the first to call. I said, 'Do not deal with names.' There were countless motions. They were going to remove Mr. Bahçeli's names from squares and viaducts in the municipality we took from the MHP. I said, 'This befits neither you, nor us, nor Anatolian culture.' Therefore, I invite all elected officials to compete in service and to stop dealing with the common values of these cities and this country."

Özel stated that if they come to power, they will restore the names of places that were changed in the past, whether they were named after Atatürk, İsmet İnönü, or the Republic.

Explaining that they were successful in many regions of Turkey in the local elections, Özel said, "The next goal of the Republican People's Party is to make Atatürk's party the government in the first general election, just as it was in the first local election it entered in the second century of the Republic, and we will win the Konya Metropolitan Municipality as the Republican People's Party in the local elections to be held in 2029. We believe in this with all our hearts."

108TH CITY RESTAURANT OPENED IN EREĞLİ

Noting that the 108th City Restaurant was opened in Ereğli, Özel continued:

"Our Youth Branch Chairman sent a photo of the restaurant to Mayor Ekrem. Mayor Ekrem is our pioneering mayor who opened the first of the city restaurants, branded them, contributed to their spread throughout Turkey, and is also the head of the Union of Municipalities of Turkey. Last month, just one month ago on December 6, I had opened our 72nd city restaurant in Bilecik. We have had 36 more city restaurants in 33 days. Almost every day, one or two city restaurants are being opened. The fact that the Republican People's Party is rapidly expanding its good services, that these services are receiving intense support, that the nation is showing consent to CHP municipalities in satisfaction surveys, giving greater support, and expressing the Republican People's Party as the first party in 'If there were an election today' questions is upsetting Mr. Erdoğan's chemistry."

Stating that the Republican People's Party has never been an enemy of refugees but an enemy of policies that create refugees, and that it objects to the politics and politicians that create refugees, Özel argued that the legal infrastructure for temporary refugee status no longer exists, saying, "Of course, not by force today, but preparations must be made for them to leave rapidly and all together within a calendar."

Reminding that he had previously promised to make Ereğli a province, Özel said that if they come to power, he would initiate the necessary work for Ereğli to become a province with the license plate number 83.

Comparing the retiree's pension with quarter gold and Konya's okra soup to explain that the citizens' purchasing power has fallen, Özel noted the following:

"We, as the Republican People's Party, say, 'Livelihood is a right for the retiree, a minimum wage is a must.' Now the remedy has come to show the red card to this government. Retirees, if this government gives you this misery pension, are you ready to struggle together, square by square, street by street? Mr. Erdoğan, the sweat on this retiree's brow flowed for this nation, the light of their eyes flowed for this nation, these elbows wore out for this nation, those hands became calloused for this nation. Now, if you turn those calloused hands away empty-handed, we will show you the red card."

News Source: 12punto