Özel’s response to Akşener: 'My answer is two words; may she be well, she is my sister'

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel met with the public at Koza Pazarı Square in the Turgutlu district of Manisa. Addressing the crowd, CHP Chairman Özgür Özel said, "For 15 years, I have been with you in various roles, sometimes on the podium, sometimes on campaign buses, and sometimes at district holiday celebrations, hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, and heart to heart around a table. Today, I am in the presence of my big family in Turgutlu. We are in a local election process. We are in a difficult process. Tomorrow is the last day of the campaign. 

Today's rally is our 104th rally. If I were to hold a final rally, the last place had to be my hometown, it had to be our 'Kasaba' (Turgutlu). About a month and a half or two months ago, at the beginning of the rallies, I had asked: 'Are the retirees suffering greatly here?' They said we are here, like 20 percent of the square. I said that if you are with me, if you fill the squares, we will get what you are owed. Now, in my own hometown, I ask this square: retirees, here you are. Turkey's largest army. I promised you that 'I will not forget.' I spoke in 104 squares, and I will underline this heavily here one last time. When the AK Party came to power, the lowest pension was equal to one and a half times the minimum wage. Today, that would be 26 thousand liras. 

If they had not disrupted your order at all, if they had not interfered, your salary would be at least 26 thousand today. But they said they would act based on TUIK (Turkish Statistical Institute) and they ate away at the retirees' rights. Last year, inflation was 120 percent, TUIK calculated it at 60 percent, and Mr. Tayyip gave you 38 percent, making it 7 thousand 500. Retirees are losing 5 and a half quarter gold coins from their pockets every month. Where did we lose this? At the ballot box. Where will we find it? In the same place, at the ballot box. Are you ready to go to the polls on Sunday and seek your rights? Let us also send a greeting from here to Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the architect of the bonus given to retirees during holidays. You worked like ants, and at a time when you should have been most comfortable, someone came and took your rights away. 

You must act like ants again; there is no load that ants cannot lift when they unite. I promise you, and I say this to those who look down on us from above: I will not let the ant be crushed; the ant has a brother, and that is the Republican People's Party (CHP)," he said.

Pointing out that Turgutlu is a city of both retirees and laborers, Özel said, "The sweat of the laborers flows here. We will save our farmers from the oppression of this government. We have held local rallies until now, but from now on, until the retiree gets their right, until the laborer gets their right, we are here; we will take the rights of the rightful by force. These elections are, of course, local elections, but it is time for the government to be warned from the local level by those who hold power, who see no one but themselves, who crush tradesmen and civil servants, and who leave the poor helpless.

For that reason, I invite everyone to meet at the ballot boxes on March 31 and show them a yellow card. There are internship victims, apprenticeship victims; those who did apprenticeship at a young age, did their internship, and then when the EYT (Retirement Age Victims) law was passed, they applied and were told 'it cannot be.'

There is no such unjust retirement. They promised they would abolish the interview system; they did not. Teachers are waiting for appointments. I stand behind the teachers, the internship victims, those waiting for phased retirement, and all victims to the end. Until they get their rights, I will not let go of Mr. Tayyip's collar," he said.

HE HAD THE YOUTH APPLAUDED

Addressing the youth in his speech, Özel said, "Everyone here is dear to us, but the youth are the apple of our eye. These young people deserve the best of everything, but they were saddened and hurt on May 14-28. This government is breaking the future dreams of the youth. Young people are losing their hope. I am addressing all the youth here: do not lose your hope. Undoubtedly, you love Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk at least as much as we do. Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk did not establish the republic and entrust it to the chairmen of this party, nor did he entrust it to the military. He entrusted this republic to you. 

We will protect his trust together. We are renewing all levels of our party with very strong teams, half of which are women and youth. You are the hope of this country. If you give up, if you quit, they will win. If you take ownership, we will all win together, and in the end, you will win. That is why I invite all the youth to go to the ballot box on March 31 and protect our future," he said, asking everyone in the square to applaud the youth for a long time.

In the final part of his speech, Özel called Turgutlu Mayor and CHP Turgutlu Mayoral Candidate Çetin Akın and CHP Manisa Metropolitan Mayoral Candidate Ferdi Zeyrek to his side and asked for support for his candidates once again. Özel called not only on party members but also on former alliance partners to support his candidates.

HE RESPONDED TO AKŞENER

Noting that the entire media had been chasing him today to get a response regarding what IYI Party Chairwoman Meral Akşener said about the banner opened at the CHP rally in Balıkesir, Özel said, "I did not oppose the opposition. I did not insult opposition leaders. I would call her sister, but yesterday she said, 'Don't call me sister or whatever.'

They can try to stir things up as much as they want, but an old friend does not become an enemy. Atatürkist and patriotic people do not do evil to each other, they do not trip each other up. We love everyone who has the sun in their heart and eyes very much; we are one, we are together. If good people, social democrats, and those tired of lies and deceit unite, we will win by uniting. My answer is two words.

May she be well, she is my sister. Can an old friend become an enemy? Let's look at Mr. Tayyip. Fatih Erbakan was the biological son of Necmettin Erbakan, and you were his political son. You were together yesterday; today, there is no insult they haven't hurled at each other. Look, we are in very different places from the New Welfare Party (Yeniden Refah). It does not suit us to curse today at the people you were with yesterday. The alliance against us is an alliance of fear. Our alliance is the Turkey alliance. Our alliance draws its strength from our nation and its colors from our flag," he said, concluding his speech.

Speaking at the public meeting, which was the final rally before the March 31 local administration elections, Turgutlu Mayor and CHP Mayoral Candidate Çetin Akın said, "During the 5-year period we served, we never asked any citizen who came to us which party they belonged to or which nation they were from. We do not sow seeds of discord among people. We live in a district like a rainbow.

A small Turkey. People of every faith and every culture live here. 5 years ago, our then-chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu held a rally here for the final rally of the elections, and he had asked for a promise from me. He said, 'You will win here in 3 and a half years, and I have one request from you: do not play with the bread of the employees,' and today I am before you with the happiness of having fulfilled that promise. Hopefully, we will win this election as well. We will cultivate seeds of love against hate speech," he said.

News Source: İHA