Fatih Erbakan's call for economic solutions to Erdoğan: 'Implement an interim raise for the minimum wage'

Yeniden Refah Party Chairman Fatih Erbakan made evaluations regarding the agenda at his party's 3rd Ordinary Provincial Congress in Kahramanmaraş.

Erbakan addressed Erdoğan, saying, "You are taking steps for a 'Turkey without terrorism,' but you should also make an opening regarding this inflation and price-hike terror in the economy; provide diesel and electricity support to farmers. Give a flat-rate raise to retirees who are struggling in lines for cheap simit and tea. Give an interim raise in July to minimum wage earners who are struggling to survive below the hunger threshold. Support small tradespeople who are crushed under debt, and increase the purchasing power and welfare level of low-income earners."

Fatih Erbakan spoke as follows:

“As we always say, we are the children of the same faith as a nation of 85 million. We are brothers who have lived in unity and solidarity throughout our thousand-year history. Separation, discord, and conflict never suit us. As the late Erbakan Hodja expressed: 'If you separate the Kurd from the Turk, and the Turk from the Kurd, neither the Kurd nor the Turk will remain. But if the Kurd and the Turk are together, neither America, nor Israel, nor Zionism can stand against them.'

Our glorious history is full of many victories we won together, showing what we can do when we stand shoulder to shoulder. We fought shoulder to shoulder, bowed our heads in prayer together, and were martyred together with Sultan Alparslan in Malazgirt, with Saladin in Jerusalem, with Yavuz Sultan Selim in Chaldiran, with Fatih Sultan Mehmet Han in Istanbul, in the War of Independence at Çanakkale, and with our late Erbakan Hodja in the Cyprus Peace Operation. We are a community of brothers. We will continue to be one and together until eternity, God willing. External powers and their extensions will never be able to prevent this.”

"THE MAIN ISSUE IS THE ELIMINATION OF THE PKK ALONG WITH ALL ITS EXTENSIONS"

Pointing to the terrorist organization PKK's "decision to dissolve," Erbakan made the following assessment:

"The terrorist organization announced that it has 'ended the activities carried out under the name PKK.' In this case, the following naturally comes to our nation's mind: 'What about the activities carried out under other names? What will happen to the terrorist organization's PEJAK branch in Iran, the PYD/YPG branch in northern Syria, and what will happen to the KCK?' The main issue is the complete termination of all activities carried out under names such as PYD, YPG, and SDG.

Yes, as we have stated many times in our previous statements, laying down arms and dissolution must include all branches and extensions of the organization and must be implemented in a way that covers all illegal structures. These issues are also included in the statements of some high-level officials, especially the President. These discourses are fine, but we will all see how they are implemented."

Stating that the expressions in the PKK's statement contain dangers, Erbakan continued:

"At the same time, we must also point out some traps. It is certainly our duty to draw attention to the traps and mines in the PKK declaration and to warn all authorities about the expressions sprinkled in between to weave plots against us. For example, the word 'genocide' sprinkled into the text serves the interests of powers that want to condemn Turkey with the Armenian Genocide slander. The term genocide is a vile slander cast upon our Turkey. The ones who commit genocide are the powers behind this treacherous terrorist organization; Zionist Israel and its patron, the USA....

Great Britain and France have genocide in their records. We, however, have absolutely no record of genocide. Have many mistakes not been made in this country? Have wrongs not been done to our Kurdish brothers in the East and Southeast? Has double standard not been applied? Of course, they have. However, genocide is a different matter. Genocide is a slander cast upon Turkey by evil centers. Attempting to brand Turkey as genocidal is baseness. This issue should be paid special attention to, and the 'genocide' slander should be condemned by our authorities at the highest level without further delay."

"WILL THE TERRORIST LEADER BE GIVEN THE RIGHT TO POLITICS? WE WILL NEVER ACCEPT IT"

Reacting harshly to the demands regarding the terrorist leader Öcalan and the emphasis on "self-determination" in the declaration, Erbakan said:

"The section in the PKK terrorist organization's declaration stating, 'The decision taken by our congress to dissolve the PKK and end the armed struggle method provides a strong ground for permanent peace and a democratic solution. The implementation of these decisions requires Abdullah Öcalan to conduct and direct the process, the recognition of the right to democratic politics, and a solid, comprehensive legal guarantee. At this stage, it is important for the Grand National Assembly of Turkey to play its role with historical responsibility,' is also in the nature of an imposition by the PKK terrorist organization.

These expressions mean bargaining with the Republic of Turkey... This can never be accepted. What right to politics will be given to the terrorist leader and how? Such a thing can never be accepted. As the Yeniden Refah Party, we say that we do not want Öcalan in Ankara. The Republic of Turkey entering into such a bargain can never be accepted! The 'right to self-determination' in the text is also related to the UN Conventions that Turkey has signed and the 'Twin Laws' accepted by the TBMM. The necessary answers to the elements of the terrorist organization who think they can reach somewhere or divide the country through self-determination must be given in the clearest way, starting with the President."

"THE REAL DANGER IS THE TERRORIST STATELET THEY WANT TO ESTABLISH IN NORTHERN SYRIA"

Emphasizing that they approach the PKK's decision to lay down arms with caution, Erbakan stated that the real threat is in northern Syria and continued:

"Despite everything, with cautious optimism; saying 'I hope they don't have another agenda, I hope this is not a new version of betrayal or a different phase of terrorism'; saying 'Even if it were, we would make them regret being born'; we once again declare that we support and will support the goal of a 'Turkey without terrorism.' However, we say that the game of this insidious terrorist organization and the external powers behind it never ends, and we once again remind that the real danger is the 'terrorist statelet' they want to establish in northern Syria, and we state that we will follow the process closely."

"MAKE AN OPENING REGARDING THE 'TERROR' OF INFLATION IN THE ECONOMY"

Touching on the economy, Fatih Erbakan demanded an opening regarding the "inflation terror" in kitchens and the economy, saying:

"The government is trying to solve the terror problem, yes, but unfortunately it cannot do anything about the terror in the kitchen, the 'inflation terror' in the economy... The government has started a new 'opening process' with the slogan 'Turkey without terrorism,' yes, but it has not made an opening so far for the more than 16 million retirees who have been waiting for a flat-rate raise for 2 years and are struggling with a salary half the hunger threshold, for the 8 million minimum wage earners waiting for an interim raise in July, or for the millions of farmers whose products and trees in their gardens were burned by agricultural frost and who are crushed under debt.

The government must also make an opening for the millions groaning under the terror of price hikes and inflation. The 11.55 percent salary raise that millions of civil servants, who receive salaries far below the poverty line approaching 80 thousand liras, received in January has already been consumed; salary raises melted away in 4 months. A qualified raise needs to be given to our civil servants. Cost increases are also forcing tradespeople. Unfair taxes and bank debts have exceeded the throat. Natural gas, electricity, and rent increases have multiplied inflation. Again, our minimum wage earners are struggling to live with a hunger threshold approaching 26 thousand liras."

"YOU CANNOT EVEN BUY A SIMIT AND A TEA WITH THE PRICE OF A KILO OF FRESH TEA"

Criticizing the fresh tea price announced by the Ministry of Agriculture and recalling the "tea-simit" calculation made by President Erdoğan in the past, Erbakan reacted, saying, "The hunger threshold, which is approaching 26 thousand TL, has almost doubled the lowest retiree pension of 14 thousand 469 TL. They are waiting for an interim raise in July. Retirees are in a miserable state. Farmers are in a miserable state due to rising input costs, low base prices, and agricultural frost events. Because the farmer cannot pay their debt, everything from their tractor to their animal is under foreclosure. The total debt of the farmer has reached 1 trillion liras. Look, recently the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry announced that the fresh tea purchase price, which was 19 TL, has been determined as 25.44 liras for 2025. I wish they hadn't announced it. Let's see you do the simit-tea calculation that Tayyip Erdoğan did 23 years ago now. You cannot even buy a simit and a glass of tea with a kilo of fresh tea; what are you telling the citizens?"

"IMPLEMENT AN INTERIM RAISE FOR THE MINIMUM WAGE IN JULY"

Fatih Erbakan addressed President Erdoğan as follows:

"From here, from Kahramanmaraş, we call on the President; yes, 'You are taking some steps for a Turkey without terrorism, but also make an opening regarding this inflation and price-hike terror in the economy. Increase the fresh tea purchase prices to at least the 1 dollar level, which is 38 liras. Provide diesel and electricity support to farmers. Give a flat-rate raise to retirees who are struggling in lines for cheap simit and tea. Give an interim raise in July to minimum wage earners who are struggling to survive below the hunger threshold. Support small tradespeople who are crushed under debt, and increase the purchasing power and welfare level of low-income earners."

News Source: 12punto