Operation at Beşiktaş Municipality! DEM Party's Bakırhan: They take by trickery and conspiracy what they could not win at the ballot box

Tuncer Bakırhan, Co-Chair of the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), made statements regarding the agenda at his party's parliamentary group meeting.

Highlights from Bakırhan's speech are as follows:

"We are all following it together. There is serious chaos in the world and in the Middle East, and it is increasing every day. We are waging a serious struggle to protect the peoples of Turkey from this crisis. We are leading the democratic struggle. However, the government and the judiciary are, on the contrary, trying to create unrest. Once again, they have seized the will of the people and carried out a political coup.

We have been experiencing this political coup with great intensity for the last 10 years. This coup is not like the others; the others would transition to a political ground after 2-3 years, but this one continues. We condemn this. After March 31, our elected friends, both of our co-mayors, had the doors of their offices removed. We saw that scene while visiting Mersin and going to our Akdeniz district."

"OFFICIALLY AN AMBUSH"

"We are trying to grow the belief in peace. Rest assured, while we are in the midst of a serious effort to figure out how we can evolve this process by growing this hope in every corner of Turkey, this government continues to set political ambushes. It is officially an ambush."

BEŞİKTAŞ MUNICIPALITY

"They are now carrying this trustee mentality to the West as well. There was a detention at Beşiktaş Municipality yesterday. They want to liquidate local government. They take by trickery and conspiracy what they could not win at the ballot box. What kind of government is this! If you trust yourself, compete and win! I also condemn the operation against Beşiktaş Municipality."

REACTION TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS

"Political coups, judicial intrigues, and increasing incidents of violence and tension have put the Turkish economy in a difficult situation. Economic imbalances threaten social peace, and this situation is further deepened by inequalities in the economy.

In 2024, the inflation rate was announced as 44.38 percent. While the government raised taxes and fees by 44 percent, it gave only a 30 percent raise to minimum wage earners, 11.54 percent to civil servants and civil servant retirees, and 15.75 percent to SSK and Bağ-Kur retirees. This leads to a situation unparalleled in the world, where salary increases melt away immediately. Although the AKP government seems proud of this situation, the facts tell a different story.

Furthermore, the tenders given to government supporters are also noteworthy. For example, the dollar guarantee given in the Northern Marmara Motorway project and the number of vehicle crossings guaranteed with an inflation adjustment made four times a year were increased to 344 million. For the Treasury not to suffer a loss, all vehicles in Turkey from Edirne to Kars would need to pass through this motorway 23 times. While this may be considered normal for the AKP government, it is not an acceptable situation for many people.

In addition to this, a practice introduced by the government under the name of 'Currency Protected Deposit' (KKM) has also caused huge costs. The cost of this practice to the country has reached approximately 900 billion TL. Unfortunately, this high-cost measure failed to lower foreign exchange rates. So, who will pay for this 900 billion TL loss? Why is the responsibility always placed on workers, laborers, and the poor? Why don't those who call themselves economists, those whose eyes sparkle when they talk about it, pay for this loss? It is truly difficult to provide a logical explanation for such practices.

Other mind-boggling practices include the resources spent on war. In a country where a teacher earns less than a gang member in Syria, what problems can be solved? How can those who write headlines like 'Transition to Healthy Living' in the face of bread price hikes provide any benefit to this country's economy? How can those who drive institutions like the SGK, Ziraat Bank, and Halk Bank to bankruptcy under the name of 'duty losses' by causing trillions of liras in losses save the country's economy? When only 13 percent of the Unemployment Fund is allocated to the unemployed and the rest is transferred to capital, how can we believe that this government can provide justice and equality in the economy?

Against these problems, we organized 'Bread and Justice Meetings' throughout the summer. We came together with people struggling with hunger, injustice, and lawlessness. Now, with great faith, we are expanding these efforts and launching Bread, Justice, and Peace Meetings. We will be with everyone who is condemned to hunger and whose rights are usurped, and we will fight shoulder to shoulder with everyone seeking justice, peace, and equality. Let us not forget, peace is not possible without bread, bread is not possible without peace, and social peace is not possible without justice."

STATEMENT ON SYRIA

'The government continues to make mistakes in Syria again" said Bakırhan, adding the following:

"As soon as a glimmer of hope for peace emerges, they immediately try to undermine it. The bodies of our journalists, who were massacred by armed drones (SİHA) while doing journalism there for the public's right to information, could not be buried in their own hometowns. How will you make peace with a people whose dead you do not respect? The Minister of Foreign Affairs threatens the people of Rojava every day. What kind of peace is this?"

News Source: 12punto