Özgür Özel's 'We will chart a new course' statement

Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Özgür Özel met with forest villagers at a program held in Kastamonu. In his speech at the Çatören Forest Depot, Özel brought up the economic difficulties faced by forest villagers, criticizing their need for social security and the AK Party government's forestry policies. Touching upon the judicial processes targeting the CHP, Özel argued that attempts to hinder his party's march to power would fail.

The CHP leader emphasized that Kastamonu is constantly losing population through migration and that this situation is directly related to the economic problems the city is experiencing. Stating that young people from Kastamonu want to leave their hometowns as soon as they find a minimum-wage job, Özel said, "We see that the source of this problem, why young people prefer working in a factory over working in the forest, lies in rent-seeking policies and corporatization."

Drawing attention to the debt burden of forest villagers, Özel stated, "Forest villagers are paying off debt with debt. Payments are delayed, and people take on the burden of interest to pay off their credit card debts."

OBSTACLES FACED BY FOREST VILLAGERS AND REACTION TO THE GOVERNMENT

Pointing out that forest villagers have been an invisible segment whose voices have gone unheard for years, Özel highlighted that the desire to work in the village is gradually decreasing among the youth. "The average age of forest villagers has risen to 58. It used to be 38. Most of the young people go to the cities if they find the opportunity," he said.

Özel stated that the "standing timber sale" system implemented by the AK Party or companies in forests has turned forest villagers into subcontracted workers, preventing them from receiving the full value of their labor on their own land. Expressing that forest villagers both work in risky conditions and are left without social security, Özel stated that this order must change.

Making criticisms regarding mining licenses, Özel stated that half of Kastamonu's forests have been opened to mining, which he said means a major environmental disaster. He argued that forests and nature in the city and across the country are being sacrificed to rent and corporate interests.

In his speech, which resonated widely with the public, Özgür Özel said that the delayed payments in the current system create additional financial pressure on the villagers. Arguing that these payments must be made within 15 days at the latest, Özel said, "If there is a delay, it is the villager who pays the interest. Yet, the villager should not have to bear this burden."

Touching on the importance of cooperativization and the need for the villager to be the direct interlocutor in the forest, Özel said, "Instead of intermediaries, a system should be established directly with the forest villager, and insurance premiums should be covered by the state."

Stating that budget practices that should support agriculture and farmers in Turkey are not fulfilling their legal obligations, Özel noted that the share allocated to agriculture is kept low in violation of the law and claimed that the rights of the villagers are being usurped.

CHP'S GOAL: RETURNING TO POWER AND ENDING EXPLOITATION

In the later part of his speech, Özel stated that they would not give up on their party's march to power, emphasizing that his determination to fight has increased due to the barriers and judicial processes placed in their way. He sent a message of determination, saying, "The Republican People's Party, with God's permission and your appreciation, will come to power in the coming period. If they say, 'We will stop the Republican People's Party's march to power,' and they find a way to do so, we will open a new path."

Özel expressed that the CHP, drawing strength from its deep-rooted traditions, aims to establish a new system that protects the rights of producers and opposes the exploitation of labor. "The villager living in the plains is the master of the nation, and the villager living in the forest is the master of the nation. We will continue our struggle until we ensure this," he said.

News Source: 12punto