Özgür Özel on Kılıçdaroğlu: 'He has charted a different path for himself'

CHP leader Özgür Özel responded to questions regarding normalization debates and allegations of trustee appointments. Özel addressed the recent rumors that the government intends to appoint trustees to other municipalities.

Here are the highlights from Özgür Özel's statements:

"Because there are all sorts of criticisms and allegations on social media, perception has replaced reality. I am the one who coined the term 'normalization.' Actually, Mr. Erdoğan is also trying to give that process a name, calling it 'softening,' but the term 'normalization' found resonance in social acceptance, and Erdoğan has stopped saying 'softening.' If he mentions it in between, he refers to it as normalization. Now, the main issue is this; when the CHP became the leading party for the first time in 47 years on the evening of March 31, I said that it was now my responsibility. The leader of the country's leading party and the second party, or the head of the executive branch and the leader of the main opposition party, should shake hands. If they see a need, they meet. Which promise did I fail to keep? Which step did I backtrack on? Which of this government's actions have we retreated from? There is no such thing.

They are loading various meanings onto the word 'normalization' on social media, here and there. It's all lies and deceit. They are exploiting it. There is only one thing I have done incompletely. I avoid insulting Mr. Erdoğan or Mr. Bahçeli, making slanderous remarks, or saying things that wouldn't even be said in a street fight; I avoid doing things that would shake this nation's trust in political institutions or damage the reputation of politics. I have never found that to be right anyway. That is why, when asked if normalization is over, I say it is not, it continues. I shake the hands of all leaders. For example, I will continue to shake Erdoğan's hand. I will call Erdoğan again on the next holiday; there is no problem here. But they are trying to market or characterize normalization as if it were a search for a coalition, forming a coalition together, forming an alliance together, or changing the Constitution together... None of these exist."

'10 YEARS AGO EVERYONE WAS TALKING TO FETHULLAH GÜLEN'

Regarding the defamation lawsuit filed by President and AKP Chairman Erdoğan, Özel said:

"Put your hand on your conscience. Open the complaint petition and look at what he calls defamation and slander. There is no insult in it. I said, 'If we look at it with the approach Mr. Erdoğan has put forward, let's go back 10 years; if talking to or contacting a member of a terrorist organization 10 years ago is a crime, there wouldn't be a single innocent person left in the AKP; they would all go to prison for FETÖ.' Because 10 years ago, there was almost no AKP member who did not have contact with the Fethullah Gülen community. They were attending all invitations, organizations, and Olympics together. They were praising them. He considers this an insult. You are saying this to us a day before, so this is not an insult. You are removing my mayor from office for this. By insult, I mean words that are truly accepted as defamation in Constitutional Court rulings."

Özel, who called on the President to hold the October 29 reception at the Çankaya Mansion, explained the reason for this call as follows:

"If politics had continued on its normal course, other things might have happened. But they made a big move. They said, 'Call Abdullah Öcalan. We will bring Abdullah Öcalan out. He will come to Parliament and speak.' At that time, I said that first of all, I object to Abdullah Öcalan being brought out and coming to Parliament. But I said there was a handshake. Devlet Bahçeli went. This was before the Abdullah Öcalan issue. I said, since there was a handshake... It is right to shake hands. I also took a lot of political risks, meaning it is understood as approving these maneuvers of Devlet Bahçeli. I said, 'This handshake is correct.' That is what normalization is anyway. These hands should be shaken, not left hanging in the air. What falls to Erdoğan is to hold a Republic reception or a greeting ceremony at the Çankaya Mansion and for all of us to come there. I said, 'Let's not miss this historic opportunity.' After Erdoğan rejected this, it would not have been right for me to go to the Palace for the October 29 ceremony. He is holding a cabinet meeting at Çankaya on November 10. This means our call has a response, or he is not doing what we said in response to our call, but he is doing something regarding his own Çankaya Mansion."

'I SAID THE NOT STANDING UP THING IS NOT RIGHT'

Emphasizing that this normalization is on a human level but that they will fight on the implementation side, Özel reiterated that this was also received positively by the public. Recounting that citizens emptied coffeehouses during the election period and asked him, 'Why should I listen to you? Are you listening to the man I elected?', Özel gave the following response to the debate about standing up when the President took the podium at the opening of Parliament:

"After I experienced this that day, I came and said in the Central Executive Board (MYK), 'This not standing up thing is not right.' The nation sees it as disrespect to the person I elected. No one looks at it as, 'Oh, we welcomed the impartial President like this and saw him off like that, we can't explain it,' I said. On this issue of standing up, in the first measurement, 62 percent of CHP supporters in society said it was correct, and 38 percent said it was wrong. 70 percent of society said it was correct."

KEMAL BEY ADOPTED A DIFFERENT LINE FOR HIMSELF

When asked by journalists, "Have you put distance between yourself and Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu? You don't mention him much anymore," Özel replied:

"Now, the relationship we established with Kemal Bey in previous processes was nothing more than a relationship where we expressed our loyalty to our previous chairman, our good intentions, and our wishes for his well-being. In recent processes, Kemal Bey adopted a different line, and he is criticizing us. I say this everywhere; 'The current chairman does not have a duty to protect, look after, or shield the previous chairman. But the current chairman has a duty to shield the previous chairmen and a duty not to fail in showing respect to them.' I am trying not to fail in that respect, that's why."

Upon the journalist's remark, "but you are answering," Özel said, "No, I am saying things very carefully. That is, to the words Kemal Bey said. Now, within those words, a journalist friend asks, is it like this, for example, as asked a moment ago regarding normalization, he explains the truth of some objections, but there is no such thing as targeting Kemal Bey, I mean, I wouldn't do it, it wouldn't be right either."

THIS ADMINISTRATION IS OF NO USE TO TURKEY

When asked whether the President was aware of MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli's "Öcalan" move, Özel stated the following:

"Since I am the chairman of a party, I do not have the opportunity to make hypothetical and guess-based statements like 'I think it is like this' regarding the positions of the chairmen of other parties. I don't have that comfort; commentators, journalists, and politicians from previous terms do that, but it wouldn't be right for me to say it. I can answer like this: in both possibilities, there is bad management. That is, they are challenging each other in an incompatible way, even as it is said, pretending to support each other. They pretend to support and then issue a challenge. This is bad management and is of no use to Turkey at all."

REGARDING THE 'RIGHT TO HOPE' RUMORS

Özgür Özel also said the following regarding Bahçeli's "Right to Hope" proposal, which could pave the way for Öcalan's release from prison:

"The Right to Hope is a decision made by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) regarding another defendant in another country. You know, ECHR decisions contain stability, but they cannot be applied to similar situations in other countries without an application. That is, they are looked at on a file-by-file basis. Therefore, in the equation Mr. Bahçeli established, he must first be pardoned to take that podium. He says, 'If what he says pleases us, let him also benefit from the right to hope.' This has no legal basis. Together with Kemal Bey, we had gone to the HDP group at that time. It was said, 'They asked for support from the terrorist organization.' You get on a civilian bus, they say things like 'They met on the same bus with DEM.' Those who attempt this are intending to release Abdullah Öcalan just to provide Erdoğan with the right to be elected one more time. Is this MHP's nationalism now? They were so tough, so strict. Because I just said, 'Hey brother, why are these children dying in this base area? Come and explain this before I sign,' they had a lot of people attack me at a martyr's funeral in Manisa. Later, we exchanged holiday greetings with 800 people in that mosque on the first holiday. The mask of Devlet Bahçeli's, MHP's, and AKP's nationalism has fallen. The skullcap has fallen, and the bald head is visible."

I DO NOT THINK A TRUSTEE WILL BE APPOINTED

Regarding the allegations that trustees will be appointed for Istanbul and Ankara, Özel noted:

"I don't think they will attempt such a thing. I expect them to take a step back from the existing ones. There has been an attack against Mr. Mansur Yavaş in recent days from Melih Gökçek and his FETÖ-linked accounts. There are constant insinuations. Information has reached our Mayor that preparations are being made regarding some instructions going to some people within the MIT. This information has also reached members of the press. Upon a question asked, I also directed it to the MIT Chief. We are waiting for an answer from the MIT Chief. We will follow the matter. I will not have a request for an appointment. Someone from the Palace told some people within the MIT, 'Investigate a little, involve the ABB in this business.' That's what we heard. That's it, there's nothing more. We are saying, 'Clarify this matter.'"

LET US CONTINUE TO PROTECT OUR WHITENESS

Regarding the Ebru Gündeş concert debates in Ankara, Özel said:

"I had stated that the total of 71 million liras was for Gülşen on May 17, Murat Boz on May 18, Mor ve Ötesi on May 19, plus the rising of that massive stage for 7 days, the active events at the Atatürk Forest Farm (AOÇ), and those massive digital stages and screens serving hundreds of thousands of people. Our Mayor had said that the money paid to the artists was less than one-tenth of the mentioned money. We saw that AKP municipalities used the mentioned cost 3-4 years ago. Kocaeli Municipality paid 198 million last year and gave examples of 30 AKP municipalities that paid more than itself. While being convinced by these statements of Mr. Mansur Mayor, we asked all our mayors through SODEM for the coming year which artist they hosted, under what conditions, and for what fee, especially in the summer season. With the meetings to be held with stage production companies, our goal is to determine how many people's concerts were given for how much by 417 CHP municipalities and to have this proposed to us as a single price, and we have put forward the will to use public resources in the most reasonable way under the coordination of the headquarters. We are determined as CHP to work on these within a few months and bring about coordination and standardization in 2025. When all colors are getting dirty, they give the first place to white. We are in no position to compete with the AKP's gray. Let us continue to protect our whiteness."

I ADVISE THE AKP NOT TO ATTEMPT THIS

When asked, "Is the İmamoğlu case and the political ban allegation near?", Özel replied, "Confirming an atmosphere that this is approaching paves the way for insidious plans. Therefore, I do not see this as a possibility. We stand in a clear place regarding this issue. I advise the AKP not to attempt this. Everyone knows that this is a political decision, not a legal one. When they did this in 2019, the nation made them pay a heavy price. It is not consistent with reason for Erdoğan, who saw that he came to power with this victimization after being banned due to a poem, to want to inflict a similar situation on one of the possible and strongest rivals in the Presidential candidacy. Therefore, they should come to their senses. When they attempt such a thing, neither Turkey's credit rating nor its reputation will remain. I say they should not do such evil to Istanbul and Turkey."

'SHEIKH SAID DEBATE'

Regarding the reactions to his speech on the DEM Party bus following the appointment of a trustee to the Mardin Metropolitan Municipality, Özel said, "We did not get on the bus at the same time. In fact, when I went to Mardin, Ahmet Türk said, 'We made the speeches, the bus is yours.' He said, 'The bus is civilian.' I said, 'I came to support you, why aren't you getting on?' I took his arm and we got on together, but there were no chairmen on the bus."

Regarding DEM Party Co-Chairman Tuncer Bakırhan's words about Sheikh Said, CHP Chairman Özgür Özel said, "I didn't hear it, and even if I had, I wouldn't have answered from the bus. Because that bus is a bus of solidarity with Ahmet Türk and the people of Mardin. It is not a bus to teach Tuncer Bakırhan a lesson. But Tuncer Bey did wrong there. That bus is not a bus for settling scores with the republic either. Therefore, I do not agree with the sentences used by Tuncer Bakırhan; I object to them. But I expressed this before in the debates in Parliament. How can I remain silent on the Sheikh Said issue? My thoughts on terrorism, the republic, and rebellions are clear. Instead of answering this, there is a problem created by the mind that turns the issue into a rights violation again, such as lifting immunity."

News Source: 12punto