AKP founder Çelik: Bahçeli's Öcalan remarks have stirred up the CHP

Hüseyin Çelik, who recently reacted to the appointment of a trustee to Esenyurt, has been criticizing the AKP's steps on this issue in his posts. Çelik shared his assessments on current topics during the program titled Rota, which he attended on Halktv.

Çelik began his speech by evaluating the video recently shared by Bahçeli:

One must first ask Bahçeli what the main message intended in the video is; what we say now will not go beyond speculation. I am not sure if Mr. Bahçeli wanted to send a message here, but it is possible. From time to time, even allied parties can fall out with each other.

They sometimes talk about this, and sometimes they imply it. I am not sure if there is such an implication in Bahçeli's video. That is why I did not attribute any special meaning to this video.

HOW IS THIS VIDEO VIEWED WITHIN THE AKP?

As one of the founders of the AKP, I say that I am someone who has opposed the AKP's alliance with the MHP from the very beginning; I did not find it right yesterday, and I do not find it right today.

I had said that the AKP is a party that receives votes from every region and every ethnic group from Edirne to Kars; if we get closer to ethnic Kurdish politics, we will lose the Turks, and if we engage in ethnic Turkish politics, we will lose the Kurds.

I have not found the coalition formed with the MHP right from the beginning, and I am among those who think that the AKP has lost significant blood due to this partnership. It is a party that has suffered great damage. The presidential government system is an extremely absurd system that would not fit anywhere in the world. I have been against this from the beginning, and it was Devlet Bahçeli who proposed this system to the president.

It is Bahçeli who proposed this system that has led Turkey into a major impasse. With this system, the AKP imprisoned itself to fifty-plus-one and became dependent on the MHP.

Following Bahçeli's move regarding Öcalan, there was no statement from Mr. Erdoğan confirming these words. However, he said nice things that would stroke Mr. Bahçeli's ego. Mr. Bahçeli also said nice things about Erdoğan. However, Mr. Erdoğan did not embrace this issue like Mr. Bahçeli did. He did not say the same things.

In this sense, Mr. Bahçeli may have a grievance, but one must ask the MHP members what Mr. Bahçeli wants to say with this video.

YOU HAD SAID THAT NOTHING HAPPENS IN THE COALITION WITHOUT THE MHP'S CONSENT; DO YOU STAND BY THESE WORDS?

I stand by those words; perhaps size is determined by the number of deputies, but we also know that it is clear that in recent times, no action has been taken on Turkey's fundamental issues without the MHP's approval, and that is why I stand by my words.

IS BAHÇELİ'S OPENING A TRAP? DID THE MHP TAKE THE KURDISH CARD OUT OF ERDOĞAN'S HANDS?

Those who accept Öcalan as their leader and see his liberation as the most fundamental issue were not voting for the AKP, and they still will not vote for it.

If you look at the votes the AKP received in the east and southeast in this election, the CHP was receiving so few votes that it could not even enter the statistics, but in the last election, we saw that Kurds who did not want to vote for the DEM Party voted for the CHP.

It is not right to equate Öcalan with the DEM Party. They call the DEM Party a Kurdish party, and this also bothers me. Party politics cannot be conducted through ethnic Kurdish nationalism. It would be extremely difficult to place this perspective on a fundamental basis.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF BAHÇELİ'S CALL TO ÖCALAN?

I am not saying that Bahçeli's expression, "Let Öcalan come and speak in parliament," necessarily means he should come to parliament and speak. Erdoğan would not want Öcalan in parliament either. Bahçeli's move was intended to hit the CHP. During the trustee process and after these statements were made, joint statements came from the CHP and the DEM Party. Even the speeches made on top of the bus were highly debated. The rapprochement between the CHP and the DEM Party stirred up the CHP.

With this move, Bahçeli wanted to separate the DEM Party from the opposition bloc. They wanted to break them away from the opposition by extending a hand to them...

However, Bahçeli revealed his main goal during this period. The DEM Party's votes are also needed for this to be done on the floor of parliament, and they want to appear appealing to them for constitutional change. Constitutional change is required for Erdoğan to be a candidate again.

Mr. Bahçeli also said that constitutional change is requested for Erdoğan to be re-elected. This benefited parties like the İYİ Party and the Zafer Party.

However, with this move, Mr. Bahçeli managed to stir up the inside of the CHP tremendously.

THE RIGHT TO HOPE MOVE

In 2014, Öcalan's lawyers had applied for the right to hope, but this issue was never brought to the agenda. One must see if such a decision will come out after Mr. Bahçeli's statements; if the Constitutional Court takes such an issue onto its agenda, it would not be a surprise.

WAS THE TRUSTEE DECISION MADE TO MAKE PEOPLE FORGET BAHÇELİ'S MOVE?

I have always been against the appointment of trustees. A trustee was appointed to Hakkari; why was it appointed? A lawsuit was filed against the person elected 10 years ago, but nothing came of this lawsuit, and then when he applied for the presidency, no objection was raised, but when he was elected, they removed the man from office. Assume that this man is guilty; then you do this: you convene the municipal council, and the council elects a president from among itself.

When Mr. Erdoğan's mayorship was terminated, the February 28 mentality could have appointed a trustee. However, an election was held within the municipal council at that time, and with the support of other parties, Ali Müfit Gürtuna was elected mayor.

The decrees issued on July 15 were issued under extraordinary conditions and should be abolished. Since the state of emergency has been lifted, these decrees should no longer be applied.

I absolutely do not find the appointment of trustees to Mardin or Esenyurt to be right; this does not provide any gain to the People's Alliance.

Our people may not voice their opinions in the face of pressure, but when they go to the ballot box, they teach a harsh lesson to these practices.