CHP Chairman Özgür Özel announces: 'I will say this for the first time.' He reveals the file he presented to Erdoğan

That is why principled, knowledgeable, self-confident politics. Not to follow someone, to risk death if necessary. If there is something right, to go beyond the deficiency. This is the politics we will do. I am against calling black what is white. This is not opposition.

If he is telling the truth, I will show the courage to defend the truth with him, and if he is doing something wrong, I will show the determination to stand against him to the end. Özgür Özel opened a dialogue environment. We went and talked openly. There were times we laughed, times we hardened.

We held an important meeting under democratic conditions. It was said that he would do soft opposition and make a deal with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. What is the harm in raising the pension, increasing the minimum wage in July, appointing the unappointed teachers, the curriculum was made like a dyer's vat, let's discuss it with society, saying that making a curriculum is more important than making a constitution, negotiating municipal debts, pending signatures, waiting for compliance with the Constitution, talking about Gezi prisoners?

Those who miss the dry fighting of the old era, continue to miss it. I will fight a very big fight for the retirees. I will fight a big fight for the minimum wage earners. I will not do identity fighting, Karagöz-Hacivat fighting and forget the people here hungry and poor.

"CHP IS THE ONLY PARTY THAT CAN CELEBRATE HOLIDAYS WITH ALL PARTIES"

I was elected on November 5th. Mr. Bahçeli congratulated me on November 7th. Many leaders called. Mr. Erdoğan did not call. I called Abdullah Bey from the AK Party for New Year's greetings. I called Mr. Bahçeli. I celebrated the new year with 17 leaders.

At that time, the first party was Mr. Erdoğan's party. Mr. Erdoğan had not called me to congratulate me. Despite this, it would not be right for me to call. On March 31st, the nation changed the first party. We won and now it was my turn to call. We won, a new era began. I am the first party. Now I will be the one to extend the hand so as not to continue the fight.

What does Sheikh Edebali say? 'Oh son, from now on, anger is for us, forgiveness is for you.' I implemented Sheikh Edebali's letter, his will, on the day I became the first party. It is the duty of the first party to call, to extend a hand, to ask how they are.

On the holiday, I called Mr. Erdoğan at 10:50 in the morning. We couldn't reach him. Mr. Hasan Doğan said he is celebrating the holiday with world leaders. They returned towards the evening. I celebrated the holiday with 18 leaders. The CHP is the only party that can celebrate holidays with all parties. From now on, the first step of the dialogue ground has been taken. This is a mutual thing. It is not just about one person's attitude.

"THE NATION PLACED US EXACTLY IN THE CENTER"

The nation is pushing us towards each other from our waists. The nation does not want fighting. I said that the Turkey Alliance, which we call nationalist, conservative, Kurdish, social democrats, everyone who rejoices when the national team scores a goal, is the Turkey Alliance. We all have a share in the 38 percent, but the nation's wisdom is greater. Our nation has opened credit. On the other side, it gave a harsh message to the approach that does not understand it.

It saw who it would punish and who it would reward. Is this a permanent thing? I would love it to be. But there is a lot of work to be done for that. I advocated for the CHP to be a party that is pro-labor, on a social democratic line, suitable for its historical position, and that should touch the poor, unemployed, and insecure of all political parties.

I will always advocate for this. Unfortunately, issues like you are a leftist, I am a rightist are always debatable through concepts. People have the right to live humanely in this country, the right to use their constitutional rights, the right to shelter, nutrition, education. It is the duty of a social democratic party to be the guarantor of these. The nation placed us exactly in the center. Neither ideological fighting nor other debates. It saw the political party that discusses these from the right place and rewarded it. Here, it is not about whether I should pull the CHP to the left or to the right. If you serve people, people support you without looking at your left or right.

"DON'T DO IT SO THIS BUSINESS ENDS"

If you offer the worker the reward for the sweat on their brow, that worker will not ideologically separate from you. It is one thing to continue these ideologies through theoretical debates, it is another thing to reduce this to inconclusive political polemics, to produce conflict, it is wrong.

We are trying to present ourselves correctly to our people, and especially to produce solutions from the right place for their daily problems. We see that this is supported. Even if we lost on March 31st, I would say that I would meet with other parties on April 5th, but its effect would not be this much. You have become the first party after 47 years. Everyone is looking at how the CHP will carry this great success?

While looking at whether it will be able to digest it, if you extend a hand, if you negotiate, you become easier to listen to. I constantly told our party members who were waiting when we won the municipalities in Manisa 5 years ago the Süleyman Saba saying.

If we beat drums tonight, this fight will not end, I said. Remember your child who cannot sleep, your spouse whose face you cannot look at, don't do this, I said. Don't do it so this business ends. I made this speech 5 years ago. Arrogance because I won the election, things that will expose the defeat of the person you defeated. You will forget the past the moment you win.

"POLITICS IS VERY HARSH"

In the past, others were surprised, now others are surprised. There are 400 people I grew up with between the ages of 10-17. About 30-40 people are very close. We still spend every summer vacation together. They were surprised at this: 'People see you as a harsh, argumentative, non-joking person, whereas you are a very witty, smiling, different guy, but the Özgür Özel on television is not this,' they said.

And I told them, 'politics is very harsh, there is a field in parliament, that place is like an arena where gladiators fight.' Politics is very harsh where those orange seats are. The opposition has no other field left. Even there, no matter how good things you do, by the nature of the job, the harshest 45 seconds are broadcast.

Mehmet Muş is a Minister. Now he is the Plan and Budget Chairman. He became a Minister, I congratulated him from the microphone. I congratulated him when he did good things. Mr. Muş calls me from time to time. He is also a young politician. We were maintaining a relationship with each other during that process. Of course, we were fighting, sometimes we were offended for 2-3 days, but we knew how to shake hands, how to make peace. Friends I have encountered from all parties in the past do not have resentment with me.

"THEY SAY 'THE REAL ÖZGÜR HAS EMERGED'"

Because you harmonize a party's politics with what the leader says. Now if it is normalization, it is normalization, if it is going to the AK Party Headquarters, it is going. I also met with DEM, without hesitation. This is normalization. From now on, I will meet with all political parties if they see fit.

Those who want to come are welcome. Now my school friends say 'the real Özgür has emerged.' There is no one who knows me closely and says 'Özgür has changed.'

An AK Party deputy, I won't name him. He sent a message saying, 'You proved me right.' I do not compromise on my belief, my struggle, my resistance. I do not take a step back from what I know to be right. I definitely and absolutely use diplomacy and negotiation.

"THE AK PARTY MEMBERS ARINÇ TRUSTED WERE RUNNING AWAY"

That event happened exactly as it is. I had only told my consultant, Mr. Meriç. That's how it happened. He wouldn't be able to bury his father because his hands were tied. The person I called was Süleyman Soylu. I called the garrison commander, he said call the gendarmerie commander, I couldn't reach him. If I'm not mistaken, Soylu was the Minister of Interior that day. I called the Minister. I explained the situation. Such a thing cannot happen, we are in the middle of the plain.

There are 30 gendarmes around, rifles in their hands. Where will he run? Let him say his prayer, let him bury his father. They gave permission. I also thank Mr. Arınç. Even if the person there was not Bülent Arınç but someone else, we would behave the same way. Humanity is something else, politics is something else. That day, the AK Party members Bülent Arınç trusted were running away. The person was being accused of FETÖ, later he was cleared.

But things went on because of his kinship with Arınç. I did my humanitarian duty. I am not someone who will be declared a FETÖ member by attending the funeral of those accused of being FETÖ members. If I am there, will I be understood as a FETÖ member? That is a lack of self-confidence. If you don't have self-confidence, you will quit politics. The mosque where I was supposedly attacked is the garden of the municipality where we received 60 percent of the votes. They made the news 'Özgür Özel was booed in his hometown.' The Manisa voters gave the biggest answer to those who seek politics with 'Özgür Özel was booed in his hometown' on March 31st.

"THE KAVALA ISSUE CAME TO THE AGENDA"

It is not appropriate for me to say the President's answer regarding Kavala. What I will say is this; of course, his name was also mentioned. I expressed that implementing the ECHR decisions is a constitutional binding. New constitution discussions were not on my agenda when Mr. Erdoğan stated that the Parliament is a Parliament that can make a new constitution.

As I told the public, I reminded that full compliance with the current constitution is an indispensable condition for the new constitution process, and that this is binding for the legislative, executive, and judicial powers, for ECHR and AYM decisions.

We all know that Can Atalay should be released when we say let AYM decisions be complied with. We talked about this, of course. In such a situation, I am not in a position to say to Mr. Erdoğan, 'Let Can Atalay come.' The obstacle in front of him is the structure that does not implement AYM decisions.

"WE HAD A LOT OF POLEMICS WITH MR. BAHÇELİ"

We met with Mr. Bahçeli for a little shorter time. I had a group speech. It lasted about 50 minutes. We talked fast and short. Mr. Bahçeli also had important evaluations. The insufficiency of the pension was a situation that Mr. Bahçeli had complained about in the past.

We are both deputies. The difference between Bahçeli and me is that he is an alliance partner with Mr. Erdoğan. We are not in a position to say let's all be together, we will do it, you follow us. We talked about the minimum wage, the citizen's economic expectations, the expectations of teachers and civil servants, the curriculum, and the interview.

We evaluated the elections mutually. Mr. Bahçeli also expressed the approach that a clenched fist is not right. The importance of shaking hands and dialogue. We had a lot of polemics with Mr. Bahçeli, and of course, we are also having harsh discussions with his spokespersons.

With Mr. Bahçeli, with mutual courtesy and understanding, in a very hospitable way. Without interrupting each other's words. Even if we thought differently, we did this when it was our turn to speak. It is the same with Mr. Erdoğan. Our group deputy chairmen sat in the next room, we met one-on-one.

"MR. ERDOĞAN INCLUDED HIM IN THE DELEGATION"

Before going to meet with Mr. Erdoğan, I went to visit Mr. Ahmet Necdet Sezer. I asked him how I should have a meeting with a President. He told me that the private secretaries and protocol directors of Presidents are ambassadors. I also assigned Mr. Namık Tan.

He met with both Mr. Hasan and the protocol director. The details of the meeting were understood. Later, Ahmet Necdet Sezer said, 'You can request an ambassador to take notes.' We also said that he would be present to take notes.

For 2 days, there was such news in the newspapers. That an ambassador would also take notes in the AK Party. When Mr. Elitaş, reminding me of his common work with me, and he is a well-known deputy chairman, said that he could take part in the delegation, Mr. Erdoğan included him in the delegation.

"I HAD AN OBJECTION"

After a while, upon the necessity seen by the President, Mr. Private Secretary Hasan Doğan was also included to take notes. I had an objection to the seating arrangement there. When we went, when I entered the room, there were three chairs while I was expecting a mutual seating arrangement. I was surprised, how will the balance be provided here? I noticed it immediately. Seating arrangement is an important thing.

We had talked about it before. When our ambassador met with Mr. Hasan Doğan, he had promised that they would ensure a seating arrangement where both sides would sit under equal conditions. When we entered, there was no arrangement very suitable for that. At the first moment, I didn't want to make it a problem in front of the cameras and give the image of experiencing tension. We took a photo standing up, we sat down, and when the cameras left, I used this expression: We requested an appointment in three places.

Çankaya Mansion, TBMM, and AK Party Headquarters, but if it had been given in Beştepe, we would have gone there too, but I said we had difficulties there. Mr. Hasan also made an effort for this. I said it is courtesy to give it here. However, the seating arrangement is a problem for us, it needs to be compensated. The President also, and AK Party sources also confirmed, that's why I'm saying it; he said, 'Let us also make a return visit, would it be okay at the CHP headquarters?' I said, 'It would be very appropriate, we would be pleased.' Not at that moment, it was reflected that way. Then Mr. Hasan Doğan sent photo frames to my private secretary showing that other politicians were also hosted in the same arrangement. 'It's not special to you,' he said. The President showed courtesy and smoothed that matter over.

"A POLITICIAN WILL BE OPEN TO CRITICISM"

Taha Hüseyin Karagöz is that friend, a journalist. He reached me in a way while working at Yeni Şafak. An invitation like 'I am doing a program on TV Net called 'Hard Questions', I see your performance in Parliament, you wouldn't want to answer my hard questions.' A somewhat challenging invitation. He had said it in a polite language. I said 'okay' and went.

Hard questions were asked as per the format. Different style, harsh. He asks the issue that is much discussed in the public with a harsh style. I had turned it into a great opportunity for myself. In many of the questions, there is distortion by trolls, the beginning of the sentence is there, the end is not, etc. Making a joke made with very good intentions perceived as if it were real. From my point of view, my circle said it was a very successful program.

The program has been beneficial for our theses in the opposite neighborhood. Afterwards, Taha Hüseyin Karagöz calls me on holidays. He had said that day, 'We argue here, but I attach importance to human relations.' He prefers to say 'brother' one-on-one.

There is Adem Metan, for example, I talk to him too. He came to me at the April 23 reception in recent days. 'I sent a congratulatory message, I would like to come to visit you,' he said. 'Please come,' I said. He came to the Parliament. He came for a very auspicious job. He is getting married, he brought an invitation. I distributed it to many places. He said you would honor us, he gave the invitation, I took it. A politician will be open to criticism. All criticisms are on my head. I don't get angry and say anything. The spirit of the new era is something else. I understand that some friends, who may be uncomfortable with this inside, who do not say anything due to the great support in the public, who do not forget the wounds of the neighborhood fight, and who may also be right, are reacting. How can I say don't come to someone I went to a television program in the past when he says 'I will come to visit you'?

He opened the opportunity for me to answer. He came and gave the invitation. Even if there was no invitation, I would accept it. This is the essence of the matter. A 5-6 minute thing. There is also injustice done to him. There is a headline thrown by Akit. I am ashamed of its line. Because they quoted a news of Taha in the news, they say Taha did it, they call him an Akit writer. Yenişafak writer. In the past, he said a world of things for IMM, he said many things that would disturb us. I took the wedding invitation. Tomorrow he won't do us an injustice either. I understand the criticisms, my position here is not like the friends who criticize.

There is no such thing as me being close with AK Party pens. I have never left anyone's hand in the air in my life. There is no such thing as saying 'come on brother, go' to someone who comes to my door, who wants an appointment. The limit of normalization is this, when you return to normal, it means you have reached the limit. It wouldn't be right to say 'we are now closest friends' with someone who insulted me, treated me badly yesterday.

Meeting at the minimum rules of courtesy is normal. There is a situation where the masses who lost the election, are demoralized, and the traumas there are carried to today. I cannot do politics with a lack of self-confidence. I have no doubt about my ablution, so why should I have doubt about my prayer? The seat I sit on is the seat of Atatürk, Ecevit, İnönü. I am also one of the partners of a victory. I am not in a position to insult my rivals by saying 'we won.'

I said, I called the friend who criticized, 'You say this, but I went to the man's program.' He said he would come to me. 'Oh, I didn't know,' he said. There is no morality in any CHP member that will turn away someone who comes to give a wedding invitation from the door of the CHP, it doesn't happen like that.

KILIÇDAROĞLU'S MEETING MESSAGE

I did not take that statement Mr. Kılıçdaroğlu made before the negotiation upon myself. I did the right thing by not taking it. I called Mr. Hikmet Çetin, Altan Öymen, Murat Karayalçın on the phone. Then I called Mr. Kılıçdaroğlu. We were going to have dinner on Monday evening, then we moved it to Friday evening.

I called him on the phone, 'my dear chairman, I requested an appointment from the President. When I go, I am thinking of talking about this and that.

Do you have any suggestions, additional suggestions, warnings regarding this agenda?' I said. Mr. Kılıçdaroğlu did not say to me 'do not negotiate, fight.' On the contrary, he said his suggestions. 'It is useful to say this,' he said. I thanked him. I used Mr. Kılıçdaroğlu's data in the meeting.

After the meeting, I called Hikmet Çetin, Altan Öymen, Murat Karayalçın, I gave information. Afterwards, I did not call Mr. Kılıçdaroğlu on the phone to explain face-to-face at dinner. I explained it face-to-face at the meeting. When we sat there, I gave information about our meeting with the Speaker of the Parliament and our meeting with the President among our topics.

He had questions, but he didn't say 'why did you meet.' So it was right, it turns out one shouldn't take every tweet upon oneself. Also, negotiation is a method of struggle. Saying 'if you do this, I will do this' is also a struggle. Sometimes contributing to the poor, increasing the salary, defending the constitutional right is also a struggle. If it is solved by talking, there is no need to shout. If it is not solved by shaking hands, we hold a rally. If Mr. Erdoğan increases the wage, I will cancel the rally. If he gives 100 thousand appointments to unappointed teachers, I will cancel the rally.

"THINGS THAT SHOULD NOT BE ON THE TABLE HAPPENED"

I want to win the future elections. It is my duty to overcome every obstacle in front of winning. We will learn from mistakes and do the right things. In the past, we made this mistake, we had endless candidacy discussions while there was time for the election. Those close to the chairman came out and said 'Our candidate is Kılıçdaroğlu.' I had the discussion of this.

Wanting our chairman to be a candidate is one thing, saying 'our candidate is Kılıçdaroğlu' without negotiation is wrong. Say 'it is in our hearts.' Saying 'if Kılıçdaroğlu is not a candidate, the table will collapse' was wrong. Kemal Bey did not do this.

Some of our friends, some of our friends who say they love Kemal Bey very much, did this. This proceeded with such wrong methods in an election we could win, maybe an election we could win with Kemal Bey, mutual mistakes, empty discussions, and things that should not be on the table happened. We came here. We know that early candidacy discussions are of no use to anyone.

"I GET OPINIONS FROM ALL ELECTED OFFICIALS"

Right now I am the coach, I am not on the executive side. Even if the forward goes to 5, even if the whole team goes on the attack, the team benefits from this. I don't want to dampen hopes for the future, to darken worries. Being the chairman in the CHP is not a small thing. Saying that the chairman will be a candidate 5 years later no matter what brings risk. What if there is a candidate who will win more comfortably?

There were many who criticized while determining the candidate in the March 31 elections. They were saying, 'The April 1 disaster is coming, Özgür Özel could be the shortest CHP chairman.' I said 'victory is coming.' I do not impose a candidate, I do not exclude the party's elected board.

I do not make decisions elsewhere and impose them on them. I get opinions from all elected officials. We are working on something called democratic digital participation. I am asking for the opinion of all convention delegates with one button as chairman. We are about to move to all members. For example, do you find my meeting with President Erdoğan right?

According to regional, gender, age breakdowns. For example, I ask which article you want me to make an agenda with President Erdoğan. We will make a CHP member Presidential candidate who will get the most votes with the widest social acceptance and we will win this election. I do not accept anyone's ambition in front of this, including myself. I have one dream. Ecevit, who heard the demand of society in the 1970s, read it, and determined the political line accordingly, was successful in four of the two general and two local elections.

I have won one election now, I will win the next election too. The coach decides who will take the penalty in the 90th minute. He puts new people in the squad, he can rest the existing ones. There are two strikers in the team, one is right wing, one is left wing. I told this to Tsipras too, he laughed a lot. Ekrem Bey's social acceptance, Mansur Bey's social acceptance is at a very high level.

"WE WILL TALK ABOUT THE CANDIDATE WHEN THE DAY COMES"

Tomorrow you play with three strikers, you switch to a single striker. This is the work of that day. I say it once again; the final point on candidacy discussions from today has been put by Özgür Özel. We will talk about the candidate when the day comes. We had been stuck at the success door of the politics castle since 1980. We looked, there are 3 locks. We said Atatürk put this lock somewhere. The first lock is young people. The second is women, the third is we embraced science.

"WE WILL ENTER WITH WHOMEVER WE WILL WIN MOST COMFORTABLY"

They were laughing at the polls. We followed the candidates in the field with polls. We won Kilis with a poll. We put Kilis on the program. One day later, Mr. Erdoğan also put it. We talked under the rain for 45 minutes. I said, 'If you vote for your party, this business will happen.'

I said stale müceddere is not eaten. I said AK Party, MHP are tired of stale müceddere. How will I go if I don't see it in the poll?

Focus group studies are among our most important guides in the next election. Today, let everyone who has it in their heart condition themselves for the Presidential candidacy by doing their job best, they will get the reward. We will enter with whomever we will win most comfortably.

"CHP IS SNOW WHITE"

First of all, in Balıkesir, our mayor appointed the deputy's older brother as a consultant on the grounds that he helped him for 6 months. We called, he resigned. News came from Adana, it will be solved. Nepotism is not something the CHP will do. If it is the only one in Turkey, explain it. We will send an astronaut to space, there is Gezeravcı, there is no other. Other than that, I say don't do it, brother.

My attitude is clear, my brother was unemployed since the justice march until he retired from EYT last year, he is still unemployed. He is not even looking for a job anymore. He was at the top of a very big bank. He went to the justice march. They said 'everything has a spare, you don't have a spare.'

He also went to his own justice march. The other offer did not come from similar places. His expertise was storing bank data. Didn't I know to hire my brother in the IT department? We don't have such a thing. I don't believe they did this with bad intentions. He says 'I was working with that team while in this municipality, I am taking him here,' but it doesn't happen.

We have no compromise on that issue. There was no municipality in the AK Party where this didn't happen, they were taking it normally. Consultants, his relative is there, his relative is here. We criticized this. The Justice and Development Party is dark gray, the CHP is snow white, it stands out where you touch it. I won't let anyone touch it with a lead pencil. If there is such a thing, they will make them resign.

I talked to Balıkesir myself. Without Gökhan Zeybek needing to call, let them not do this, let them give up. They say travel companion etc., but we cannot explain this to the citizen. We are establishing a coordination, training, and audit department in CHP municipalities. Yılmaz Büyükerşen is at the head of it. Under the audit, there are 30 Court of Accounts auditors, next to him are civil inspectors, previous term deputies. These will provide correct training. In the coming period, we will not let anyone drown the CHP's march to power in a creek while it is about to cross the ocean.

"THERE IS NO WASTE IN US"

We took over very indebted municipalities in the past period. Now most of those debts are returnable, they have gone down to current debts. Ending waste and spreading savings. There is a clear report regarding IMM. Let one person say this is not true. We have done twice the work with half the money, I am saying it in summary.

There is a 4-fold difference. For example, we took Denizli Metropolitan. On the first day, the mayor returned 40 official cars. 'Whose?' I said, 'My chairman, there is an unbelievable situation. The department head, private secretary, deputy has it,' he said. 'I put 5 cars in the pool, everyone will benefit from here,' he said.

Everywhere there is a rush to give tenders to the partisan. CHP is doing unbelievable things. There is no waste in us. While we have such a strong side, because of one wrong appointment, they say 'oh they are all the same,' we are not like we are going to go crazy. We are not the same.

"LET'S DELETE THE DEBT OF THE MUNICIPALITIES TOO"

I talked about the summary of the very detailed report to the President. I demanded equality. AK Party municipalities have paid their debts to the public. There are Üsküdar, Süleymanpaşa. They gave the land in exchange for tax debt, there is a mosque on it. Does this have collection capability?

What happens if the land with a mosque on it stays in the municipality, what happens if it stays in the treasury. They are giving a transformer in exchange for debt. They counted the land of the transformer as debt.

Either do it to us too or don't do it to the AK Party. Just as the debts of companies were deleted, come on, let's delete the debt of the municipalities too. Let's delete both the CHP municipality's and the AK Party municipality's.

"I DID NOT SEE ANYTHING NEGATIVE IN THE MEETING"

Unsigned signatures. I found the world's money for urban transformation from abroad, the signature is not being signed. First, let me negotiate it, if it is not signed, I will go and do its politics or rally. I did not see anything negative in the meeting with the President. We decided to bring our friends together. Gökhan Zeybek from us, the Minister of Environment will meet at a convenient time and talk about the details. A study will be done, I don't know if a result will be obtained or not, I hope it will be obtained.

BURCU KÖKSAL EVALUATION FROM ÖZGÜR ÖZEL

Immigration policy is not the job of local administrators. I told this to the friends. I am in Afyon tomorrow too. Burcu is someone I love very much, hardworking, who tears it off when she holds a job. Believe me, she will win with 70 percent next time. The approach there, in Afyon and in many parts of Turkey, voters are uncomfortable and reactive to so many immigrants coming to Turkey while there is hunger, poverty, and unemployment in Turkey. Making these types of statements to turn this reaction into politics is not the statements that a CHP public administrator should make. There is no such thing as marriage being performed for Syrians every day in Afyon. These policies are not policies that match CHP policies.

"YOU CANNOT SEND SYRIANS BY NOT PERFORMING MARRIAGE"

We encourage the people in Syria to return to their country, to be encouraged for jobs, bread, and housing, to think of some gestures, 'you will be a Syrian citizen but you will have a bond of affection, we will not take tourism tax when you come to Turkey, we will contribute to your children's education in Turkey.' You cannot send Syrians by not performing marriage. Our friends need to be compatible with the party's policies. We suggested this to them. The Syrian issue is not an issue that a local administrator can solve. I am both Burcu Köksal and our other friends are talented, hardworking, and have a response in the public. They are already loved, such populism is of no use to us.

"ONE MUST GO VERY BALANCED HERE"

In the closed-to-press part of the meeting with our mayors in this hall, 'If you remove the Arabic sign alone, other foreign languages will also be in question. In people's subconscious, Arabic is the language of the Holy Quran, it can create a wound. One needs to look at what is written on that sign. If it facilitates the service it receives in its mother tongue, this is a right. If you are doing a job, it has a place in the law.

It says that a foreign language sign cannot exceed 25 percent of its Turkish. You can also apply this to English.' A common-sense approach is needed.

One should not say words that can be picked and exploited. Some of our friends, with their excitement, none of them have bad intentions. One must go very balanced here, one must not do wrong things. Everything has a place in the law; if not, you make a decision in the municipal council, you issue a notification, those are more correct things.

HE SPOKE ABOUT THE MEDICAL OPERATIONS HE UNDERWENT

Our group deputy chairman Murat Emir performed my eye surgery. He is also very good. My lenses have been waiting for 1 year. I have a problem both near and far, and there is also astigmatism. This continues to progress. 6.75 near, 3.75 far. Very difficult. When you leave your glasses and go to the shower at the hotel, you cannot read which shampoo it is. Murat looked well, my permanent lenses were made and came. 'One day we will do one, one day we will do one,' he said. Water was not going to touch it for 1 week 10 days.

A total healing process of up to 3 months. There was a module on my vocal cords. 1 week vocal fast. And I had to have sinus surgery. On Friday, the modules on my vocal cords were removed under general anesthesia. At the same time, sinuses with laser. And we relaxed. I went abroad on Saturday, to Bucharest. I had surgery on my right eye on Sunday, and on my left eye on Monday. It was a 1-week holiday. I coincided the process of not talking for 1 week, seeing less, with the holiday. We are dripping cortisone into the eye.

It solves the edema and the surroundings swell. This time they say 'did you have botox?' Botox, motox, what business do we have. We get a haircut, the hair looks pitch black in front of the YSK. They say, did he dye his hair? Thank God the Republic took it, it looks the same. It's good without glasses, the voice is getting better and better. I have been wearing glasses since I was 6 years old. It's pretty good right now. My wife and daughter also welcomed it, they ask 'do you see well?' İpek also encourages it.

"THE GHOST OF THE IMF IS WANDERING"

Our deputy between 2002-2007, Mr. Kemal Derviş, who was a minister for a certain period in the Ecevit governments between 99-2002. May God have mercy on him. The policies that Mehmet Şimşek calls rational are the right ones compared to the previous irrational policies.

Those irrational policies were madness. They implemented a system that brought the incompetence, burned the country's 128 billion reserve, issued currency-protected deposits, made the biggest transfer in history to the rich who made a handful of KKM on the backs of the poor, or with bad intentions, transferred the world's largest resource from the poor to the rich.

That was a disgrace and madness. It is positive to return from those policies. There is no IMF, but its ghost is wandering right now. It is always at the window of the poor, it appears to the worker, it exploits the farmer. Send that ghost, that ghoul, to the rich a little bit too.

INDIRECT TAX CRITICISM

There is no difference from the IMF program that the DSP-MHP-ANAP coalition implemented between 2001-2002 and which they continued exactly. This IMF program has reached a painful point for the poor. The lowest pension they received in Turkey was 1.5 times the minimum wage. With the thousand lira bonus given on the holiday 6 years ago, it was buying 24 kilos of ground beef.

Why are you tightening the belt by condemning people to a 270 dollar pension for the money needed here? Why is 2 liras of 3 liras of tax an indirect tax? When the factory owner and the guard at the door buy 1 liter of milk, they pay the same tax.

The factory owner pays the same tax when buying diesel with his worker. 10 percent of the tax in Turkey is the tax obtained from income by declaration method. 10 percent of those who trade, who cut invoices. Let others drink the bitter prescription a little bit too. Take the money a little bit from those you made rich from KKM. Tax should be taken a lot from those who earn a lot, a little from those who earn a little, and no tax from those who do not earn.

"WE ARE NOT ENEMIES OF WEALTH"

CHP's economy staff today can meet with the IMF. This is not me saying I will implement the IMF program. After you sink Turkey, you become dependent on the IMF, you do what they say. The meaning of the covert IMF program is this.

Today, it tells you to limit salaries, limit employment, do not hire civil servants, cut support for farmers, reduce incentives for tradesmen, and that is what they do.

Why don't they think of reducing indirect taxes and increasing direct taxes, increasing taxes from wealth owners, increasing taxes from earnings. We are not enemies of wealth, but if there is going to be a difference between the poor and the rich, we are on the side of the poor. If labor and capital are clashing, we are on the side of labor.

"THEY WERE SAYING THERE IS NO TRADE WITH ISRAEL"

They were detaining those who opened banners to stop trade with Israel. Let them apologize to them. They were saying there is no trade with Israel. Then they restricted it in certain items, we said it's not enough, then they came to the right place. Fatih Erbakan said it, we said it, we ate a lot of words.

Veli Ağbaba said 'CHP stands where Ecevit stands, where Deniz Gezmiş stands, Fatih Erbakan stands where his father stands.'

It is clear that this decision is a confession, an acceptance. They have an apology debt to the CHP from Fatih Erbakan.