CHP Chairman Özgür Özel speaks at an opening ceremony in Osmaniye: Mr. Tayyip is on the side of the rich, we are on the side of our citizens

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel, who came to Osmaniye to attend various programs, visited his party's Kadirli District Presidency and the Kadirli Municipality. Kadirli Mayor Mustafa Mert Olcar hosted Özel in his office.

Attending the mass opening ceremony of the Kadirli Municipality, Özel met with the public at Öğretmenevi Square. In his speech there, Özgür Özel said the following:

“This is my second home. In Osmaniye, where I came as an official 12 years ago and served as an honorary deputy for 4 years, Kadirli is a wonderful place where I come most often, mingle with its people, and get to know its beautiful people. Our Mayor, Mustafa Mert Olcar, is my colleague, a 30-year-old family man, someone very hardworking and whom I trust very much. He has completed 6 months and invited me. We are here for his six important openings in six months. Two city restaurants... There are metropolitan cities that claim to be the best but cannot open them in six months, but in a district like Kadirli, he has rapidly implemented two city restaurants, and I saw there is also a 'suspended meal' (askıda yemek) practice. A tradesman brother of ours has donated 1 million TL for suspended meals; may God accept it, I hope it will be an example to everyone who has the means. We designed the city restaurants to not put our tradesmen in a difficult position against the high cost of living, but also not to leave those who have the means in a difficult position.

'TO THOSE WHO SAY CHP IS A PIT, WE GIFT OUR ASPHALT PLANT'

Today, 4,000 students are studying across from one of these city restaurants, and they are eating their meals in the best way possible, high in protein, under the supervision of a dietitian and a food engineer, for a price like 50 TL. Ordinary citizens eat for 60 TL. We knew we would win Kadirli with this hardworking young son of ours. He did not let me down, and you did not let him down. With the votes you cast, you brought your young son, and he is working like a bee. We convey our gratitude to our mayors who have worked for Kadirli until today, to those who are alive, and our feelings of mercy to those who have passed away. There is one person who served in Kadirli for two terms between 1964-1974 and between 1977-1980, Osman Nuri Saygılı. May God have mercy on his soul...

Today we are opening an asphalt production plant. The previous asphalt production plant machinery was purchased 50 years ago by Osman Nuri Saygılı. All the party members who came after him served Osmaniye with those machines. The AKP and MHP came and went, and the machine was only used for patching. Now, 54 years later, my CHP Mayor, Mustafa Mert, has purchased and opened a new facility, and we are naming it the Osman Nuri Saygılı Asphalt Production Plant.

Some people badmouthed us during the election. They say the Mayor's daughter came from kindergarten and asked, 'Dad, are we terrorists?' The provincial head of the party they call terrorists dies of a heart attack while following a martyr's funeral. Another one comes along, takes the machine we bought 50 years ago from the municipalities that used it for 50 years, buys one 20 times more powerful, and brings service to Kadirli. To those who say 'CHP is trash and pits,' we are gifting our asphalt plant to close the pits they opened.

'THEY DELIVERED 30 PERCENT OF THE HOUSING'

The people here are satisfied with the municipal service they receive, but they are not satisfied with the general government. They produce peanuts here, there are world-class expenses, and when it comes to selling, they face a price of 25-30 TL.

Earthquake housing; we experienced a major earthquake. May God have mercy on them, we suffered many losses both in Osmaniye and in 10 provinces. After the earthquake, they came out and said, 'We will build all the houses in one year.' We said, 'You cannot do it, do not deceive people.' They gave their word, but in the end, they said, 'We will finish 650 thousand houses in one year.' The second year is coming, it has been 20 months, and they have only built 101 thousand houses. That is, they delivered 30 percent of the houses. The situation in Osmaniye is no different. They said they would build 11,225 houses; the number of houses they have delivered so far is 4,079. When our Women's Branch Mayor Asu Kaya stated this, the Governor's Office said, 'It is not true.' Two out of every three earthquake survivors have still not been able to reach their homes.

When Tayyip Erdoğan came to power, a retiree was receiving 1.5 times the minimum wage. Today, if they hadn't touched you at all, 1.5 times the minimum wage would be 26,000 TL, but they are giving 12,500 TL. When Tayyip Erdoğan came to power, the lowest pension could buy 8 quarter-gold coins; today it cannot buy three. If you lost one quarter-gold coin, you would go crazy, you would search for it all day. This time, you are losing five quarter-gold coins every month, not one. I suggest you look for them where you lost them. You lost these gold coins at the ballot box; you will find these gold coins at the first ballot box that comes before you. In the CHP, the lowest pension will be equalized to the minimum wage, and over time, it will rise to the level of 1.5 times the minimum wage. Retirees will be saved from this state of being the poorest in society, going hungry when paying rent, and staying on the streets if they feed themselves. We will stand by these retirees who support us, right up to seeking their rights.

'MR. TAYYIP IS ON THE SIDE OF THE RICH, WE ARE ON THE SIDE OF OUR CITIZENS'

We all have big problems. The peanut farmer is troubled. The retiree is troubled, the villagers are troubled. But do not worry, all problems have a solution, and its name is the Republican People's Party. Can the ruling party's deputies or Mr. Tayyip come to these places anymore? Are they on the streets, in the markets, in the fields, or in the factories? They are not, because why? Your situation is bad, they cannot come and look you in the face because there is no livelihood. He found 660 billion, he gave up on taxing the rich. He found 1.2 trillion, he gave it to the currency-protected deposit scheme. He complains that 33 billion is 'a lot of money' to make your 10,000 lira 12,500. It is 1/20th of what he gave to the rich, 1/40th of the tax from the currency-protected deposit. Therefore, it is not a difficult task for a retiree to receive a 25,000 lira salary; you just have to declare your side. Mr. Tayyip is on the side of the rich, on the side of his cronies; we are on the side of our citizens, we are on your side."

Expressing that he commemorates all the citizens who died in the earthquake with mercy, Özel said that they will be by their side until their problems are solved.

Pointing to the problems of the disabled, Özel said, "My dear Mayor has designed living spaces for the disabled, designed parks. He will build a living house for the disabled. I am entrusting Kadirli to my Mayor, and I am entrusting Kadirli to my Mayor," he said.

Kadirli Mayor Mustafa Mert Olcar also said, “Today, we have come before you with six openings to contribute to the future of our Kadirli. We will continue to work with all our might to make our Kadirli a cleaner and more livable Kadirli,” he stated.