CHP Chairman Özgür Özel: We are opening mosques, we are having the call to prayer recited

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel, as part of his İzmir program, first greeted couriers at the Motorcycle Courier Park in the Bornova district, and then met with vocational training instructors at the City Academy.

Özel then moved on to the Çamdibi Atatürk Park for a mass opening and groundbreaking ceremony. Speaking after the ceremony, CHP leader Özel said, "We are at a ceremony where we are talking about what has been done in Bornova not 5 years later, but 5 months later, where we are holding numerous openings and laying foundations for the future.

If these things could be done in the first 5 months, if these intentions were set and these foundations were laid, then I believe that Bornova and İzmir will see very beautiful services for the next 5 years."

"WE ARE OPENING MOSQUES, WE ARE HAVING THE CALL TO PRAYER RECITED"

Emphasizing that 18 openings would take place in Bornova, Özel said, "Today we will hold 18 openings and groundbreaking ceremonies here. Among these are the Motorcycle Courier Park and the City Market. We will also lay the foundations for many services. I laid the foundation for one of them before coming here. We have our Sarnıç village, 15 minutes from Manisa and 15 minutes from Bornova. The village mosque is in a state where it cannot be entered. It is not earthquake-resistant. There was a request from the village headman and the mufti. My brother Ömer also made a project there. With a mosque that models the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the top and a fountain on the bottom, we are sending our feelings of solidarity to Palestine. In defiance of the slanderers who, when cornered before the elections, said 'If they come, they will lower the flag, if they come, they will silence the call to prayer, if they come, they will divide the homeland,' we are opening the mosque, we are having the call to prayer recited, and we are hoisting the flag. We embrace everyone in this country, not based on their faith, their birthplace, or their ethnic origin; we embrace Bornova, İzmir, and Turkey without discriminating against anyone."

"WITHOUT OUR POVERTY BEING THROWN IN OUR FACES..."

Mentioning that he also visited the social markets implemented in Bornova, Özel stated that they draw their strength from the nation and their confidence from the work they do. Stating, "We provide services to the public with our Republican People's Party mayors in 412 municipalities across the country," Özel continued his words as follows:

"We stand by the nation during the pandemic and natural disasters. In the economic crisis caused by the government, and in the difficulties our citizens face, we stand by them with social projects and an understanding of social municipalism. We don't look at it as pulling a car into a neighborhood, calling the party's neighborhood head, and saying, 'Let's throw coal in front of those who are members of the AK Party, let's go door-to-door distributing wheat, bulgur, pasta, and flour to their homes, let's manage poverty, and let's get their votes.'

Ömer took us to the city market. They gave me a card where no one knows who gave it to whom, and one hand doesn't see what the other gives. I bought whatever a family needed. They calculated the bill. They said, 'You used 52 of your credits, you have 68 credits left to use.'

The cart was full. We swiped the card. We filled our bags as if shopping at the market with a credit card. Today, Ömer showed all of Turkey how social assistance can be provided in a civilized manner, without our poverty being thrown in our faces."

"THE GOVERNMENT IS BUSY WITH COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THINGS"

"As the Republican People's Party, we are doing our job. And we are reminding the government of its duty," said Özel, adding:

"Our job is the city restaurant. Our job is the City Market. Our job is asphalt. Our job is to ensure that not a single child goes to bed hungry. Our job is to look after our elderly, our job is daycare, our job is kindergarten, and even if it's not our job, if the state has fallen short, our job is to build mosques and schools. But the government's job is to solve this major economic crisis it has created. The government's job is to find a cure for unemployment, to lower inflation, to bring inflation to zero. Their job is to stop the cost of living. Yet those who don't deal with these at all are busy with completely different things."

"CHP BECAME THE FIRST PARTY"

Speaking about Dilruba and the lieutenants, Özel said, "I told Dilruba in prison, 'I will not leave you here. If not today, they will release you tomorrow, they have to.' But I said, 'Let's be careful, there may be those whose hearts are broken by what you said.' They said, 'They sat Dilruba next to them' after that day.

Eight days have passed. They brought the sword-clashing incident at the lieutenants' graduation ceremony back to the agenda. They have only one goal. The AK Party government is heading downhill. For the first time since it was founded, it became the second party. Because the CHP has become Turkey's first party. Mr. Tayyip saw this downturn and wants to create tension.

But he is creating it through the lieutenants or through Dilruba. That era of cheap, free politics—collecting votes without ending poverty or solving unemployment, and living in luxury at the palace—is over. Now is the time to listen to the citizen and solve their problems. There is one address for the solution, and its name is the Republican People's Party," he said.

"HE WANTS THE CHEESE SHIP TO SAIL WITH WORDS"

Responding to President Erdoğan's promise that "I will lower inflation," Özel said, "That's why he came out yesterday and said he would lower inflation. The year was 2017 when he first said this. He has been giving the same promise to the nation for 7 years, he doesn't keep it, and he cannot keep it. He wants the cheese ship to sail with words, but it cannot sail. No one expects it to be below 50, but they are still talking about single digits. Mr. Tayyip has this inflation calculation done by TÜİK, which he has brought under his own control. What is the abbreviation for TÜİK? The Statistical Institute that does not upset Mr. Tayyip. It doesn't upset Mr. Tayyip, but it upsets the workers and the retirees. If inflation is zero, prices are fixed; 50 percent inflation means that a 100-lira item will be 150 lira next year. No one should ignore this reality. This government is definitely not managing the economy well," he declared.

"LET THE NATION NOT BE FED, BUT LET MR. TAYYİP BE FED WITH VOTES"

Arguing that the AK Party is trying to polarize, Özel stated that they would never fall for the trap of polarization. Özel said, "Dilruba made a remark about AK Party voters, and they say, 'Özgür Özel should apologize.' I said, 'I am the CHP Chairman, I didn't say anything to apologize for.' I didn't say anything that would hurt AK Party supporters, but if that girl of ours upset them, I will make up for those words on her behalf, I will apologize. As long as there is no broken-hearted citizen left in this country. Because their goal is for us to argue with each other. Their goal is for there to be arguments, for the nation not to be fed, but for Mr. Tayyip to be fed with votes. Until a system is established where we collect taxes from the companies whose tax debts he forgave, where those who earn a lot pay a lot and those who earn little pay little, and those who earn nothing pay no tax at all, until all of your children work in the jobs they want, and everyone's children study for free in the best schools, the CHP's struggle will not stop," he said.

"WE ARE ALL SOLDIERS OF MUSTAFA KEMAL"

Continuing his words, Özel stated the following:

"Ömer Çelik says, 'Özgür Bey tried to pit the military academy lieutenants against the Imam Hatip students.' I have never seen such a shameful lie in my life, a lie that the person saying it cannot say without shame. I said, 'Erdoğan, it has been a week, 8 days since the lieutenants clashed their swords, and then you came out and said all sorts of things. Because we need to create a fight for you, normalization benefits the CHP,' I said. You said that at the Imam Hatip Association that day. I said that both the Imam Hatip students and the lieutenants are the children of this country. I said there is no need to separate them. Mr. Ömer, that remark is my remark. You should say that to Mr. Tayyip, who is targeting the lieutenants to the Imam Hatip students. There is nothing to be uncomfortable about in the oath. The lieutenants said, 'We are soldiers of Mustafa Kemal,' and they were uncomfortable with that. We are all soldiers of Mustafa Kemal."

"THOSE AROUND YOU ARE MISLEADING YOU"

Telling President Erdoğan, "Those around you are misleading you," Özel said, "They say, 'If there is a fight in Turkey, we win; if not, the CHP wins.' Neither the AK Party nor the CHP wins from a fight, but the whole nation loses. Leave those who give you advice on your right and left, you have served this country enough, that is enough for you. Stop these bad plans, games, and tension calculations. This country no longer wants fights or tension. It wants brotherhood, peace, and to walk arm in arm. We will come to power all together," he said.

"WE WILL INCREASE PURCHASING POWER TENFOLD"

Talking about what will be done if the CHP comes to power, Özgür Özel said, "They boast about removing 6 zeros from the currency, but they also removed 6 zeros from the salaries. We will not remove 6 zeros from income or expenses. We will remove one zero, but only from prices. In a CHP government, we will increase purchasing power to 10 times what it is today. We are preparing for strong taxation, strong employment, industrialization, and the construction of a strong and value-added industry all together. The main goal is the goal shown by Atatürk. We will surpass countries, we will also surpass the countries in the EU. They come from Bulgaria, exchange a little money. They buy things they cannot carry from Edirne and cross the border. The CHP will go in the direction of the first captain of the ship and will become a full member of the EU," he stated.

Continuing his speech, Özel said that they would convince AK Party and MHP supporters together, and that they were closer to power than yesterday.

"YOU ARE SLAUGHTERING DOGS IN AYDIN" REACTION

On the other hand, Özel called a woman to his side who shouted at him, "You are slaughtering dogs in Aydın," as he began his speech. Asking for the woman who came to the area to be seated in his own chair, Özel said he would also listen to her request. The woman followed Chairman Özgür Özel's program throughout the speech.

The ceremony was attended by CHP Party Spokesperson, Deputy Chairman and İzmir Deputy Deniz Yücel, CHP Deputy Chairman and İzmir Deputy Murat Bakan, CHP Deputy Chairman and İzmir Deputy Gökçe Gökçen, CHP Deputy Chairman Gökan Zeybek, İzmir Deputies, CHP High Disciplinary Board Members Ekin Can Aksoy and Özkan Tice, CHP İzmir Provincial Chairman Şenol Aslanoğlu, district mayors, district chairmen, and citizens.