Harsh criticism from Justice Minister Tunç to CHP Chairman Özel: 'They neither learned a lesson nor came to their senses'

Speaking at the congress, Minister Tunç said, “Kastamonu is a city of civilization that comes from the Seljuks and the Ottomans. It is the hometown of Martyr Şerife Bacı. Kastamonu is a heroic city. It is the hometown of Halime Çavuş. Kastamonu is a city that smells of history in every aspect.

The most beautiful years of my life were spent on the streets of Kastamonu. We have not forgotten these places. Kastamonu has developed significantly during our term in power. Especially in municipal services, it gained many services during the Tahsin Babaş era. Historical houses were brought back to life. Kastamonu is a city that is a wonder of nature. With its canyons, waterfalls, and glass terrace, it is truly a city worth seeing. With the beauties on the coast and the beauties on Mount Ilgaz, Kastamonu is a city of history, culture, and tourism. Hopefully, we will strive to bring more beautiful works to Kastamonu,” he said.

Criticizing CHP Chairman Özgür Özel, Tunç said, "Everyone will live as they believe, and everyone will be able to express their thoughts freely. We have been in power for 22 years because we are reformist, because we are libertarian, because we defend the rule of law, because we defend democracy, and because we are doers. They keep us in power because we are the voice of the nation. They keep us in power because we produce works. 

The AK Party practices the politics of service; the AK Party says no to the politics of smear. Look, today, neither the former chairman of the CHP nor the new chairman has learned a lesson from the past, nor have they come to their senses. We say that if you insult a leader every day who has a place in the heart of this country and is beloved by the nation, your end will be like that of the former CHP chairman. You cannot get anywhere with the politics of insult. We say that the nation does not look favorably upon the politics of insult, and this will not get you anywhere. Look at your former chairman who served for more than 10 years and went through many elections without getting anywhere; we say do not fall into the same situation today. This time they say, 'How can you say these things as the Minister of Justice? Are you showing us the stick of the judiciary?' We say no, it is the independent and impartial judiciary of this country that will decide whether those expressions and those unacceptable, ugly words constitute a crime." 

If you engage in smear politics, you cannot find support from the nation. That is why you cannot be successful in politics. That is why we say your end will be like the former CHP chairman, but they do not want to understand. Because it does not suit their interests, because they have no concern for producing works or taking action. Their only concern is to always oppose the works; look at what they said about the things the late Menderes did.

Did the late Menderes not say while testifying at the May 27 Yassıada court, 'The CHP did not even turn around and look at the works we did'? Did he not say, 'They never once came out and thanked us for the gains of this country'? This Yassıada mentality is the same; unfortunately, it does not change. We will continue to produce works, we will continue to take action. In 2008, we returned from the brink of closure. Then the 2012 MİT crisis, followed by the Gezi events. They tried to topple the government with a street coup, but they failed. They tried to topple the government with the 17-25 police-judiciary coup, but they failed. 

In 2015, they tried to create an environment of chaos in the country by inciting terrorism, but they failed again. With the treacherous FETÖ coup attempt on July 15, terrorists disguised as soldiers opened fire on the nation to end this country's blessed march and to allow their masters abroad to realize their plans in the region and to create a suitable administration to control the energy in the Middle East. Our nation showed such heroism that night that they ran to the squares like Şerife Bacı and Halime Çavuş. That night, they stood against the coup plotters with their leader and carried the Turkey that they wanted to darken into the light. Now it is the turn of inflation. 

Just as we reduced the double-digit inflation we inherited in 2002 to single digits, we will reduce it to single digits again. We will continue on our path by increasing the purchasing power of our retirees, workers, and civil servants. The AK Party will continue to practice the politics of service. The AK Party has always said 'human first.' We will continue to empower the human being. We have strived to develop our country without making any discrimination. 

Did we ever discriminate? When building airports, we built them in Hakkari as well as in Istanbul. When building dams, we built them in Kastamonu as well as in Sinop. When building universities, we built them in Ardahan as well as in Muğla. Is there any part of the country left where divided highways do not reach? We have brought investments to every corner of our country without making any discrimination. The most important feature of the AK Party is that it does not discriminate. From east to west, from north to south, we have produced works in every corner of our country. Because we produced works, our nation has kept us in power for 22 years. When 2028 comes, our nation will again say yes to performance and works, and no to smear politics and empty talk; they will say Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, they will say AK Party, they will say People's Alliance,' he said.