Özel's response to Erdoğan on SSI debt: The most indebted municipalities are the ones we took over from the AKP

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel visited the Balıkesir Metropolitan Municipality.

Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Özgür Özel paid a visit to the Balıkesir Metropolitan Municipality.

RESPONSE TO ERDOĞAN

Speaking after the visit, Özel responded to the remarks made by AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: "Your municipalities should pay their accumulated debts to the Social Security Institution (SSI)."

Recalling Erdoğan's words, "They are heavily indebted to the SSI, they should pay their debts. There is no such thing as a bagel for 25 kuruş anymore," Özel said, "Let me start right here. Mr. Erdoğan is right. There is no bagel for 25 kuruş today, a bagel is 10 liras... But when you came to power, a bagel was 25 kuruş, you made it 10 liras!"

Özel continued as follows:

"The indigestion is this; the municipalities want to serve, look at Ahmet... Despite this much debt, he is bursting with energy. We are trying to find money, to find resources. We are finding resources and funds from the other side of the world, but they won't sign off on them. Why? So that we can provide services and the nation won't see what good work the CHP does when it comes to power! We find money for urban transformation, they won't sign. There will be an earthquake, people will die, and they are playing politics even there."

"MUNICIPALITIES WE NEWLY TOOK OVER FROM THE AKP"

Stating that the most indebted municipalities are those they took over from the AKP after the March 31 Local Elections, Özel noted the following:

"If you think you will wear down the CHP by putting municipalities in a difficult position and disrupting public services, you are mistaken. The nation is behind us. The nation sees this and will hold you accountable at the first ballot box. Look, the total debt of municipalities to the SSI in Turkey is 14 billion 699 million liras. The most indebted municipalities are the ones we newly took over from the AKP. The most indebted is Bursa Metropolitan, then Sakarya, then Ordu, then Balıkesir, then Denizli. Look, the 5 most indebted municipalities, all 5 are municipalities we took over from the AKP. Now they are trying to deduct from us the money they didn't pay themselves. They want the trash not to be collected this way. They want public transportation to be disrupted. Let us say this, no matter how much you foam at the mouth or whatever you resort to, we will find a way, we will provide this service, we will win the hearts of the nation, and we will take that power from your hands."

"SAVED OUR LIVES FROM A MASSACRE"

Özel touched upon the legal regulation on the agenda that foresees euthanasia for stray animals.

Stating, "You can be proud of all of the CHP's deputies individually," Özel said, "If it weren't for them, all disabled dogs or all dogs collected in shelters that could not be adopted within 1 month would have been massacred with bleach within 6 hours with painful cries. Our group resisted, fought, and saved our lives from a massacre. I congratulate them."

Stating that "the danger is not over yet," Özel expressed the following:

"Now he says, 'We will collect the dogs, we will neuter them, we will have them adopted.' He imposes heavy penalties on municipalities that do not do these. And he implicitly says, 'Solve this problem. Either solve it or you will get the penalty.' The way to do this is to create resources for municipalities on this issue. They are throwing the entire burden on the mayors and threatening them with penalties. This is a flawed regulation that will pave the way for a massacre. At this point, I once again invite all animal lovers to be vigilant against the AKP's game and to continue the struggle."