Striking 'Palace' article from Kılıçdaroğlu as echoes of the Erdoğan-Özel meeting continue!

AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and CHP Chairman Özgür Özel met at the AKP Headquarters on May 2. Following the summit, Erdoğan gave a message of a 'normalization period' in politics.

While the echoes of the meeting between the two leaders continue, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu used striking expressions in his article on T24 titled “From a single ring to the reign in the palace…” in his article.

Emphasizing that he only went to the Palace once, Kılıçdaroğlu stated that he went upon Erdoğan's invitation following the coup attempt on July 15, 2016.

Sharing his impressions of the Palace, Kılıçdaroğlu stated, "When I became the Chairman of the Republican People's Party, I was facing a 10-year government that had begun to become the state. After July 15, this process of becoming the state accelerated and was completed in a short time. I did not struggle against a political rival who had internalized democracy like the late Demirel, the late Erbakan, or the late Ecevit, but against a state-like structure similar to the 'Ba'ath' party, with its judiciary, military, and intelligence. But I want you to know this;

'I did not cross the bridge of the treacherous, the water carried me away,

I do not sleep in a jackal's den, even if lions were to eat me…'" he said.

I did not struggle against a political rival who had internalized democracy like the late Demirel, the late Erbakan, or the late Ecevit, but against a state-like structure similar to the 'Ba'ath' party, with its judiciary, military, and intelligence…

But I want you to know this;
“I did not cross the treacherous…

— Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu (@kilicdarogluk) May 5, 2024

Stating that Turkey is facing a great danger, Kılıçdaroğlu's article is as follows:

"Dear friends, in this article, I will try to explain to you what kind of trouble the Republic of Turkey is facing in a 10-point piece.

In recent years, the sentence 'power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely' has been one of the most repeated phrases. We need to be governed by democracy so that a power center that brings absolute poisoning and corruption does not form. Our nation, which destroyed the entire palace order a century ago and waged an unprecedented war to transform us from subjects into individuals and a nation, is once again facing a serious danger today.

"The palace is the center of the state system in monarchical and autocratic forms of government. The word palace carries both abstract and concrete meanings, including the seat of sovereignty, its institutional environment, and its physical space." This definition appears in a scientific article by Dr. Nesrin Taşer. (The Concept of Palace in Turkish Culture and the Development of Traditional Palace Architecture)

With the Republic, the "palaces" were gone, and the heart of the young republic began to beat in the "Çankaya Mansion," which prioritized reason, science, and humility...  All Presidents up until Erdoğan served in the Çankaya Mansion. However, Erdoğan "belittled the Çankaya Mansion,  With the autocratic regime, he had begun to govern Turkey from the 'Palace.' So much so that he saw himself as the 'sole authority' in state administration and made efforts to have this accepted by the masses. With the constitutional amendment, he largely achieved his goal, reaching a point where he controlled not only the executive branch but also the legislative and judicial branches. Thus, the Ak(!) Party gradually turned into a Baathist party, and Erdoğan reached the point of saying, 'I am the state – the state is me'... Today, Erdoğan and his circle do not hesitate to voice this in various ways.

What comes to our minds today when we say palace?

In a state handed over to one person, we see corruption, decay, nepotism, irresponsibility, dishonesty, and waste—we see it all. What is more painful is that the actors who created this environment are also held in high regard in the palace and the bureaucracy it has created... To speak plainly, this means the institutionalization of immorality at the state level. I know some readers may find this criticism very harsh. But unfortunately, the truth is bitter, and we do not have the luxury of forgetting or accepting those truths.

128 BILLION DOLLARS

Let us refresh our memories, if you will...

1- 128 billion dollars from the Central Bank's coffers were sold to someone... No one knows who they were sold to or at what price... Erdoğan first denied this, then gave 5 different answers in 3.5 months. His final response was, 'Is it asked where the Central Bank's reserves are?' In my opinion, this was the answer that had to be given in a one-man regime... Who are you to ask about 128 billion dollars? Yes, who are we to protect and defend the rights and laws of the nation?

THOSE WHO TAKE BRIBES

2- Erdoğan is the person who has zeroed out merit in the state. Have you ever heard of someone who takes bribes being appointed as an ambassador in any country in the world? You haven't... But in Turkey, we know that people known and proven to have taken bribes have been appointed as ambassadors of the Republic of Turkey. Who can guarantee that these ambassadors do not sell state secrets for money? The answer is no one... But in countries where immorality is institutionalized, these things become normal after a while. This is the situation the Palace has brought our country to.

'ZEROING OUT THE MONEY'

3-The Palace today is the place for those who consider corruption and bribery as their right and who asked, 'Son, did you zero out the money?'. It is the body that buried the corruption files of ministers in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM). Palace theologians have emerged who argue that administrators also have rights, in order to legitimize bribery.

THE GANG OF FIVE

4-The Palace today is the headquarters of the gang of five and tender chasers. The Palace is not subject to the Public Procurement Law. By making 199 changes to public procurement legislation, it has the freedom to give any tender it wants to any person or company it chooses. Because the Palace operates on the understanding that 'state property is an ocean...'. If you wish, let's look at how the Turkish Language Association interprets this proverb... The meaning of the proverb 'State property is an ocean, those who don't eat are fools' is as follows: 'According to those who have made betraying the state an art, the state has endless wealth. Anyone who finds a way and doesn't steal from it is a fool.'

TRUMP'S THREAT

5-When the state is managed this way by the palace, those who manage it also profit... US President Donald Trump threatened Erdoğan by saying, 'I will investigate your assets'. Erdoğan could not respond to the threat by saying, 'If you don't investigate, you are a coward... I have no account that cannot be given.' If a state leader is being blackmailed because of their assets, that state leader turns into a national security issue. Therefore, the assets of Erdoğan in the palace are a national security issue for today.

CONSTITUTION

6- In the Palace's understanding of law, the concept of justice changes according to the person and the incident. Because the concept of the rule of law does not function. The rule of the supremacy of the Palace applies. For example, Can Atalay, who entered the election and won after the Supreme Election Council decided there was no obstacle to his candidacy, and who was elected to the Human Rights Commission in the TBMM, cannot get out of prison. Constitutional Court decisions cannot be implemented. I know, some of you will say 'Article 138 of the Constitution'... You will say 'Article 157 of the Constitution'... You will say that Constitutional Court decisions bind the legislative, executive, and judicial organs, administrative authorities, and real and legal persons... I know that too, but in the Palace's understanding of law, the Palace has the freedom to interpret the constitution as it wishes(!) The Palace acts not with a sense of justice, but with a sense of revenge. Not complying with ECHR (European Court of Human Rights) decisions (Osman Kavala, Selahattin Demirtaş) has now turned into a classic Palace tradition. Pay the compensation, don't implement the decision...  Çiğdem Mater Utku, Mine Özerden, and Tayfun Kahraman are the GEZI victims of palace law (!)...  

'FRAME-UP CASE'

7- The Council of Forensic Medicine is one of Turkey's respected institutions with a history spanning over 100 years. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Justice. Decisions regarding the health status of an inmate in prison are binding on its administrators. If Erdoğan keeps former generals in prison despite the report of the Council of Forensic Medicine—that is, if he wants them to die in prison out of a sense of revenge—this is not humanity. This is a decision of retribution. Yet, this case was a frame-up case opened by FETÖ members, who tried and convicted the generals... We all know very well that where there is no justice, there is no morality.

EDITED FOOTAGE

8- Where immorality is institutionalized, you cannot expect administrators to uphold justice, comply with the law, respect rights and the rule of law, or form a conscientious judgment. Producing fake videos during elections to stay in power, or to put it bluntly, engaging in fraud, is a concrete indicator of the palace's understanding of morality. Especially admitting this on television is pure shamelessness and impudence. I express with regret that this is the palace's understanding of morality. This understanding has no place in any religion or faith...   

9- When the Palace turned into a center where the 'gang of five,' those who violate rights, money-laundering drug barons, and those who buy Turkish citizenship with dollars draw their power, they were forced to change the name of the palace to 'külliye' (complex). Because the definition of 'külliye' was different... According to the Turkish Language Association, a külliye was defined as 'the name given to all structures such as madrasas, soup kitchens, fountains, libraries, and hospitals built around a mosque along with the mosque itself'... But calling the palace a külliye did not change the result by adding a spiritual meaning to the complex of structures... Because facts have a ruthless habit of coming to light...

10- Let us state clearly that the Palace has turned into the center of an understanding that has adopted luxury, ostentation, waste, and lawlessness as its principles, rather than reason, knowledge, tolerance, and humility. Such a center has nothing to offer Turkey. The actors of such a center can never, ever engage in rational and conscientious questioning. Because their arrogance prevents it. Therefore, no one has the right to legitimize this understanding, that is, the palace.

PALACE VISIT

A day at the Palace...

I went to the palace once... 10 days after the July 15 coup attempt, on July 25, 2016... A coup attempt had taken place, and the exact number of martyrs and wounded was not yet known. It was said that the number of those who lost their lives was over 400... The number of wounded was not exactly clear, and Ankara still smelled of gunpowder... Security measures were visible in every area... I went to the palace on July 25, 2016, upon Erdoğan's invitation... The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım, myself, Mr. Devlet Bahçeli, Presidential Secretary General Mr. Fahri Kasırga, and Presidential Spokesperson Mr. İbrahim Kalın... The coup attempt and its aftermath were discussed in the meeting, which lasted 2 hours and 40 minutes.

'AND I NEVER WENT AGAIN'

To be honest, it lacked the gravitas of the Çankaya Mansion, which I had visited many times as a bureaucrat and politician... It lacked history... When you enter the Çankaya Mansion, you feel the atmosphere of the state's founding. The impression the Palace left on me was not so much that of a public building, but rather an unsettling hotel atmosphere with its luxurious and magnificent rooms and corridors made of expensive marble, which were said to have been brought from abroad... There was no magnificent, gold-gilded chair that Erdoğan would almost disappear into while sitting today. In a Turkey where poverty and unemployment are rampant, I cannot forget that luxury and pomp. During the meeting, besides tea, hot cookies said to be baked in the palace's oven were served... I drank my tea, but I did not eat those cookies because I felt they were forbidden in such luxury... Yes, when you think of a national war of independence fought in poverty and the heroes of that war, this ostentatious life does not suit us... And I never went to the palace again, where Mr. Bahçeli frequently visits, and I did not attend any invitations. 

So, my dear friends, when I became the Chairman of the Republican People's Party, I was facing a 10-year government that had begun to become a state. After July 15, this state-building process accelerated and was completed in a short time. I did not struggle against a political rival who had internalized democracy like the late Demirel, the late Erbakan, or the late Ecevit, but against a state-like structure similar to the 'Ba'ath' party, with its judiciary, military, and intelligence. But I want you to know this;

'I did not cross the bridge of the treacherous, for the water would carry me away,

I will not sleep in a jackal's den, even if lions were to eat me...'