Yavaş's response to 'shake them up': We have been hearing this tone for years, hopefully it will end completely

Mansur Yavaş joined a live broadcast on Halktv by phone and spoke about the 'shake them up' instruction given by AKP Chairman and President Erdoğan to Minister of Labor and Social Security Vedat Işıkhan.

Stating that they were left with 2 billion liras in debt from AKP and MHP-run municipalities, the highlights of Yavaş's statements are as follows:

We had to pay the bank debts, otherwise all the money we received would have gone to interest, just as the government has done many times... 

When we took over the municipality, it had a debt of 2 billion 247 million dollars! Half of our budget revenue dropped, but we reduced our debt...

We were obstructed so that we would not provide services; half of our budget revenue dropped, but we managed to reduce our debt.

The number of CHP municipalities was around 200, now we have around 400! In Ankara alone, the debt of the municipalities that passed from the MHP and AKP to the CHP is 2 billion liras...

They did not 'shake them up,' and now they are presenting these as if they were our debts.

You passed a law in 2006 saying we would announce those who do not pay taxes from then on; they announced those who did not pay their debts until 2016, but they did not announce them after that. If they were announced, it would emerge that these are people close to the government.

We paid 650 million in cash and offered real estate as collateral to the Social Security Institution (SGK), but they said there were liens on them; they wouldn't even accept the money they were owed by their own government's minister!

Their goal is not to solve the problem, but to attack the person! They have no other purpose. Because of this, our votes and the number of our municipalities have increased; if they continue to act this way, the citizens will punish them, and the CHP will come to power alone.

This is a perception operation because our management style has been so well-received that the number of CHP municipalities has multiplied. You cannot joke with or mock the citizens; you must never play with the will of the people.

They ask about us, 'Why do people vote for them even though they do nothing?' We practiced municipalism for the people; we invested in green spaces, not concrete.

At this rate, we will be in power alone. 

After we took office, our people saw that none of the fear-mongering statements made by the AKP turned out to be true. We reminded them of the concept of a social state, which had been forgotten by the citizens for years.

In a city I govern, no one can die of hunger or freeze from the cold! They still haven't understood that we practiced real municipalism. 

You can cut as much money as you want, but after our debts are paid off, will you turn to the retirees and raise their pensions above the minimum wage? This is impossible because they have bankrupted the SGK.

They are bankrupting those from whom they have not collected the 900 billion liras, yet they engage in perception management by saying, 'If the municipalities paid the retirees' salaries, we would have paid you.'

Their end will be tragic for them...

If there are those who made mistakes during my term, I report them to the prosecutor's office. We must protect the money entrusted to us like our mother's pure milk; we have no luxury, and we will account for this money. If someone has stolen this money, I will pursue it to the end. 

I have filed all my complaints. If, despite this, they issue decisions of non-prosecution, those who issue such decisions while seeing these facts are guilty in terms of conscience.

We will not allow municipal services to be disrupted due to the deductions made; we will try not to reflect this on the public and will strive to carry out our services.

We have not victimized people; our social work will continue. Some projects may be delayed, but they will not be able to hinder any of our municipalities.

Ankapark had a cost of 801 million dollars, and things are still coming to light. They bought robots for Ankapark from the social services budget; 300 million liras worth of toys, it's a shame. 

(Regarding Erdoğan's 'shake them up' instruction) We have been hearing this tone for years, and hopefully, it will end completely soon. Turkey is a state of law, and this must apply equally to everyone. It will become clear sooner or later whether the minister shakes up other municipalities. They are trying to shake up the public; our priority will always be our citizens in Ankara.