It has been revealed who Kılıçdaroğlu called as soon as Akşener left the table: 'We are not condemned to the CHP'

Speaking on the TKP'nin Sesi podcast, which is broadcast every weekday, Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) General Secretary Kemal Okuyan evaluated the agenda on the "Weekly Review" program.

Highlights from Okuyan's statement are as follows:

POSSIBLE LOCAL ELECTION SCENARIO

"When the IYI Party decided not to support the CHP, it is being discussed everywhere that the CHP might win very few municipalities. A map was published yesterday, showing what the results would be in the local elections if there were no IYI Party-CHP cooperation, at least in metropolitan and other city mayoralties. The map is truly frightening; I looked at it too. When you look at the map, there are a few cities on the left side, a few on the right, and the rest is entirely an AKP-MHP alliance. In other words, when you look at it, it's as if you have painted the country for the AKP, and in a few places, the paint didn't reach. Now, is this picture frightening or thought-provoking? To answer this question, we need to ask ourselves another question: How did this country get into this state?

CRITICISM OF "LEFTISM" TOWARD THE CHP

This country got into this state thanks to those who did their best to ensure that no real alternative to the AKP emerged. This country got into this state because of the despondency caused by those who did not speak out against the Ekmeleddin disgrace in 2014, for example. This country got into this state because of so-called oppositionists and so-called revolutionaries who thought they could defeat the AKP by getting involved in NATO-ism, Americanism, Europeanism, and funding, and even by hoping for help from religious communities. Hey, NATO is in power in this country, religious communities are in power in this country, big capital is in power in this country. I mean, are we joking, or what are we doing? How are you going to change this country by having them behind you? This country got into this state again, I will give an example, with the irresponsibility of those who turned the right-wing boss called İmamoğlu into a hero in the name of the left. They called İmamoğlu an American project, a week later they became 'change-ists,' and now they are supporting İmamoğlu. It got into this state because of them. This country got into this state thanks to those who pollute leftism with populism, media buffoonery, and intra-system bargaining. Their voices are loud because those who hold the pulse of society in this country, that is, those who manage people's perceptions in Turkey, those who have this skill, and those who hold the money, are working to ensure that no real reaction or real alternative emerges. Now, after all this, the panic has started again. The IYI Party, Meral Akşener slammed the door and left, now what will the CHP do? It will turn its face to the left. How nice, it didn't work with the Zafer Party, the DEVA, Gelecek, Davutoğlu, Babacan crowd ran away, let's do some leftism. As if the Turkish left is condemned to the CHP anyway."

KILIÇDAROĞLU CALLED OKUYAN

I want to tell you something; we don't really like to talk about such things, but it explains what we are talking about very well. At the time when Meral Akşener left that famous table of six, my phone rang late that day. One of Kılıçdaroğlu's advisors or secretaries was calling, saying our Chairman wants to visit you tomorrow. They were requesting an appointment. I had a program in the earthquake zone the next day. Besides, it's not a holiday or a special occasion; we don't really like such things as making plans for tomorrow immediately. Therefore, we could not accept a meeting invitation made for the next day, but we said that these days during the week are suitable for us, and we can meet on those days. What would happen if we met? The meeting request came from them; we would listen, and we would have our say. They said, 'We will get back to you, let's finalize the date then,' but they didn't get back to us because Akşener returned to the table. That is the situation. They think the Turkish left is condemned to the CHP. We don't know about others, but we are not condemned to the CHP or anything like that. I want to say even more. Clearly and plainly, we will both repel and disgrace attempts to make the left a side dish of bourgeois politics.

HOW WILL THE STRUGGLE BE?

We don't get scared when we look at the map I mentioned in Turkey; we only get sad, and we derive a duty from it. We have a duty. Our duty is to raise the left in Turkey. Not by grabbing a corner within the system, not by coveting the crumbs scattered by system politics, not by playing to the gallery, but by intervening in the reality of Turkey. So, how will this intervention happen? First of all, this intervention happens above all with frankness and honesty. This intervention happens with consistency; this intervention happens with organization and organizational culture. This intervention happens with the ability to healthily monitor what is happening in the world and the country, with drawing the right conclusions, with accumulation, with a team, with cadres, and with open and equal relations with forces fighting for the equality of humanity, against imperialism, and against exploitation in the international arena. Sir, it does not happen by hoping for help from Western states, parliaments, or foundations; it happens by staying away from them. This intervention happens by seeing the socialist revolution as an unavoidable duty. This intervention happens with Republicanism and the will to revive the Republican accumulation in this country. Then, this intervention happens by not giving credit to those who try to drown working-class revolutionism in identity politics. This intervention happens by making the search for equality and freedom of Kurdish laborers a part of the struggle for Turkey to be a secular, independent, and sovereign country. This intervention happens by warning the CHP base and the leftist politicians who insist on staying within the CHP.

"WE SAY: CHALLENGE ACCEPTED"

Dear friends; at the point reached today, we will not show any understanding to those who want to feed the "made-up CHP" bait once again to people who have been left helpless and driven to despair in Turkey. In the upcoming elections, we are rolling up our sleeves to strengthen the communist option everywhere, at every opportunity, and in proportion to our strength. Shortly, we will announce our program regarding communist municipalism and our election strategy. We will not do everything to win; we will do everything to win with our own values and our own program, and we will definitely win. Because when we try to win by putting our values, our program, our principles, and what belongs to us aside, or when we think we have won, it is not us who win, but others. What has this vile system been doing all over the world for 150 years? It imposes its own understanding of politics on us to trap revolutionaries in its own web and leave the people helpless. We say to them: Challenge accepted."