BTP Leader Hüseyin Baş criticizes TÜSİAD: 'Your wealth was handed over'

Independent Turkey Party (BTP) Chairman Hüseyin Baş attended his party's 9th Ordinary Eskişehir Provincial Congress. Speaking at the congress where Fahri Gürgenburan was elected as the BTP Eskişehir Provincial Chairman, Baş stated the following:

“In Turkey, criticizing has become synonymous with insulting the President. Exposing the government's mistakes has become synonymous with inciting the public to hatred and hostility. You point out the government's mistake, and they turn to you and say, 'You incited the public to hatred and hostility.' You criticize, and they say, 'You insulted the President.' Every state has a legal system, one way or another. The problem here is this: whose law is it? What does this law prioritize, and what does it consider superior—whose profit, whose interest?

“WE ARE NOT DOING THIS JUST TO ANNOY THE GOVERNMENT”

For 23 years, whenever we have disagreed with you on any issue, we have been proven right. We object because we are right. A situation has developed in Turkey that I watch with astonishment. It is as if we, as the opposition, are engaging in politics just to annoy the government, and we are opposing just to be difficult. We oppose because we see that things are wrong, and we speak because we want them to be corrected.

If our President runs for office, it will be his 4th candidacy. When was his first candidacy? His first was in 2014, his 2nd in 2018, and his 3rd in 2023. In all of these, the nation went to the ballot box and elected him President. This means the President has been a candidate 3 times and has been elected 3 times so far. The main opposition has a narrative that says, ‘We will defeat Erdoğan if necessary.’ We are not debating whether you can or cannot defeat Erdoğan. We are constantly raising objections regarding the constitution—the very constitution that you say the government does not recognize! Therefore, where should you stand? You must not deviate from the constitutional ground.

“EVERY CITIZEN IN TURKEY, EVEN IF THEY ARE AKP SUPPORTERS, HAS A DUTY TO FOLLOW THE CONSTITUTION”

The only exception in the constitution for a person to be a candidate for a 3rd time is considered a renewed election; it does not say early election. What is a renewed election? It is the repetition of a previous election before the current term of office expires. Now, if you perceive an early election as a renewed election and the President can be a candidate again in this election, then when the deputies to be elected that day are serving their 29th term while today they are serving their 28th, what will happen? They will be in their 29th term. What does this mean? This means a new election. The number of terms for a deputy goes from 28 to 29, but you claim that the President can be a candidate again because it is a renewed election—what kind of inconsistency is this? When you say this, they ask, ‘How are we going to prevent this?’ Look, friends, we are not the authority that will prevent the President's candidacy. We are not the YSK (Supreme Election Council) to say, ‘No, he cannot.’ That is the YSK's job; it does not concern me, but every citizen in Turkey, even if they are an AKP supporter, has a duty to follow the constitution and monitor the constitution. But unfortunately, I am stating my observations: this is not the concern of the opposition; the opposition has only one concern, and that is to remain in power within the main opposition.

“THE REAL ‘STRUCTURE’ IS NOT IN FOOTBALL, BUT IN POLITICS”

They say, ‘There is a structure in football.’ Forget football; look at the real structure in politics. Trolls on social media, both from the government and the opposition. Look, you watch discussion programs in the evenings; always the same names, always the same commentators, always the same comments. Are there no other people in this country who can talk about these issues and look at them from a different perspective? I am telling you clearly; the cadres of the Independent Turkey Party, the deputy chairmen, the MYK members—these are people who could outshine all of them, but they are not invited to those programs. Why aren't they invited? Oh, they say, in the polls, party X is like this... Look, I am addressing these pollsters; release the next poll as real and concrete, and if the BTP has a vote, write it down there; otherwise, I will expose all of you. I know very well how you do your business. Unfortunately, the government is not the only one responsible for what is happening in this country. Both the government and the opposition are responsible for what is happening in this country.

“WHATEVER TÜSİAD HAS DONE SO FAR HAS BENEFITED THE AKP”

Something was said at TÜSİAD, and the situation got complicated. I said at the time, ‘The government found what it was looking for. It is looking for victimization, it is looking for a will connected to foreign powers, and it found it.’ Whatever TÜSİAD has done so far has benefited the AKP. No other politician will tell you this; only this brother of yours will. Whatever TÜSİAD has done, it has done for the AKP. Those richest organizations of TÜSİAD do the most cooperation with that political holding—I won't name it, you know it—with corporatized politics. You have been eating and drinking together for 20 years, you are together in every business, but today you will come out and criticize. It is everyone's right to criticize, you criticize too, very good... But when you criticize, I foresee that this will return to the AKP as blood, so why can't you foresee it? Or do you not want to foresee it, or are you using reverse psychology?

“WHERE WERE YOU IN THE 2017 AND 2010 REFERENDUMS, OH TÜSİAD”

If you were so uncomfortable with this government, you should have entered somewhere and engaged in politics. What is it? According to TÜSİAD, there is a problem with the rule of law in Turkey. Where were you in the 2017 referendum, oh TÜSİAD? Where were you in the 2010 referendum, TÜSİAD? This country's mines were handed over, where were you, TÜSİAD? This country's factories were closed, where were you, TÜSİAD? This country's wealth was handed over to your group, privatized, where were you, TÜSİAD? Did you just come to your senses now, did you? What happened, is it your turn now?

“I WENT TO GIVE MY STATEMENT ALONE, I CAME OUT ALONE”

This brother of yours is the person who was introduced to Turkey with the news that an investigation had been opened at two in the morning, for the first time among political party leaders. I went to give my statement alone, I came out of the statement alone. I always serve my nation, but I will not forget that loneliness for a single day; let that politics know this."

NAME WHO RESIGNED FROM THE FUTURE PARTY JOINED THE BTP

Mustafa Şükür Aycı, Deputy Chairman of the Organization who resigned from the Future Party, joined the Independent Turkey Party. BTP leader Hüseyin Baş pinned the party badge on Mustafa Şükür Aycı.