CHP Chairman Özgür Özel speaks at the Tea Rally in Rize: Normalization does not mean lowering the dose of opposition

Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Özgür Özel arrived in Trabzon by air to attend the Tea Rally, which will be held today at the 15 July Democracy and Republic Square in Rize to draw attention to the problems of tea producers.

Welcomed by party members at Trabzon Airport, Özel greeted the crowd before getting into the vehicle waiting for him and traveling to Rize by road.

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel spoke at the tea rally held in Rize.

Highlights from Özel's speech are as follows:

"THERE IS RISING TENSION"

"Since the day the tea price was announced, there has been great disappointment, loss of hope, and rising tension in Rize. During the local elections, we said, 'No issue that is not on the nation's agenda will be on the agenda of Özgür Özel and the CHP. We will never be occupied with petty squabbles, identity politics, or unnecessary fights, but whatever is on the nation's agenda will be on our agenda, and we will talk about it. If we cannot get results, the streets are ours, the squares are ours. We will make your voice heard.'

"NORMALIZATION DOES NOT MEAN LOWERING THE DOSE OF OPPOSITION"

Some are uncomfortable with the normalization in politics and want to bring back the old days of fighting and controversy, but I say this: 'Normalization does not mean lowering the dose of opposition. Normalization does not mean ignoring the problems of the citizens. It does not mean staying silent in the face of injustice. On the contrary, normalization means both negotiation and struggle. It means performing the most constructive opposition. It means filling the squares when necessary. It means raising your voice the loudest.'

"I AM CALLING OUT TO MR. ERDOĞAN FROM HIS OWN HOMETOWN"

I am calling out to Mr. Erdoğan from his own hometown. Insulting him or fighting with him does not benefit me, him, Rize, or Turkey. I have come to make the voices of his fellow citizens from every view—AK Party, MHP, CHP, and IYI Party—heard by Mr. Erdoğan from his own hometown.

"OUR DUTY"

Of course, if there is a problem, it is our duty to go there. However, I came here not only as the leader of a political party, but as the chairman of the CHP, which brought tea to Rize and the Eastern Black Sea region 100 years ago—through long years of work under the instructions of Atatürk, the enactment of the tea law, the meticulous efforts of İsmet Paşa, and the contribution of Zihni Derin, the father of tea, to these lands.

CONDEMNED THE MASSACRES COMMITTED BY ISRAEL

There are rally flags. It says 'End exploitation in tea' on them. But at the same time, they carry the red of the flag, the green and black of the tea, and the colors of the Palestinian flag. I heartily thank those who contributed to this design, for those who did not forget Palestine while explaining their own troubles, and our provincial head and deputy.

We are calling the countries that recognize Palestine one by one and sending letters of thanks. We expect the whole world to recognize Palestine. We say, 'Let the oppression stop.' We condemn the massacres and genocide committed by Israel once again from Rize.

"THE PEASANT IS THE MASTER OF THE NATION"

We are following with sadness that we have lost our status as an agricultural country. While we have fertile lands, there are those who rent land and farm in Africa and Venezuela. Yet, in our country, land as large as Thrace is cultivated every year. Throughout the AK Party government, land as large as the Netherlands has remained empty and has been lost. For these reasons, while protecting the rights of the peasant and the farmer, we never forget the words of the founder of this country, Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk: 'The peasant is the master of the nation.'

FRESH TEA PURCHASE PRICE

As for tea; this rally held by the CHP in the Rize square today is the point reached by a 100-year journey. Tea farming has been carried out here for 100 years. Most of the grapes are exported, as is the hazelnut. Your problems can be solved only by auditing and restricting tea imports and preventing illegal tea. You know the tea price has been announced. For years, the tobacco price was announced in Manisa; if the producer liked it, they would throw their cap in the air. If they didn't like it, they would throw it on the ground. Now come on, can a President who does not announce the tea price in person be a President? Why are you announcing it by tweeting? Come and announce it to the people of Rize and see how the caps are thrown to the ground. They are ashamed to announce the 17 lira tea price, so they have it tweeted. We reject the 17 lira fresh tea purchase price. It only covers the costs. The price given to tea produced with so much effort means telling the tea producer, 'Do not do this job anymore, we will walk with the rich.'

TOUCHED ON THE PROBLEMS OF ÇAYKUR WORKERS

Let's say one more important thing briefly. There are workers working at Çaykur. There are 11 thousand workers. Çaykur workers no longer want to work for 6 months and be idle for 6 months. Çaykur workers' salaries have eroded as they received raises below inflation. While a Çaykur worker received four and a half times the minimum wage 20 years ago, today it has regressed to one and a half times the minimum wage. Çaykur workers are working below the minimum wage. The workers have a demand for permanent staff status; give them their status. They do not want to sit idle; they want to earn and contribute.

OFFERED SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEMS OF TEA PRODUCERS

For the producer's problem, a tea law must definitely be enacted. In the past, we submitted a tea proposal with your fellow citizen, our Istanbul Deputy Mehmet Bekaroğlu, and Tahsin Ocaklı. If you say yes to the proposal, the problems of both the worker and the producer will be solved. Unfortunately, the proposal was rejected by the votes of the AK Party and MHP. Mr. Tahsin, submit the proposal again. We are calling out to Mr. Erdoğan and Mr. Bahçeli from here. We will submit the motion, do not reject it, do not forget Rize. The bank promotion payments promised to tea producers should be started immediately.

REMINDED OF KILIÇDAROĞLU'S WORDS

Tea coming into the country through illegal channels must be prevented. Let's remember from here, let's send a greeting. What was Kemal Bey saying? 'I will bring the illegal teas, I will burn them in Rize square. We will carry the CHP to power.' We will bring the illegal teas, and we will invite Kemal Bey to burn the teas."