DEM Party Co-Chair Bakırhan on 'Öcalan': He is preparing for a historic call

DEM Party Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan made assessments regarding the current agenda at his party's weekly parliamentary group meeting.

Reminding that they met with representatives of Alevi organizations as the DEM Party, Bakırhan said, "The agenda of that meeting was, of course, solution discussions, just as it was the Alevis' demand for equal citizenship. We saw that our Alevi brothers and sisters also support the discussions. I would like to express my gratitude to them once again."

'THE GOVERNMENT HAS FAILED AGAIN'

Speaking on the 2nd anniversary of the February 6 earthquakes, Bakırhan stated, "The government is trying to create a perception as if they are doing great work in the earthquake zones. Believe me, Antakya is covered in dust and smoke. We were faced with an Antakya where people are still living in tents. The government, which made promises to the citizens in the earthquake zone, has failed again."

'NOT A SHRED OF DEMOCRACY LEFT'

Saying that "The AKP came with the claim of democratization, but not a shred of democracy remains," Bakırhan continued as follows:

"Not a single step has been taken for an independent judiciary. Even when a pro-government writer in the media makes a statement about someone, they are immediately detained."

'BEING PRO-GOVERNMENT IS THE ONLY VALID REASON'

Stating that "Being pro-government is the only valid reason," Bakırhan emphasized that merit has disappeared in the bureaucracy and used the following expressions:

"We see that more academics are being dismissed than ever before. Journalists who write the truth are going to prison. They want no one to show solidarity with anyone, but we will raise our voices against pain and injustice everywhere."

'THESE DECREES MEAN NOTHING TO US'

Reacting to the appointment of a trustee to the Siirt Municipality, Bakırhan continued:

"The trustee is walking around with his name tag in his pocket. We condemn the trustee mentality. Neither the people of Siirt nor the peoples of Turkey accept it. The will of the people of Siirt has been ignored; stealing the hope of a people is a greater theft and lack of conscience than stealing their bread. In fact, what they are punishing is egalitarian service. There is nothing that Siirt, where I am a deputy, has not suffered from this republic. Imagine a city that has spent decades under a state of emergency. I am trying to dissuade the government from the approach that 'Kurds exist but they have no political will.' You will respect the Kurds and their will. Whether you like it or not, the appointment of trustees is hostility toward Kurds. At the same time, it is the darkest face of modern colonialism. The Kurdish people have struggled against racial discrimination at great cost. Just as they buried the dark unsolved murders of the 90s into history, I am sure they will bury the trustee mentality into history as well. This trustee mentality will remain as a black mark on the forehead of the AKP. You both call for laying down arms and show weapons by demonstrating where young people and women are. I call for the exposure of those who carry out this practice. Let no one tell us 'there is a process, ignore these trustee practices,' let no one tell us 'there is a process, we will slap you, do not raise your voice, we will commit every illegality, remain silent.' Let those who usurped our municipality know that the will of this people cannot be taken over by decree. We are here, we have not knelt, and we will not kneel. These decrees mean nothing to us."

STATEMENT ON ÖCALAN

Addressing the Imralı talks, Bakırhan used the following expressions:

"Mr. Öcalan is preparing for a historic call in the coming days for a deep-rooted and permanent solution to the Kurdish issue and for the construction of a democratic Turkey."

Details to follow...