Özgür Özel reacts to Devlet Bahçeli's threat against journalists: 'Bahçeli is responsible!'

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel made statements regarding the current agenda at his party's group meeting.

Regarding the call for Abdullah Öcalan, which MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli reiterated today as he has for weeks, Özel said, "We have a red line," and stated, "Our red line is that mothers should not cry. We are ready to do our part so that everyone can smile. This is our line. We are not involved in anything else beyond this."

Reacting harshly to Bahçeli, who targeted Halk TV and journalists during the group meeting, Özel said, "If a single hair on the head of any journalist, especially those at Halk TV, is harmed, let our citizens know that the MHP did it, and Bahçeli is responsible."

Here are the highlights from Özel's statements:

TEACHERS' RIGHTS

Last Sunday was Teachers' Day. When this government first came to power, the lowest teacher's salary could buy 23 quarter gold coins; today, it can only buy 8. In other words, this government has stolen 15 quarter gold coins from a teacher's salary, which is 75 thousand liras in today's money. I am calling out to teachers: My dear teacher, there is a solution to this, and that is the Republican People's Party...

HOUSING CONSTRUCTION IN THE EARTHQUAKE ZONE

While there are still shops closing without making a single sale, it is the demand of all tradespeople and tradespeople's organizations that this force majeure be extended for 3 years instead of being a subject of debate every time and extended for 3 months. We expect it to be this way. The main problem is the broken promises. Mr. Erdoğan said, 'I will build 650 thousand houses in 1 year.' We said, 'It won't happen, you can't do it.' We said, 'Do not steal the hope of earthquake survivors.' The number of houses delivered so far is 130 thousand. Two years later, 4 out of 5 earthquake survivors are still staying in tents. Everyone in the earthquake zone is a victim, and Hatay is the biggest victim.

MINERS' RESISTANCE

Miners are seeking their rights. In 1987, the state opened both the power plant and the mine in Çayırhan. We have killed the goose that lays the golden eggs. They will privatize it again on December 4. 17 companies will compete fiercely, but everyone knows who will buy it. If they weren't ashamed, they would wear red ribbons. The point is this: we killed the goose that lays the golden eggs in 2020, and Mr. Tayyip says let's kill it again. Let the state, the nation, and the workers win. I congratulate everyone who went to Nallıhan to show solidarity. I support this struggle to the end. 9 of our brothers were lost in İliç, Erzincan. The committee and the expert said, 'Those who gave the capacity increase report for the disaster are guilty in this matter.' Murat Kurum's signature was found at the bottom of the report. When the first expert held Murat Kurum responsible, the second expert said there was no responsibility and saved Murat Kurum. The two reports are diametrically opposed. The hands of the 9 workers are around your necks in the afterlife.

Conduct a poll; does the nation think like us or like you? Challenge accepted, are you right or are we? Does the nation think like you or like us?

RESPONSE TO BAHÇELİ

Bahçeli made a statement last month. He said he stands by his statement. This Bahçeli has his words, and we have our minds. What are we saying? If there is to be a solution based on social consensus, we are in, but we have one red line: the consent of the families of martyrs and veterans. We will not say 'yes' to anything where we cannot look into the eyes of the families of martyrs and veterans. This is our line.

REACTION TO TRUSTEES

After 22 years, the government had calmed down when it lost elections, but they returned to the politics of polarization and trustees. They tried to arrest Ahmet Özer in a highly provocative manner at the Esenyurt Municipality, by breaking into his bedroom, breaking down the municipality door, and searching without a lawyer, and then in Mardin, Batman, Halfeti, and this weekend in Tunceli and Ovacık, they declared Mustafa Sarıgül a member of a terrorist organization for offering condolences to a family. Condolences are offered to the living, not the dead. No mother can be held responsible for her child's crime. The truth of the matter is that at that time, the prosecutor of the period said with the knowledge of the governor, 'you take this funeral, if we take it, there might be a trap there, you take it.' The Mayor asked the governor, they called the family, and they took the funeral; he is being accused of being a member of a terrorist organization because of this incident. After this incident, he was elected mayor 3 more times. Just to make it look like the CHP has mayors from a terrorist organization, they arrested Ahmet Özer for a phone call he didn't make, claiming the rent for his daughter's house was money coming from the organization. The prosecutor, who wrote an indictment for 200 people in 4 days, has not been able to prepare an indictment for a month; he found a secret witness and is looking for a crime there.

JOINT PROPOSAL FROM PARTIES

I congratulate all the group deputy chairmen. 10 parties are talking about abolishing this trustee appointment business, which remains from the State of Emergency (OHAL), with a legislative proposal. The trustee is neither the business of DEM nor the CHP. Today it's us, tomorrow it's someone else. If a person is involved in terrorism, the court makes a decision and you remove them from office. Their replacement is chosen from the municipal council members against whom you have not filed a lawsuit until that day. They invented something to fight FETÖ, and through this, they are attacking the CHP, DEM, and tomorrow someone else. Here, 10 political parties signed on the side of what is right without saying 'I will not stand by this.'

REACTION TO THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE

On the day Ahmet Özer was arrested, we wrote to the Ministry of Justice. For 28 days, they have not responded to the meeting request of the CHP Chairman, his deputies, and members of parliament. I called the Minister of Justice. He hasn't answered our calls for weeks. The bean in their mouth is 'You speak very harshly about Akın Gürlek.' Are you going to discipline my opposition by not letting us meet with Ahmet Özer? I will challenge both you and the one who gave you that instruction, and I will not be beholden to you. I have a word for Numan Kurtulmuş as well. He also agreed, saying, 'I called the Minister, they will get back to you,' but there is no sound. How can you, as the Speaker of the Parliament, not solve this problem? Akın Gürlek is the executioner of this palace, a mobile guillotine. This minister is not powerful enough for Akın Gürlek. Just like in FETÖ, the imam of this minister is Akın Gürlek. Tomorrow, a meeting will be granted to members of parliament with Abdullah Öcalan. Devlet Bahçeli said it today, and the DEM Party said, 'we will make a request.' I am complaining to our nation about this government, which sends MPs to Öcalan but does not send the main opposition to the mayor because Akın Gürlek is angry. May your permission be damned.

In the first election, this Erdoğan is leaving, this regime is changing, and the people's government is being established.

CLOSURE OF NURSERIES

'We never did it, they opened 105 nurseries in Istanbul in one term. This changed voter behavior. We are the government, let's get involved in this,' they don't say. They say, 'What is a woman's job, let her look after children, cook, look after the disabled, cook, what is she doing in working life.' There is a Constitutional Court (AYM) decision from the past; they use that 17-year-old decision as a basis and close the nurseries. Our application was not for a nursery, but for a kindergarten. They were trying to make municipalities do the work that the Ministry of National Education should have done 17 years ago; we complained. This is the 8th minister since that day. They haven't done anything, today they are taking the first action. Instead of complying with AYM decisions with a 17-year delay, do your job so that Can Atalay can come to Parliament. A nursery costs 20 thousand liras outside. Closing this nursery is not something just anyone can do. Turkey stood up in 2 days. They immediately clung to lies, made a statement, and said, 'The word nursery does not appear in the Ministry of National Education's letter.' I am saying this to the 'best' Minister of National Education in AK Party history. It is written right here. We will continue to open nurseries. If they had won the election, they said they would build nurseries in Ankara and İzmir; the Minister who sent us the letter, Murat Kurum, was saying he would open a nursery in every neighborhood in Istanbul. They are not ours, they are the mothers' nurseries. I kiss the foreheads of those who open them, we will open new nurseries, we will not leave anyone hopeless and alone.

MINIMUM WAGE HIKE

'To reduce inflation, we must give a raise according to the targeted inflation,' he says. The minimum wage, which has not been raised for 1 year and whose value has fallen to 9 thousand since the day it was given... They want to make it 22 thousand liras, they want to condemn people to this for 1 year. According to the Central Bank's account, a 1 percent raise affects inflation by 0.0007 percent, the rest is the government's doing. You haven't given a raise for 1 year, why is inflation still 50 percent? Our citizens cannot endure living on less than a 30 thousand lira minimum wage for another year. Our minimum wage expectation is 30, we are not in for anything below this.

RESPONSE TO BAHÇELİ

Bahçeli's words regarding Halk TV and media organizations are important. Do not do this. If there is such a thing as apologizing in private for a mistake made in public, the patent for it belongs to you. He is going to note down media organizations and journalists one by one and make them pay. You cannot threaten the media, which is as important as the legislature and is obligated to defend the rights of the citizens. We are in front of them and behind them. If a single hair on the head of any journalist, especially those at Halk TV, is harmed, let our citizens know that the MHP did it, and Bahçeli is responsible."