AKP's Özlem Zengin: Everyone eats the food in Parliament, but strangely, we get the bill

CHP Group Deputy Chair Ali Mahir Başarır addressed the arrest of Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan, stating, "Both the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and the investigating prosecutor insisted that three market chains with three-letter names were the complainants.

Today, a truth has emerged; some journalists from the 'pool media' created a perception this way. The Board of Directors of Şok Market stated that they have no complaints against Tanju Özcan. The truth is coming out. This is an investigation conducted by the Bolu Chief Public Prosecutor, who could not prosecute or question a single ministry bureaucrat in the Kartalkaya disaster and protected them, in order to take revenge on our Mayor who complained about him. Release Tanju Özcan immediately. This is a shameful situation," he said.

Pointing out that the market chain, which was alleged to have filed a criminal complaint against Özcan, made a statement saying, "We did not file a criminal complaint," Başarır said, "Now, what will happen? You arrested Tanju Özcan and sent him to Sincan; he is here. What has the judiciary of the great Republic of Turkey come to? Are those prosecutors and judges at ease right now? They handcuffed the will of a city, usurped the will of a city, and staged a coup in Bolu. The facts are emerging, yet no decision is being made. If there is any shred of integrity in the HSK (Council of Judges and Prosecutors), they should suspend that chief prosecutor and hand him over to the judiciary immediately because that chief prosecutor has committed a crime and continues to commit crimes; Tanju Özcan must be released as soon as possible," he said.

ZENGİN: THIS MEDIA CALLED 'POOL MEDIA', WHY DOES YOUR POOL DO THIS EVIL?

AKP Group Deputy Chair Özlem Zengin, addressing CHP Group Deputy Chair Ali Mahir Başarır, reacted by saying, "We are facing a very malicious media. We argue with each other in the General Assembly, but we also get along well as friends. Is there a problem between us? No. There is none with anyone. I have a professional relationship with Mr. Ali Mahir both inside and outside the General Assembly. We are not experiencing any problems. I believe that we speak about important things with sincerity in the speeches we make here. However, you turn on your television in the evening, you turn it on in the morning. A terribly malicious campaign is being waged, including the smile of the friend sitting next to you. I do not think Mr. Ali Mahir is doing this in coordination. I am even sure that he is not in such a malicious attitude, but why are you doing this evil to us? This media called 'pool media', why does your pool do this evil? I find it difficult to understand this," she reacted.

"LET US NOT SERVE FOOD IN PARLIAMENT EXCEPT FOR OUR COLLEAGUES WORKING HERE, AND LET US NOT USE THE RESTAURANTS AT ALL"

Reminding of the iftar dinner hosted by Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş at the TBMM this Tuesday, Zengin said:

"This week in the group, Mr. Özgür Özel said, 'I swear to God, if there hadn't been an incident, I would have come to the Parliament Speaker's iftar. There was going to be a round table. I was going to come and sit at that table.' Now, if he had come and sat at the table, there would not have been a debate about this meal. Regarding the food, yesterday you see our Parliament Speaker gave an iftar for an NGO. I also looked at the menu. I will not read the whole menu. CHP Group Deputy Chair Murat Emir must have eaten a beef tenderloin with potatoes there too. It is on the menu. So, if you come to the table you are invited to and eat, you have no intention of paying the bill. You eat the food at the table you sit at, but you have no issue with the bill. If you don't happen to come, then for some reason the bill is left to us. For example, there are many friends invited that day. There are friends from the DEM Group. There are friends from the MHP. Friends from many political parties that have one MP, that have a chairman, MPs are sitting at that table, but for some reason, the bill for this strangely remains with us and the Parliament.

In the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, nearly 600 people eat a set menu every day. There are different restaurants. Nearly 2,000 people eat in them. We come to the restaurants inside this General Assembly, and at best 7,500 people eat per day, and when it is at its peak, in January, 11,000 people ate.

There are not 11,000 MPs here, our number of MPs is 600, I have never seen 600 together. Those who eat this are people coming from Anatolia, guests. Mustafa Bey said, 'This week we offered a meal to 100 of our village headmen at once,' and our people think that these meals come out of the Parliament's budget. No, the cost of these meals is paid by the MPs, by you, by us. Can we please stop the humiliation of this Grand National Assembly of Turkey because of this food issue? It is truly not something that should happen.

If it has an important meaning, look, let's remove it. If we cannot find a common solution to this issue, my suggestion is this. I have not negotiated on behalf of my group yet. I have not spoken to our Parliament Speaker either, but it is my personal suggestion. Since we are at the center of this issue anyway. Also because my surname is 'Zengin' (Rich)... As a result, what we need to do, if this is an issue, is not to serve food in Parliament except for our colleagues working here, so it doesn't come out. Let's not use the restaurants at all. Let's close the restaurants if necessary. Do not do this injustice to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Please, let this food issue end now. I am deeply disturbed by these topics being brought to the agenda on Sözcü TV, NOW TV, and Halk TV, and I think this issue should end in the General Assembly now."

BAŞARIR: IF A RETIREE OR WORKER RECEIVES 7 PERCENT OF THE SALARY WE RECEIVE, EVERYTHING HERE WILL COLLAPSE

CHP's Başarır, who requested the floor regarding Zengin's speech on the food issue, stated that there was no verbal attack and that he would not attack Zengin either, saying, "Actually, the problem is not just the food prices in Parliament, our salaries, or our retirement pensions. In Germany, France, Switzerland, and many European countries, the MP salary is around 9,000 - 12,000 euros, but the lowest retirement pension and minimum wage is between 1,500 and 2,000 euros, meaning about 20 percent... Today, 20 percent of 250,000. If I receive a salary, and 20 percent of the lowest retirement pension is 50,000 liras, what happens in this Parliament does not bother people's eyes, but there is a real state of deprivation and misery. If a retiree or worker receives 7 percent of the salary we receive, everything here will collapse," he said.

"IF THE PRESIDENT HAD BROKEN HIS FAST WITH THE FOOD SERVED TO THE STAFF WHEN HE CAME, THERE WOULD BE NO PROBLEM"

"Let's close the cafeteria if necessary, it's no problem at all, but people coming from Anatolia are eating. Children are eating," Başarır noted, adding:

"Ms. Özlem said, 'I will break my fast with bread.' I do not find it right for this to be taken to a completely different point, for MPs to be lynched, or for only two words of the sentence they spoke to be taken. If you call this 'pool media', both media groups are doing it. Look, what shall we do? We will decide for the whole Parliament to have accurate reporting and the right perspective. Of course, a journalist criticizes people here, writes, says a lot of things, but the situation in the country, the low salaries of retirees and workers, can really put a reaction on everything here. It's not just the food; I said there was a different menu than the food we eat here. If the President had broken his fast with the food served to the staff when he came, there would be no problem."

News Source: 12punto