AKP's Özlem Zengin accuses the opposition of 'not being genuine': Issues they have no real interest in

AKP Group Deputy Chairman and Istanbul MP Özlem Zengin stated that the opposition is trying to make issues they have no real interest in popular, saying, "There are issues related to our retirees, there are problems in daily life. I do not think they are genuinely putting these problems on their agenda. They do not feel obligated to calculate what kind of cost what they do today will bring to our country tomorrow."

Addressing party members filling the hall, Özlem Zengin recalled the events regarding the attempt to bring a coffin to the podium in the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM), saying, "They tried to get on the podium with a coffin. Does it make any sense? Would anyone want to get on a podium with a coffin? You all attend funeral prayers. Can a coffin be tucked under an arm? Everything has a procedure, a decorum. It is not just Turkey; the world is currently in a time of character transformation. This transformation continues to happen very quickly, whether we are aware of it or not. The things we know are about to disappear. The world had a balance, an order, sides. There were organizations. There was the United Nations, NATO; they still exist, but unfortunately, in some places, they only exist in form," she said.

"IT CHALLENGES THE WORLD'S SYSTEM"

Touching upon the developments in Gaza, Zengin said, "Before our very eyes, they slaughtered, butchered, and killed 70 thousand people. The whole world could do nothing. Faced with such trauma, I look at people, at us, and we are living in a lonely world. In this loneliness, there is one power, and that is our solidarity with each other, and along with this solidarity, to challenge the world—which is what our President is doing; he is challenging the world's system. He is addressing not the leaders, but actually the people of the world, about how dysfunctional all these institutions are," she expressed.

Stating that the greatest power is the power of ordinary citizens, Zengin continued:

"Because ordinary citizens have no fear, no ulterior motives, no calculations. Ordinary citizens look at things; they call right right, wrong wrong, and evil evil. They speak the truth. There is a scream in the world right now. The scream is this: people want calmness, peace, and tranquility. While eating dinner in their own homes, they do not want to see people being killed in Palestine or Gaza on television, and they are troubled by this in their conscience. They raise their voices in their own countries, saying, 'Don't do it, stop.' You look at Iran; 'I will come, I will bomb,' and on the other side, you look; 'I will go there, I will occupy.' These things disturb people. As a result, what we are seeing right now is the character of the era. In this environment, amidst such great change, everyone is looking for an environment of trust, a sense of calm. If you ask, 'What is the equivalent of this trust,' the equivalent of this trust is our President as a leader; and his party is the AKP. This is indisputably so. The need for Turkey and at the same time for our President is much greater now than it has been in the past 20 years. Both Turkey and the world need this experience, this trust, and this stability."

"I DO NOT THINK THEY ARE GENUINELY PUTTING THEM ON THEIR AGENDA"

Criticizing the opposition parties, Zengin said, "The opposition is actually trying to make issues they have no real interest in popular. There are issues related to our retirees, there are problems in daily life. I do not think they are genuinely putting these problems on their agenda. They look at these in a popular way. 'How much rating can we get from this? How many tweets can we get from this? How much can we use this as material?' Because they have no responsibility. They do not feel obligated to calculate what kind of cost what they do today will bring to our country tomorrow. It is a kind of show, but when you talk about the truth, evaluating what you have in your hand today, and while building today, also calculating what the cost of this will be tomorrow—these are things related to having the will to govern and being capable. It is related to feeling that responsibility upon yourself," she stated.

News Source: 12punto