Another early election call from DP Chairman Gültekin

Democrat Party Chairman Gültekin Uysal answered questions about the current agenda on "Tartışma Zemini" (Discussion Ground), which is broadcast on Ekol TV and moderated by Çağlar Cilara. 

Here are the highlights from Uysal's statements on the agenda:

"WITHDRAWING FROM THE TOURNAMENT WOULD NOT BE RIGHT"

DP Leader Gültekin Uysal: Turkishness is an identifying sign. Turks have never coded their existence through others. It is constructed through another founding event.

Our National Team has a success, and our player also has a success. This is not present in other precedent-setting decisions made by UEFA regarding other actions. A heavier penalty came. The path to appeal and objection is also closed. I am trying to understand.

As we approach the final, the tension will rise. We cannot evaluate this independently of the far-right and the elections in Europe. I think the extreme reactions there will also affect our citizens living in those places.

Turkey has the power and instruments to act more strongly than it did yesterday. Withdrawing from the tournament would not be right. There are also names that have become symbols of the tournament. Arda Güler, for example. He is an important name and is carrying the team.

"THE DECISION IS POLITICAL"

It is obvious that Western Europe has fallen into a crisis of identity. We can also call it the old continent. It has new rising axes on the Atlantic axis. From China, from East Asia... At this point, there is a situation where Europe is projecting its own problems. The decision is political.

Turkey actually needs to win the match it is going to in terms of determination.

HOW WILL THE REFUGEE PROBLEM BE SOLVED?

The source of the problem is the instability in Syria. Erdoğan's policies contributed to the politicization of situations that would also pit Turkey against others. It was a policy that went as far as saying to the opposition, "If you cannot do it, we will come and fix it." I hope that Mr. Erdoğan solves this problem permanently with Damascus and Assad through reason and political policies. As long as you do not create diplomatic power that will put pressure on the regime there, there is no point in naming names here.

"ASSAD DOES NOT WANT HIS OWN CITIZENS TO RETURN"

Official and unofficial figures are completely different. There are too many unregistered Syrian workers. For prosperity in the region, negotiations should be held with the Damascus administration. We do not have a pill-like solution. It is neither solely in Turkey's will nor solely in the hands of the Damascus administration (Assad).

Both administrations need to show will together. There is demographic change there. There is a de facto presence and consolidation there, from the Arab element to the Turkmens. I do not believe that Assad is willing for all his citizens to return. We are coming to this point from places where citizenship rights were not granted to many elements, starting with the Kurds.

THE ARAB SPRING WAS A COLORFUL REVOLUTION

The fact that Turkey is returning to its imperial memory within its sphere of influence and interest will disturb some people. Through agitation, there was a mistaken move toward colorful revolutions and policies. I see the Arab Spring as a colorful revolution. I wish that Morsi, who was elected in Egypt, could have continued with Turkey's support. The center of the Arab world is Egypt. The dynamics of those countries are very different.

Gürkan Zengin: If you had been Prime Minister in 2011, would you have supported the popular movements in Egypt?

Gültekin Uysal: You are conducting diplomacy there. Mr. Erdoğan's Davos exit was also reciprocated and was important. It could have been supported in a measured way without ignoring the dynamic. Turkey missed the mark there. The climate turned against Turkey as a whole. Today, we saw what the Syrian issue turned into with a spark in Kayseri. I hope we do not look for a solution in the streets. I do not know how successful Mr. Erdoğan is, but I hope this issue is resolved with the Damascus administration.

"THE BEGINNING OF THE MATTER IS NOT A PROVOCATION"

An incident occurred in Kayseri that we do not want to express. I do not think this is the 'poisonous language of the opposition' as Erdoğan says. There is the issue of harassment of a little girl. I do not think the beginning of the event was a provocation. Sometimes you want to convey an issue through an event. Then provocative elements come into play. From time to time, reserve forces manage the perception.

"I WOULD FIND ÖZEL'S MEETING WITH ASSAD POSITIVE"

I would find a meeting between Özgür Özel and Assad positive. For example, if Mr. Erdoğan could have made Mesut Yılmaz or Mr. Baykal the chief negotiator in the European Union negotiations instead of Egemen Bağış, whom I remember with mercy. This meeting would add greatness to Turkey's greatness. I do not think a Turkey with Erdoğan can achieve this. No positive progress could be made.

DOES THE PUBLIC WANT AN EARLY ELECTION?

In the local elections, Erdoğan faced significant defeats in provinces like Sakarya, Isparta, Kocaeli, and Konya, where he had many municipalities in the past and was ahead. He came out of the election as the second party. Turkey needs to breathe again, especially on the refugee issue. There is a situation where the ability to put forward a new thesis and project before Turkey has been lost. I do not find the demand for an early election incorrect. There is a 2027 formula in minds.

"TURKEY IS IN NEED OF AN EARLY ELECTION"

Unfortunately, Turkey is a country that has been consuming its resources incorrectly for the last 20 years. There is corruption and lack of supervision. Public oversight, political and judicial oversight cannot be performed. We also know how journalists pay compensation. Democracy is like this; those who run out of energy leave. This is the beauty of democracy. Turkey is in need of an early election.

The demand here will increase further. The masses who voted for opposition parties have almost reached 100 percent in wanting an election. If this question is being asked to politicians and Mr. Erdoğan even though a year has not passed since the election, it means something is going wrong. An early election is an opportunity for the government to change.

Turkey's conditions shorten the process. It is the opposition's duty to convey the voice of the citizen. The opposition must be ready. If there is an early election, Erdoğan can be a candidate. We do not want this very much either. It is difficult to decide. But the public's wishes are important.

For this decision to be made, both the AK Party and the CHP must say yes in parliament. The MHP's stance is important. The Sinan Ateş case is hanging over both the MHP and the AK Party.

WHAT WAS DISCUSSED AT THE SIX-PARTY TABLE?

Ultimately, it was a process management. The agenda was discussed. There was also a law based on the past. It was a semi-formal conversation.

Gürkan Zengin: Where did the six-party table make a mistake?

Gültekin Uysal: There was a mistake in process management. That process could not be managed. At every turn, the discussions spilled outside. The work done is valuable work. But we should have been able to put it into concrete terms and put the names that society trusts before the public.

"OUR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE WAS NOT WRONG"

It was necessary to build the main consensus columns at the beginning. We could not do that. I do not believe the candidate was wrong. There was a climate that would increase expectations. We remained deficient in being able to move synchronously, and in making the right groupings, transitions, and formulations for parliamentary competition.

The consensus of the IYI Party and the CHP was at the center of this process. I felt the need to express this before the meeting, and I did.

WHY DID AKŞENER LEAVE THE TABLE?

There was no reflection of a negative attitude there. She said she would consult with the party management regarding Kılıçdaroğlu's candidacy. Akşener said, "I will ask the party." In such cases, consensus must be reached anyway. Not every party makes decisions by consensus. I would like to express that I do not want to talk about this issue over and over again. We could not convey to society that there was a situation where the six-party table invited Mr. Kılıçdaroğlu to candidacy. The candidates whose names were mentioned were already clear.

THE SIX-PARTY TABLE PERFORMED A HISTORIC DUTY

The essential thing is this: the six-party table performed a historic duty. It had an effort in getting rid of a number of prejudice dams, our scabbed wounds, our troubles, a number of traumas (such as May 27), and maturing a climate where everyone is sure of their rights. In this respect, the six-party table had an important function.

WILL A NEW ALLIANCE BE ESTABLISHED?

There is a real reality. No political party can achieve 50+1 alone. Every party needs to cooperate. There are actors who have the capacity to get votes from the electorate. Political parties have a necessity for cooperation. We have an effort to step back a bit regarding the six-party table. A new era is beginning. It is not a period where political parties carry out an independent process within themselves.

"WE ARE TALKING ABOUT 2028 CANDIDATES"

It is wrong to talk about these already. İmamoğlu and Yavaş are strong figures. It was also correct for Kılıçdaroğlu to be a candidate as CHP Chairman regarding his candidacy. I cannot answer the question of whether the CHP Chairman candidate should be the Presidential candidate right now.

The actors expressed did not have intentions. Neither Yavaş nor İmamoğlu has such a situation. Under normal conditions, of course, the candidate is the party chairman.

İmamoğlu and Yavaş want to be candidates for the 2028 elections. I think it is more correct for the chairmen to be candidates. Of course, I also have a desire to be a candidate as a party chairman.

WILL THE NORMALIZATION PROCESS CONTINUE?

Turkey has been stuck between black and white for a long time. There are discourses on the competition and high-tension line that feed both poles. There is the AK Party-CHP axis and the HDP-MHP axis. There is a situation where identity fields are being restructured. Mr. Erdoğan has a pragmatic evaluation of everything he does. It is Mr. Erdoğan who will change his attitude. Let us not ignore the MHP's warning. We should not ignore the statements, "If they want, they can leave the alliance and form an alliance with the CHP."

You have released tapes about the opposition, you have done many things, but you cannot act as if these did not happen.

We do not find it right to serve the government's strategy. We conveyed our objection to the government's 'new constitution', which has turned into a lying shepherd, in terms of procedure and substance to Numan Kurtulmuş. The government wants to protect its own existence at all costs.

WHY IS THE DP NOT GETTING VOTES?

We are doing our own self-criticism. Turgut Özal's competition caused a wearing background. In every election, we saw that the national and religious political field expanded.

The 10 percent threshold acted as a breakwater. Our remaining below the threshold in 2002 and our failure to achieve an alliance with the Motherland Party in 2007 brought us to today step by step.

Erdoğan also made politics very expensive and costly. Despite everything, it is our duty to be successful. Today's climate and conditions are different. It is necessary to flesh out the structure we exist in the field we call reasonable politics. We look at this as a cause and belief.

We are making these evaluations. We have a congress in March, and I am a candidate.

WE ARE LOOKING FOR MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT

There may be a change in the parliamentary arithmetic. Mr. Aydın became a candidate for the IYI Party chairmanship and eventually resigned. The pain of all this, the point that will unlock the lock; is to be able to turn the reasonable right into a strong voice that conditions the political field. There are departures after the congresses of the parties. I see movements on the opposition front. For this, we are also looking for members of parliament. In the portrait seen, there will be new searches and movements in many parties.

'RELATIVE' APPOINTMENTS IN CHP MUNICIPALITIES

If we, as the opposition, are being tested on the point we criticize the government for, this is a failure. But I also do not understand this being done by the government. When looking at the appointments every day, there is no point in the government criticizing the opposition. This covers not only CHP municipalities but the entire opposition. We do not say let the government change but the method not change. A mechanism is needed to audit these wrongs.

IT IS WRONG NOT TO RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE

If TURKSTAT is not going to announce healthy data in Turkey, what will be done? Not TURKSTAT, but the Turkey Illusion Institute. Turkey should make different measurements. It does not coincide with ENAG figures. Mehmet Şimşek can try to remove it from international lists as much as he wants. If no one trusts it, why should they come? You have turned Turkey into a money laundering state. You cannot get off these lists. It is wrong not to raise the minimum wage. On one hand, you say inflation will rise if a raise is given, on the other hand, you raise electricity by 38 percent.

The economy in Turkey should be planned correctly. While saying save money on one side, you are setting aside 27 million to renovate the ministry's toilets on the other. Mr. Erdoğan tends to reduce inflation on paper at all costs. There is deterioration in the labor market. There are millions of unemployed people with university diplomas in their hands. Education has collapsed. There are teachers who cannot be appointed.

"A SCALPEL MUST BE APPLIED TO THE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM"

What is our solution for education as the DP? A scalpel must be applied to the Turkish education system. Faculties and schools that are not needed will be closed. You cannot raise qualified people by building a building and hanging a university sign on its door. Let's look at Boğaziçi. Is there any point in dealing with a university that is in the world rankings? Just don't take that place over too. Have you been able to build an institution close to Boğaziçi? Look at the foundation universities you have established.

Turkey should start from two places; producing academic value with moral and ethical values, and justice.

I do not think Mehmet Şimşek can fix the taxation system.

News Source: 12punto