Breaking News: Erdoğan targets Özgür Özel: 'The engine overheated, the circuits blew'

President and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan harshly criticized the opposition during his party's parliamentary group meeting, stating that they are an obstacle to Turkey's development. Emphasizing the successes in the economy, Erdoğan also directed heavy criticism at TÜSİAD.

Erdoğan began his remarks by targeting the opposition:

There is an opposition deficit in Turkey that never seems to close.

Despite all our efforts over the last 22 years, we have not been able to achieve the desired result in closing this deficit.

The opposition has never abandoned the habit of turning political competition into political hostility.

They have caused Turkey to lose time with their hostile actions, which they package as 'doing opposition.' They have caused irreparable damage.

They have acted as patrons for all attacks targeting our democracy, from the Gezi vandalism to FETÖ's conspiracies and coup attempts.

Please search your memory. While we were fighting FETÖ with our lives on the line, they were standing guard in front of the organization's companies. While we were defending the national will during the Gezi events, they were acting as lawyers for the looters who set the streets on fire.

While we were shielding our chests alongside our nation against tanks on the night of July 15, they were sipping their coffee and watching the coup.

While we were defending the rights of the oppressed from Syria to Gaza, they were trying to look charming to the oppressors for their own political gain.

I draw your attention to the fact that throughout all these processes, the general chairmen, management staff, and deputies in the opposition have changed. However, there has been no change in the mentality that is alien to its own people.

Hopes for change with the new general chairman were soon replaced by disappointment.

The tradition of 'the newcomer making one miss the predecessor' in the CHP was not broken with Mr. Özel. Mr. Özel has not been able to live up to the seat he occupies with his rhetoric and style. We are truly saddened on behalf of the citizens who vote for this party as we look at the tragicomic states of the CHP leader, who lacks political seriousness and maturity.

As you know, Mr. Özel has been exhausting himself for the last 3 weeks to legitimize the slogans of marginal leftist organizations. He has displayed all kinds of 'talents,' from the amateurish act of reading German poetry at the group podium to insults directed at us.

So what happened in the end? The engine overheated... The circuits blew, the memory threw an error. Mr. Özel made a fool of himself before 85 million people.

While calling us 'ignorant of poetry,' it turned out that he is the one who is truly ignorant, truly uncultured, and truly knows nothing of poetry. While trying to show off by reading a poem by the late Ziya Gökalp, he committed a literal massacre of the poem.

We could give Mr. Özel some tips to improve himself in poetry. But as we see his pitiful state, we do not want to waste them on him.

We hope that Mr. Özel will quickly pull himself together, both for his own political future and for the reputation of the political institution. I believe it is now essential for his close friends to remind the CHP Chairman that politics is a matter of seriousness and level.

My dear friends, in the face of this grave picture, I implore you not to forget this fact for a moment.

Our nation has sent you here to work, to produce, and to run for them day and night without saying 'I am tired.' As representatives of the national will, we do not have the luxury of complaining. We are a cadre that has adopted the politics of service and works as a fundamental principle. For us, what matters is to leave a pleasant sound behind when we are stripped of these titles tomorrow.

We know of no greater source of happiness than receiving the prayers of our nation. Therefore, no matter what the opposition is busy with, we will mind our own business and focus on our goals.

Without giving credit to the opposition's obstructions, attempts to slow things down, or polemics, we will serve Turkey with love under this noble roof.

Do not forget... The trust of every citizen, whether they vote for us or not, is on our shoulders. I congratulate all our deputies who properly uphold the nation's trust.

I also thank our MHP friends, our partners in the People's Alliance, in the same way, and I say, may the Lord make our solidarity permanent. On this occasion, I once again convey our get-well wishes to MHP Chairman Mr. Devlet Bahçeli, and I especially express our satisfaction with his recovery.

Those who leave transparency to no one when it comes to talk have started to have their dirty laundry aired out. The allegations reflected in the media and social media are unacceptable. At a time when we are talking about the Century of Turkey, we are ashamed on their behalf that Turkish politics is coming to the agenda with such shameful accusations. We believe that their own voters are also following the allegations that have erupted in the main opposition front with great regret.

We hope that this filth that has been spilled will lead to a purification in the main opposition.

Whether nationwide or within a political party, rejecting illegitimate actions that cast a shadow on the reputation of the ballot box will be an important achievement. We are in favor of transparency, honesty, and the free manifestation of the voter's will.

We will not allow the CHP General Chairmen, both old and new, to drag us into the pit they are struggling in. If they have an unsettled account, they should not involve us in it. Since the matter has been referred to the judiciary, let them settle their scores there. They should not fall into the mistake of settling scores through us.

We have no time to waste with 'dagger politics,' and we do not have the stomach to tolerate these scandals. We know neither daggers nor do we engage in shady business. We conduct all our affairs in both politics and state administration in accordance with the law and ethics.

We will open the doors to a new era. We are intensively carrying out our preparations for this. We will appear before our nation with a strong vision, program, and staff.

The difference between the opposition's agenda and our agenda is becoming more apparent every day. Even their dreams cannot keep up with what we have done. Our Asia trip, covering 3 countries, revealed this fact. You cannot be a great state with just words. To be a great state, you must dream big and set big goals. Turkey continues to break foreign policy molds and shatter conventions. This visit, which we carried out at a time when critical changes are taking place in global politics and trade wars are starting to be discussed, was important. Throughout our trip, we were proud to be members of a great nation with its history, values, and conscience.

In our meetings in the 3 countries, we discussed regional issues, especially Gaza and Syria. We underlined that we will never allow the inhumane, illegitimate plans of the American administration, provoked by Israel, which aim to exile our Gazan brothers and sisters from their own homeland. We gifted TOGG vehicles to the leaders instead of Turkish delight, and the opposition in our country was disturbed.

While we travel the world for Turkey, we witness very different calculations being made inside. Before I get to TÜSİAD's statements, which exceed their limits and reek of provocation, let me say this: In democracies, no one is exempt from criticism. We have not turned a deaf ear to criticism if it is well-intentioned, and we will not. If we are talking about a 'Turkey that speaks' today, it is the AK Party that made this possible. We ensured that every idea could be discussed as long as it did not invite tutelage attempts. We did this despite the obstructions of the CHP and tutelage centers.

We do not take into account the opposition that lined up like servants at the beck and call after the TÜSİAD management's statements. The value of those who act more royalist than the king is only the value their masters have set for them. We have no business with puppets. Our interlocutors are the puppeteers.

The TÜSİAD mentality is a symbol of periods when politics was weak and the state was under their tutelage. This structure is known for businessmen who have grown and been nurtured in the shadow of unfair gains obtained from the public purse and on the back of the nation, and privileges obtained through distributorship instead of domestic and national production. We all remember what the TÜSİAD mentality corresponded to before 2022. They only ruled over money in the old Turkey. They designed politics as they wished, controlled decision-making bodies, and directed them. They set the tone for governments with newspaper headlines. We said 'stop' to this. We transformed the economy from a rentier economy into a production and export economy. We ensured that new actors emerged from the heart of Anatolia. We used the nation's resources not for the enrichment of a handful of bourgeoisie, but for the development and welfare of all segments.

National income rose from 3,600 dollars to over 15,000 dollars this year. Hey TÜSİAD, there is a process that went from 3,600 to over 15,000 dollars. This happened during the AK Party era. You either don't know how to calculate or your calculations are broken! Our exports reached 262 billion dollars from 36 billion dollars. We increased the number of our classrooms to 735 thousand. Our hospital bed capacity reached 270 thousand from 164 thousand. Our divided road length, which was 6,100 kilometers, approached 30 thousand. We spread prosperity to the base with many more works. Of course, we faced serious resistance in this process. We were subjected to operations by those whose rent taps we cut off. TÜSİAD comes first among them.

Every democracy and development move of Turkey in the true sense has always disturbed the TÜSİAD mentality. Indeed, the rude, fascist attitudes this organization has displayed against our country on the side of coup plotters, junta members, imperialists, and influence agents are in our social memory records. We are aware that the old TÜSİAD mentality is being tried to be put back into circulation at a time when Turkey is expanding and consolidating its political, military, and social power in its region, leading calls for the reconstruction of the global system in the world, implementing a determined program against the cost of living and inflation at home, not compromising on investment, production, and employment despite all difficulties, taking important steps towards a terror-free Turkey, and working day and night for the Century of Turkey. You will not succeed! If you want Turkey to surrender, know that such a thing will not happen! If you want Turkey to give up on domestic and national production and turn back into a weak market for global trade, we will never allow such a thing. If you want Turkey to put its democracy under the tutelage of coup plotters, its economy under the tutelage of colonialists, and its national will under the tutelage of 5th column elements disguised as civil society and politicians, we will not consent to such a thing at the cost of our lives.

Every issue that TÜSİAD gives as examples of disrupting the climate of trust in Turkey is within the jurisdiction of the law, justice, prosecutors, and judges. Those who sincerely believe in the rule of law must stand with those who apply the law, not with the supporters of terrorism, provocateurs who know no manners, marginals who hold the art world captive, or monuments of arrogance who threaten members of the judiciary and their families.

What is collapsing is not the 'system,' but their dreams regarding the periods when the state was weak, the nation was poor, and they were living their golden ages. It is not the country that is demoralized, but the TÜSİAD fixtures who are experiencing inner distress because they cannot share the state treasury as they wish after the eras in which they grew through privileges. It is not our people who are experiencing a crisis of confidence, but the TÜSİAD mentality, which is accustomed to doing business without rules out of greed for money. They also talk about natural disasters. In disasters abroad, let alone the full extent of the damage, even the loss of life is not fully disclosed; they talk nonsense even though they know this. Not only our brothers and sisters whose homes were destroyed and whose order was disrupted, but the whole world knows very well Turkey's success regarding the wounds of our disaster victims. They appreciate our efforts. Hey TÜSİAD, what did you do during the earthquake disaster? Would there be a country left standing if it experienced half of what we experienced in the world?

If it is a matter of being held accountable, one should start with TÜSİAD being held accountable for the political, social, and economic costs it has caused in this country for more than half a century.

We can guess the motive behind the half-true, half-false ravings of TÜSİAD, which turned into a 'mute nightingale' in the face of the troubles Turkey has experienced in the last 22 years. The examples they give in the face of the silences they have been comfortable with for decades are a drop in the ocean. It is not their hearts that speak when they should be silent and are silent when they should speak, but their interests. It is the dirty calculations in the background. What they are lamenting as 'collapsed' are the rentier orders that have been running like clockwork for years. The privileged system they built on their privileges has collapsed. The arrogant system where they gave orders to politicians has collapsed. The system where they added money to their money through instability has collapsed. The system where they got rich while the nation was writhing in economic crisis has collapsed. The system where they set the tone for politics from newspaper headlines has collapsed. As long as we are in these positions, no one will have the power to bring back the system where state resources flowed to a handful of elites. Let me remind those who engage in political engineering instead of coming to the agenda with constructive ideas about the economy, employment, and production: Turkey is not your deeded property, the nation is not your personnel, and politicians are not your salaried employees.

You may have blown your horn for years in the chaotic climate of the old Turkey, and you may miss the old Turkey, but you will know your place in the new Turkey. If you are a businessmen's association, you will learn to act like a businessmen's association! You will not incite the nation, you will not provoke the state's institutions, and you will not attempt to put pressure on the judiciary. If you are very eager to do politics, you either establish a party or choose one of the opposition parties that look to the two words coming out of your mouth. We will not turn a blind eye to you dragging this country into a swamp of instability again. As long as you are useful to the country and the nation, we will support you too. Throughout our 22 years of government, we supported all of you without discrimination when you wanted to make a positive contribution to the Turkish economy. But when you attempted political and social engineering, we resisted this with all our might within the framework of a democratic state of law. We will act with the same sensitivity. We will neither eat rights nor consent to the usurpation of the nation's will and rights."

News Source: 12punto