Ekrem İmamoğlu's 'pışık' comment on live broadcast: 'Whoever took offense, took offense'

İmamoğlu responded to journalist Uğur Dündar's questions about the agenda on the Arena program.

IMM Mayor İmamoğlu made the following statement regarding the 'bid rigging' case, which has been postponed once again:

First of all, it must be said that the case issue has become tragicomic; a case has an average duration.

Our case has reached its 733rd day, it's like a joke... There is an accusation of bid rigging over a 280 thousand lira tender in Beylikdüzü... A conscious, targeted, and malicious inspector was sent.

I guess they found this after searching, and a lawsuit was filed on this matter. They want a sword of justice to constantly hang over Ekrem İmamoğlu's head. My lawyer reminded me of today's hearing as well; unfortunately, it did not conclude. I am questioning why nothing is said to the prosecutor who has not submitted a final opinion for the 3rd time. Even though the requested expert reports are in our favor, the prosecutor does not submit a final opinion.

'PIŞIK' COMMENT FROM İMAMOĞLU

Whoever has ill intentions and took offense at "Pışık" (a dismissive gesture/expression), I don't care, but if they listen to the speech, they will see that I gave a message about how important the goal is and that we must be absolutely successful, and that this requires working together, shoulder to shoulder. I made a speech expressing that my party colleagues should also work 24/7 and struggle, while also giving a message to my fellow mayors.

Today in Silivri, we laid the foundation for an extraordinary infrastructure project with a total cost of 1 billion 700 million, belonging to İSKİ, and in addition to this, I said, friends; Look, there may be those who want to trip these friends of mine or undermine them.

Neither our party members nor our citizens will give an opportunity to those with this intention. I say to these malicious people, stop, give this up. I say "Pışık" to them.

THEY CAUSED LOSSES IN MELEN

The contractor warned them, saying this is a wrong method, and there is a loss of 1.5 billion dollars. The Melen project could not be completed. We would have been able to store one year's worth of water for Istanbul and generate electricity. Currently, the State Hydraulic Works (DSİ) does not know what to do about this issue. It was said that the project would be finished in 2022; it is now 2025 and there is still no progress.

"THE 'SHAKE-UP' ISSUE IS A MATTER OF SPITE"

Ekrem İmamoğlu made the following statements regarding President Erdoğan's instruction to 'shake up' CHP municipalities:

Why would an authority governing the state say this for an institution of the state? Sometimes I think; I am the IMM, and I am going to get angry at a citizen. Because I am angry at the citizen, I will tell one of my managers, "Look, make this citizen suffer. Don't do their job." May God not let that happen to me! Can such a thing be thought of, can it be done? Even if this were an individual, I couldn't do it even if I were right.

Because our offices are so sacred, so important, and the work is so justice-oriented that you cannot do this. You cannot hold a grudge against someone, you cannot be resentful, you cannot be angry, you cannot hate. Now I have listed these attributes, but the President expresses his satisfaction with having a spiteful generation.

I said, find me the text. The President said to the youth at an event last week, "A youth that is in the cause of their spite is the youth of our ideals."

Mr. Uğur, I think 10 times before saying the word 'spite', let alone advising someone to be spiteful; can there be such a bad feeling? To hold a grudge against someone. Such a thing cannot be. This is paranoia.

You instill love, respect, reverence, skill, civilization, and being capable in people. Can you say spite? People would ask, "Have you never read Mevlana? Have you never looked at Yunus Emre? Have you never read Hacı Bektaşi Veli? Have you never looked at the teachings of this country, these lands to us?"

In that respect, the "Shake-up" issue is a matter of spite. Now you get up and attack the revenues of the municipalities. Nearly 2 billion TL has been cut from the revenue of the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality (ABB). Whose is ABB? It belongs to the people of Ankara, our people. You did a great job. What will happen? Tying the hands and feet of Ankara, preventing work from being done.

You cut nearly 1 billion TL from Istanbul a month ago, but you get up and buy the land of another municipality for more than its value just because it is AKP-run, and deduct it from their debt. Let me tell you more. To win Istanbul in the election, leave the cuts aside, you send 1 billion TL from the Presidential discretionary fund to the coffers of AKP municipalities. So that they work harder against Ekrem. Among the AKP municipalities, there is no MHP one.

TRUSTEE PROCESS

My heart aches regarding the trustee issue; you invite Ahmet Türk, whom you want to travel from office to office as a reputable person in the current process. On this occasion, I also send my greetings to Ahmet Özer; may God reunite him with his children, I send my greetings to him through you here.

REGARDING THE NEGOTIATIONS CONDUCTED WITH İMRALI

"Certainly, the fundamental problems are quite numerous. Unfortunately, our country has a history that has paid a very high price for terrorism. That is, our country is experiencing a process in which tens of thousands of our martyrs and lives have been lost over decades.

Every member of this country wants to get rid of terrorism, wants terrorism to end today. Therefore, we value every effort; we do not look at it with prejudice. A paradigm definition was made according to the recipe coming from İmralı.

It also defined the two owners of the paradigm; Mr. Bahçeli and Mr. Erdoğan. I will say it without dragging it out; we understand and listen to what Mr. Bahçeli means. He talks about transparency. What does Mr. Erdoğan say? I think no one understands what Mr. Erdoğan is saying to society on this matter.

The owners of the paradigm are Mr. Bahçeli and Mr. Erdoğan. Currently, the head of the power and the government is the President, no one else. Of course, he has an alliance, he has an ally; Mr. Bahçeli... He puts forward an idea, we respect it, we follow it, we listen to it, but what is Mr. Erdoğan saying to the nation?

It cannot happen while all these steps are being taken, while all these processes are being carried out. I mean, it cannot be done by hiding like this, it cannot be done by cowering. If you are the head of the government on this issue, then you will clearly state your will on this matter. This business cannot be done by just staring at a wall.

The solution process requires transparency. A leader paves the way for the solution process to be successful in such an environment. And this is a process that every individual wants to get rid of. The issue is very important, but the essence of the issue is a matter of democracy."

SYRIA ACCUSATIONS DIRECTED AT CHP BY ERDOĞAN

Turkey has managed its Syria policy very poorly over 13 years. Every issue in Syria has become our internal agenda. There are children born in Turkey of Syrian immigrants who may have exceeded a million. When we said we should make this an international issue, they declared us guilty. He said we spent 40 million dollars on Syrian immigrants. How much has this figure increased in the last 5 years... These need to be explained.

They took our Chairman's words and twisted them, saying "Assad is gone, you are still saying Assad"... Whereas, similar statements to our chairman's were made by both Mr. Erdoğan and the AKP front a day or two ago...

They are trying to cover up their own mistakes by attacking the CHP.

Turkey should be the country that protects Syria's mosaic and ensures the provision of an environment that will allow all societies to live together.

We should help in the establishment of a democratic and secular Syria.

THERE IS A STRONG ÖZEL-İMAMOĞLU RELATIONSHIP

Immediately after the 2023 general elections, we started a journey thinking that a spirit of change was essential, otherwise our country's future could head towards great difficulties. However, no one here can say "I started the change." This is a form of struggle put forward by many of our friends. We saw a CHP that managed to become the first party for the first time in many years in local government.

There is an Özgür Özel-Ekrem İmamoğlu relationship that has continued in a close, good communication and brotherhood relationship since the first congress. This issue is a matter of the country. It is not just the party's issue. Such formations might have been managed through parties in the past, but now we are looking at a very broad agenda. The CHP is a party that founded the state, a value that is in our founding philosophy...

We are discussing this, talking about it, we want to hand over the flag to our young friends. There is a dirty political arena in Turkey. We want to move the country forward in accordance with our founding philosophy.

There is no such talk or discussion that Chairman Özgür Özel will be President and Ekrem İmamoğlu will be President. The members of my party and the wisdom of this country will show us the right path. Which process coordination can build the future of the country.

No internal party issue has seen me and my party talking in front of screens at any moment of our 16-year political journey, nor will it, but I will also put up the necessary fight within my party to find a solution.

Our Chairman may have mistakes, we will correct them, we are taking steps together and we will continue this way. We are putting up an intense struggle for the future of our country. We will make the most correct decision and continue on our way with strong steps.

News Source: 12punto