Ekrem İmamoğlu: They tried to throw us in a dungeon and keep us from serving Istanbul, they failed

İmamoğlu stated, “They tried to close the daycare centers, they threw us into dungeons, they tried to keep us from the path of serving Istanbul. They failed. Today, my colleagues are opening our new daycare centers in Ataşehir, Çekmeköy, Eyüpsultan, Kartal, Maltepe, Pendik, Sancaktepe, Şişli, and Tuzla—in other words, in all four corners of Istanbul.”

In the message read by presenter Tuğrul Tuna, İmamoğlu noted the following:

Valuable Istanbulites, my dear fellow citizens, esteemed ladies and gentlemen of Tuzla, precious youth, dear children; I embrace you all with longing and love. A hello full of longing from Silivri to Tuzla. You know best what we have done to serve Istanbul since 2019. We have become the administration that has produced the most metro lines in annual average in Istanbul's history, made the most infrastructure and environmental investments, and provided the most social assistance.

To those who said ‘It is not the municipality’s job’ regarding the services we implemented for the first time in IMM history, you gave the greatest response with your intense interest in our services. One of these services was the daycare centers we opened for our children. They tried to close the daycare centers, they threw us into dungeons, they tried to keep us from the path of serving Istanbul. They failed. Today, my colleagues are opening our new daycare centers in Ataşehir, Çekmeköy, Eyüpsultan, Kartal, Maltepe, Pendik, Sancaktepe, Şişli, and Tuzla—in other words, in all four corners of Istanbul.

"OUR CHILDREN WILL GROW UP WITH LOVE"

In these daycare centers, our children will grow up with love and happiness, gaining new skills in the most modern and healthy conditions. Thanks to the daycare centers where preschool teachers, child development specialists, and psychological counseling and guidance experts serve, inequalities between children will disappear. Regardless of their income level or social status, all children will be prepared for life in the best way by receiving preschool education. Through our daycare centers, we provide training on child development not only to children but also to parents. We help mothers who want to work after enrolling their children in daycare find jobs.

Through our Regional Employment Offices, we guide mothers and ensure they are placed in jobs. We are doing work that is very worthy of the idea of the republic and our republic in every aspect. IMM daycare centers are being opened so that the children of the republic can receive education under equal and fair conditions. Because the republic primarily means equality and justice for children. The republic means, above all, equality of opportunity in education. All the children of this city and this country are the children of the republic, and each one deserves to see the value they deserve.

"WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR RAISING A GENERATION THAT UPHOLDS THE PRINCIPLES OF THE REPUBLIC"

Our children should be able to benefit from the resources of this city and this country with justice. The republic brought us this sense of equality and social justice. We are responsible for raising generations who know the value of the republic and uphold the principles and ideals of the republic. I love our children very much. Many heroes will emerge from our children who grow up with a strong education and equal opportunity. They will be world-class heroes in science, education, economy, technology, art, and every field of life. They will write history, and we will be proud of them together with their mothers and fathers. Our great leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk summarized what we must do on this great journey in the simplest way: ‘We must accustom our children to express their thoughts clearly without hesitation, to defend what they sincerely believe in, and in return, to respect the sincere thoughts of others.’

A country where children are raised with this understanding will be strong, happy, and peaceful. We set out to create such a country. These difficult days we are going through will not set us back even one step from our determination and resolve to struggle. In the second century of our republic, we will build a country based on democracy, equality, justice, and freedom together. We will not take a single step back, we will not stand back even a millimeter. We will not take a step back for our children. We will not take a step back for our youth. Everything will be very beautiful. Everything will be very beautiful. Everything will be very beautiful.”

News Source: 12punto