İYİ Party's Çömez asks Minister Tekin 'why were the administrators dismissed': It happened a month ago

The İYİ Party delegation, assigned by İYİ Party Chairman Müsavat Dervişoğlu, conducted investigations in Kahramanmaraş, where the school attack took place. The delegation visited the injured students in the hospital and met with their families. İYİ Party Group Deputy Chairman Turhan Çömez stated the following:

"Can one practice shooting at a firing range that we know or are told belongs to the Police Department? How can a 15-year-old child be given a weapon and trained? It is known, discussed, and shared that this child had some psychological problems. It was shared by his family. The school administration showed sensitivity regarding this issue and warned the relevant authorities. At the same time, they warned the family. They said, 'Take precautions and do what is necessary.' But what was necessary was not done. And the school was raided in a premeditated, extremely professional, and planned manner, and unfortunately, our innocent little ones, small children, and a teacher who sacrificed his life to protect them by shielding them with his own body, passed away. We must stand behind this."

"Why were the principal, vice principals, and teachers of this school dismissed a month ago?"

There is another problem. As a member of parliament and as representatives of the İYİ Party, we must ask this. Why were the administrators of this school dismissed a month ago? Why were the school principal, vice principals, and teachers removed from their duties? I will ask the families in a moment, why were they removed? Why was the school administration, which had known the school for years, had no complaints against them, knew all the details of the school, and knew all the details about the child who carried out this massacre and this disaster at the school, dismissed a month ago? They say, and the witnesses are here, 'The former administration warned the relevant places, cautioned, reminded, and warned the family because they knew the child's situation. He received psychotherapy both at school and outside. This child was a child who spent his time in front of a game console from morning to night. He had problems at school, and with a very justified and appropriate behavior, the school administration was searching the bags that this child had been carrying for weeks when he entered the school,' is that correct? I will ask you in a moment. So what happened? The former administration was dismissed from their duties, and we will pursue this as well. Why did you dismiss the former administration? And after that, this massacre was carried out.

"We are not a party that will convince the nation with certain expressions to gloss over certain policies"

We have our School Parent-Teacher Association President with us. We have our parents. We are engaged in politics on behalf of the nation. And we are in Ankara to be the speaking tongue, the seeing eye, and the hearing ear of the nation, together with the nation. We are not a party, a political team, that will convince the nation with certain policies or gloss over things with certain expressions. We are here to investigate one by one and bring the nation's agenda to the agenda of Ankara."

To Çömez's questions, "I am asking our School Parent-Teacher Association President. Did you foresee that these things could happen? Were there problems here?", the School Parent-Teacher Association President replied as follows:

"Of course, we cannot foresee this incident, but because the principal and administrators of this school know all their students one-on-one, they take every necessary precaution. There was no security here. But vice principal Alparslan Yıldırım, all parents know, every morning outside at school dismissal times, I am talking about the former vice principal. Çiğdem teacher is the same, she knows everything about all the female students. 5 teachers and the administration were changed."

When İYİ Party's Çömez asked, "Now, did you make an effort to provide a security guard for this school? Did you make an effort?", the School Parent-Teacher Association President replied, "Yes, we did, but we were told that security is not provided to any school anyway. When we wanted to do it by collecting money among ourselves or with those who wanted to help, we were told it was forbidden. We can't even find someone to clean. There is no cleaner to clean."

"How will you make this school safe under these conditions?"

İYİ Party's Çömez continued as follows:

"Look, our school parent-teacher association president is saying something so important, she says 'there was no security guard at this school.' We said, 'Let's collect money among ourselves to ensure the safety of our children, let a security guard be employed by volunteers, let the school hire them and assign them here,' and she says, 'we applied but it was not accepted.' Look, she is saying something extremely important. Besides, we have a parent here... How will you make this school safe under these conditions and how will you overcome the trauma of so many little ones? I mean, such grave things are being told that today, together with our friends, our deputy chairman of the group, our deputies, and our chairman, we have done very serious work. And we are sharing perhaps a very small part of this work with you.

The information and documents we have are truly things that we all need to stop and think about. In this regard, a commission will be established in Parliament in the coming days. Of course, we will also take an active role there and work, but let us say this. We have spoken about this issue many times in Parliament and have submitted parliamentary research motions. To date, the government has not paid attention to any of these studies we have done, saying 'what are these?' or 'what a serious problem there is.'"

"We are truly going through very bad days"

İYİ Party Deputy Chairman Responsible for Education Policies and Manisa Deputy Şenol Sunat stated the following:

"We lost a teacher and our little ones, our tiny little ones, and I wish healing to our injured. I offer my condolences to the families. I say get well soon. We are truly going through very bad days. Rest assured, I am one of your deputies who constantly brings up this school security issue in Parliament. How many times did I explain to Mr. Yusuf Tekin that there is no school security. Now, in most schools, people who are from İŞ-KUR and who have no experience and no authority are assigned to some schools. We even made suggestions to them. We said, 'Of course, we need security guards who are experienced and certified in this regard. At the same time, these former expert sergeants, since they have experienced many events, at least let them be assigned to certain schools,' we said. They don't hear anything. The same applies to the staff as well.

"We more or less saw that we would experience these at a time when there is social disintegration"

Look, schools were sounding the alarm. These acts of violence are contagious at some point. 2 days ago, there was an incident in Siverek. Then we all faced this incident in our Maraş. Reports emerged in a few other provinces as well. At a time when the education system has collapsed so much, and at a time when Turkey is so degenerate economically, socially, and culturally, and at a time when there is social disintegration, we more or less saw that we would experience these. But was any precaution taken? No. Will everything happen only after the incident in this country? No solution is produced for any issue before it happens. We are not sure how much will be produced again. That's why I want to express that we will be the followers of this. As the İYİ Party, we are following this issue. And after the research commission, or these deficiencies, these problems, the problems in education and school security—and school security is not just about such incidents. There are gangs outside. Peer bullying is already a problem inside. In a process where it is experienced so much, we are also talking about a student who can take 5 guns and come. How did we get to this state?"

"It is known that 32 million people in Turkey have guns"

Regarding a question about gun licenses, İYİ Party's Sunat spoke as follows:

"I want you to know that we are focusing a lot on these issues. Look, it is known that 32 million people in Turkey have guns. 85 percent of this is unlicensed. And the number of licensed ones is also plentiful, thank God. What is this? We have stated that this much individual armament is not right. We will continue to pursue this. And it appears that in digital environments, on social platforms, these children encourage each other with some games, on platforms like Telegram, and warn each other in some way. I mean, when we look at the messages that have emerged and are shared on social media, we all see that the issue is truly grave. These are our children. That is why I want to express that we will do whatever falls to us."

"Do not ever say that this is an isolated act committed by a child with a disturbed psychology"

Taking the floor again, Turhan Çömez stated that this issue should be handled in all its dimensions and continued his words as follows:

"I am calling out to the government from here: Do not ever try to overcome this by saying, 'This is an isolated act committed by a child with a disturbed psychology.' You cannot cover this up. I will ask a few questions here. Look, the camera footage, that camera footage existed until the moment of the incident. However, after the first explosion or the first shot, the school administration, rightly thinking, 'Is there an electrical fault, is there an explosion?', turned off the electrical system that also cuts the cameras. So my question is this; under normal conditions, camera footage has an uninterruptible power supply. Even if the electricity is cut, the camera footage continues to record. Now I am asking here, to the Ministry of National Education, did you receive a request on this matter? Did they ask for money? Was money requested from the Ministry of National Education so that the cameras of this school could record properly? I am asking. What was your answer? I also know what was done. I know what the answer is, but I am asking the Ministry of National Education from here.

"Were there people who came to the school and acted as lookouts before the incident?"

I am asking the Ministry of Interior: Mr. Minister, can the Police Organization, our directors and units serving in the police, take their children and practice shooting at the police's firing ranges? How can a 14-year-old child be at the police's firing range? How can he practice with a weapon? And this child, again according to the father's statement, says, 'Others were doing it, let me go and do it too.' This means there are even more grave things. I want to draw attention to another detail.

I am asking this question to the Ministry of Interior again: Mr. Minister, you have the camera footage until the moment of the incident. Examine those images well. I say it again, examine those images well. Were there people with helmets and cameras who came to the school and walked around the school in a sense, acting as lookouts, before the incident? I am just asking a question on behalf of the nation. Look, I am highlighting a very important detail. We have many more questions, let me tell you. We have too many questions. And that is why we are here. Our hearts are burning, we are speaking angrily, but that is why we are here.

We will follow these events together with the nation. And we will confront those responsible in the commission with all the information and documents we have, and we will hold them accountable."

Şenol Sunat stated that they would do their part as the opposition and said that Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin should also resign.

News Source: 12punto