TKP Holds Major Public Rally in Defne: The People Are Winning in Defne

The Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) held a major public rally in Defne, Hatay, one week before the March 31 local elections. The large rally was accompanied by chants of "The working-class mayor is the hope of Defne." A moment of silence was held in memory of the citizens lost in the earthquakes. Following the event, artist Gülcan Altan took the stage.

TKP General Secretary Kemal Okuyan delivered the first speech at the major public rally. In his speech, Okuyan stated, "For people like us, for the working class, the poor, and the public to achieve victory in an election, three things are needed. One: You need a party that acts like a party. We are not like parties that sing a different tune in Edirne and another in Diyarbakır. Whatever we say in Defne, we say the same in Istanbul. We are gathered here now, and in Kadıköy, Istanbul, Fatih Maçoğlu and our comrades are holding a major march. Second, you need the people who are here. Third, you need a candidate who is a child of the people, who believes in organization, whose words match their actions, and who is a child of the people who does not steal or embezzle."

"POLLING COMPANIES SAY 'YOU ARE WINNING'"

Okuyan continued his speech as follows:

"We knew you were winning, but the polling companies that have ignored the TKP and Hizam Hasırcı for months have now admitted it too. According to the polls we have received, you are winning; I don't mean the TKP, I don't mean Hizam, you are winning. Because you are the true heroes of this victory, of this success. We are not like other parties, and Hizam is not like other candidates. If they panic and try to smear us because the TKP is taking the lead, we are truly not like other parties. They will pay such a price that they won't know what hit them."

Greeting the delegation from the Communist Party of Greece, Okuyan said, "Our comrades from Greece are among us. They are here to show solidarity, and they will come to cooperate after we win the election. Our peoples, the poor, and the working class need cooperation. Not the thieves."

Okuyan concluded his speech by stating that Hizam Hasırcı is winning in Defne and that this success belongs to the people.

Following Kemal Okuyan, Kostas Peletidis, the Mayor of Patras from the Communist Party of Greece, took the podium. Peletidis began his speech by commemorating the citizens who lost their lives in the earthquake. Peletidis said, "In a region where the price of a policy that sacrificed the safety of the people in Hatay for the wealth of a few was paid with thousands of deaths, where millions are still waiting for the reconstruction promised by the government, and where it has been proven that the power of people's solidarity is stronger than the bourgeois state, we declare with you: We will not forget, we will not forgive, they will be held accountable."

Stating that "the election of the TKP candidate as mayor in Defne will be a victory for the people," Peletidis called for votes for Hizam Hasırcı, saying, "With Hizam Hasırcı as Mayor, your voice will be heard louder, and your demands for rights will be stronger."

"OUR GREATEST PROJECT IS..."

The final speaker of the event was TKP Defne Mayoral Candidate Hizam Hasırcı. Hasırcı stated, "We do not have mega-projects. We have no lies to tell the people. We are telling you what we can do. We say we will establish cooperatives, we will establish study centers, we will establish nurseries, we will establish culture and sports centers, we will establish anti-drug centers, and we will carry out projects to develop tourism. We did not come here today to make promises to you; we came to say let's lift Defne up together. Let's lift Defne up all together. Our greatest project is to create the unity and solidarity of these people and make them a single fist. We will not allow corrupt politicians to deceive us."

Speaking about what will be done for Defne, Hasırcı said: "We will establish study centers for our youth. We will protect our youth from bad habits by establishing anti-drug centers in Defne. We do not have a single young person in Defne to lose to sects, religious communities, or mafia brokers. We will look after all our youth. There are dozens of products in Defne; we will establish production facilities for the products we have identified. We will create employment, especially for housewives. We will raise the welfare level of our people by establishing Defne natural product sales centers."

News Source: 12punto