Duval – CHP Chairman Ozgür Ozer praised the “normalization/de-escalation” discussions that unfolded in the wake of his meeting with President Tayyip Erdogan and MHP leader Debret Bahceli’s “alliance” statement.
In response to a question from Armagan Chalayan on Ekoru TV, Ezer said, “I will not get involved in any business that will take on the burden of 22 years of the AK Party… Devlet cannot stand by and watch. They will all go to the UN. Let’s oppose it together.”
The key points of CHP leader Ezer’s assessment are as follows:
Did you have an overall goal for your presidency?: I did not set any strategic goals. Whatever I do, I try to do it well. Other work is interrupted. After I reach a certain position in the party, the party must take power. You are attached to it. We want our party to take power on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republic. Let the people breathe easy. If I fear polarization, I should not have run as CHP leader. Daily threats and tensions…
The loss of the presidential election caused trauma: We put all our effort into the presidential election, but we didn’t get the results. It was traumatic for my friends, my family, and me. The excitement of the young people on the streets has disappeared. Some people say, “If I don’t see the power of the CHP, I will be left behind.” Some people have been suffering for 50 years.
We needed a change in the party. There was incredible psychological trauma. We needed to take a step. That’s the feeling I played with. Ekrem Imamoglu was the first to express this. We talked about the need for change in the party. We should have said to people: “We have learned our lessons, we have changed. We are younger. Don’t give up hope.” Populist leaders all over the world are exploiting people’s anger at the ballot box. That was happening here too. People were looking for a place to make a claim.
We were the only party that correctly read the emotions on the field. We are young, we are not blaming the voters, we are responsible, and we are the only party with many female candidates. The voters punished everyone who did not change, including the AK Party, the MHP, and the İYİ Party.
Criticism of the meeting with President Erdogan: There are two groups. They are looking at Turkey’s past practices. There is a group that says, “Whenever the Justice and Development Party is in a difficult position, they stand up for someone. We should not help them with this.” I think this is legitimate and I respect it. We will decide with MYK. We are not a party that can be easily fooled and make hasty decisions. The concerns are valid and we need to be careful.
Some are taking advantage of this polarized environment. Some believe they have no place in normal politics. For those who say, “Should we shake hands with the people who have been doing this to us for years?” I have no words. But those who are wealthy and feed off of polarization need to be cleansed.
(Criticism of Yilmaz Ozdil) This is the mentality of calling voters who don’t vote “canisterheads” instead of saying, “What are you doing wrong?” It was because we broke away from this mentality that we were able to become the first party in 47 years.
Tax Reform: There are retirees in the world who live on 10,000 TL, minimum wage workers, tea and wheat producers, and many people who cannot pay their debts. I told Mr. Erdogan: 68% of taxes are indirect taxes. Manufacturers and their workers pay the same taxes. 21% comes from income taxes, that is, from people who receive salaries. Only the remaining 11 percent are taxes paid by businessmen and shipowners. It should be the exact opposite. President Erdogan asked to meet with Mr. Şimşek about tax reform.
Lightning is not rational right now. It is rational for the rich, but very irrational for the poor. I plan to meet with Şimşek after the holidays. It is out of the question for us to support IMF policies. We want to incorporate the informal economy into the economy and collect more taxes from the wealthy.
They will all go to the opposition together: I will not take part in the business of taking on the burden of 22 years of the AK Party. Mr. Devlet cannot stand by and watch. They will all go to the opposition together. We became partners in the government in the elections of March 31. The constitution divides power into two: the central government and the local government. A total of 87 percent of the local administration is under the control of the CHP. The People’s Alliance is responsible for everything that has happened so far. We did not ally with the parties. We ally with the state. It is okay for Devlet Bey to leave the People’s Alliance and come to the Turkish Alliance. If Mr. Devlet is happy when the national team scores a goal, let him come.
Now there are no relative appointments in our municipalities. When such a situation arose in Balikesir, I called the mayor’s brother and told him to volunteer. It was the similarity of the surname Kırşehir. I also called about this issue in Esenyurt, and it was resolved in two hours. The CHP has visible dirt. The AK Party has been cultivating dirt for years. They make hundreds of appointments in each municipality. The CHP’s justly criticized personnel are also immediately visible. I opposed all of them and quit immediately.
We did not ask for pardon for Gezi prisoners: The Gezi issue is divided into three areas. If we follow the ECHR, Kabala must be released, and if we follow the Constitutional Court decision, Can Ataley must be released. The MHP said “The Constitutional Court should be closed” and President Erdogan said “Gezi is my personal matter.” On the other hand, you say that only the decisions of the ECHR and the Constitutional Court should be followed. We did not ask for pardon.
I got the idea from Sezer: (Private conversation with President Erdogan) Some meetings will be held behind closed doors. In the history of the Republic of Turkey, there have been various speculations on this subject. I was hesitant on behalf of my party and my family and was looking for a way to prevent this from happening. I did not want to burden anyone. I went to Ahmet Necdet Sezer and asked about this. He told me to appoint an ambassador as an arrangement for the meetings. “They are planning the flow,” he said, and we followed it. I went with Mr. Namik Tan, a retired ambassador whose impartiality is beyond question, and my private secretary.
I sent the conversation and archived it. Namık Bey decrypted the notes on this conversation. We also archived it in the party. We also gave it to the Secretary General, Ms. Serin, who archived it. We all read the notes. This document is now kept in the official archives of the party and in the safe of the Presidential Secretary’s Office.
Did he attend the conference wearing an 18-year-old tie: that is a fabrication of trolls. Deniz was already present at the conference 18 years ago, but I was not there. I was the president of the Chamber of Pharmacists in Manisa.
You can’t make a new constitution without adhering to the current one. No information has been given about its contents at all. I was told to work properly. “17 million 499 thousand people voted for my party. It’s not easy for us to get a seat,” I said. There is a constitution that must be adhered to. If this is not followed, the state will disappear. There are many clauses in the constitution that seem strange. But how does this work for a party that wants unity of principles, not separation?
The İYİ Party ran a tough campaign against the CHP: Until March 31, no other parties except the CHP changed. We also did a good job of following up. Everyone except us lost. The people interpreted our solo run as “we decided to do so because we were jealous of the People’s Party.” Therefore, the voters of the İYİ Party also voted for us. The İYİ Party ran a tough campaign against the CHP. Our people will not accept those who today criticize what they praised yesterday. We want Mr. Musavat to succeed. We are acting with the understanding that old friends cannot become enemies.
Erdogan-Akşener meeting: It is true that this meeting is not an organized one. Otherwise, it would be headed by the chairman or someone appointed by the chairman. The issue called normalization also includes this. The former head of the political party may meet with the president. It would be appropriate to inform the chairman of these steps to be taken. Before the meeting with President Erdogan, I called the former chairmen one by one and told them. After that, I briefly explained the meeting. This way there will be no problem. This is the first time that the İYİ Party has a former leader. The dialogue channel must be open. The meeting is quite normal.
KILIÇDAROĞLU STOCK: Kemal Bey sent an important tweet defending the corporate identity of the CHP. He now has the same sense of security as the former chairman. As he stated, this allows us to think more easily and gives us perspective. This is an abundance for us and a rare blessing.
(News Center)
