CHP CHAIRMAN AND PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE KEMAL KILIÇDAROĞLU SPOKE AT THE " NATION MEETING" IN GAZIANTEP

Republican People's Party Chairman and Presidential Candidate of the Nation Alliance Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu attended the "Nation Meeting" organized in Gaziantep, the earthquake zone.

- "I have no eyes for palaces. I want to live like you. I am already living like you. I have no individual ideals, but this society needs to rise, this society needs to develop, this society needs to thrive, this society needs to evolve, and should not be suffocated by minor issues. We dream of a Turkey that pursues big dreams."

- "We were promised, they said, 'we will build buildings for you quickly; we will build buildings for those whose houses were demolished. Then, with a 2-year grace period and 20-year payments, we will give and sell you these buildings. So, I promise from Nurdağı to all the earthquake victims and those whose houses, shops, barns, and apartments were destroyed. All of these buildings will be built without charging a dime."

- "Now they've come here and asked you for apologies. That's not how you do it. An apology is not like this. So when I deliver these buildings to you without any fee, I will ask for forgiveness."

- "You will see; we will bring Justice, merit, togetherness and unity to this country. We will respect everyone. We will also welcome people who do not think like us. We will not marginalize people who think differently or declare them enemies. On the contrary, we will embrace everyone."

- "Politics is not a means of enrichment. If a politician is getting rich, he is stealing. I promised I am promising again from Nurdağı; I will take that 418 billion dollars, collect it for you, and bring it for you! I will bring it to this country; I will invest in it. I will not let anyone exploit the poor orphans; let everyone know that."

CHP Chairman and Presidential Candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said the following in his speech at the meeting:

"Thank you. I set out to ensure love in this country, peace in this country, tolerance in this country, fraternity in this country, to live together in this country, to be together from seven to seventy, to be brothers and sisters, to be together in sorrow and joy. Therefore, I offer you a big heart full of love and respect.

Sir, my friends told me about the drama at the beginning. Yes, we have experienced a great tragedy. According to official figures, we have lost over 50 thousand lives. I am in Nurdağı today to heal the wounds and be with you. I have my MP friends and mayor friends among us. But two of our metropolitan mayors are also here. Muhittin Böcek, our Antalya Metropolitan Mayor and Ekrem İmamoğlu, our Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor. I thank them both from the bottom of my heart.

I was here on the second day of the earthquake; it was freezing cold. Then I went to other provinces. We reached Hatay in the evening, later in the night. I saw the picture; I saw the tragedy. I saw the loss of life and people struggling to rescue people trapped under the rubble in the cold. I saw public officials with their hands tied. Could such an earthquake be possible? It can be possible. But we need to make all kinds of preparations. There are earthquakes in other places, but never 50 thousand people lose their lives. Buildings must be substantial, the fault lines must be known, and they must be planned. All kinds of infrastructure must be delivered. I will give you more detailed information about all these in a moment.

Dear friends, we are suffering a lot. I promise you that we all in Turkey suffer the same pain you are suffering. Eighty-five million of us have felt the same pain in our hearts. Thus, being together in sorrow and joy, being together on difficult days and being together on happy days is a special feeling that brings us all together. We call this emotion 'nation'. This is one of the most beautiful aspects of being a nation, being together, and living together, my dear friends.

I dream of a Turkey where every child is born with a full tummy, a Turkey where there is peace in every home, a Turkey where shopkeepers are comfortable, where farmers can quickly sell their produce, and where they return home in peace after working in the fields in the evening, where factory workers return home in peace after finishing their work, where they have a future expectation, a hope, and where they want to grow that hope, that dream. I want such a Turkey. No one should be marginalized because of their identity, because of their faith, or because of their way of life. We are together; we are one nation, and we are strong.

Women, men, old and young should all be together; 85 million of us should be together. If one of our children is hungry, know that 85 million are hungry that day. If one of us is sick, 85 million are sick that day. Therefore, we must find a way to be together, to be together, to sing the same songs, to sing the same folk songs together. We have become too divided, too polarized. Turkey needs to get out of here. Why are we polarizing? Why are we dividing? After all, we have a table in front of us in the evening; we have breakfast in the morning. We want everyone to have a full stomach. We want every mother to send her child to school with a smiling face. We want every mother to expect her child to have a good job after graduation, and we want this wish to come true. This is our greatest desire. If this does not happen, we cannot grow, we cannot develop, and we cannot solve the problem of unemployment. We need help with many issues. We will overcome them, and we will overcome them together. I promise that we will overcome all our problems together. I promise you this.

I don't want palaces. I want to live like you. I am already living like you. I don't have such luxuries and big ambitions. I don't have any individual ideals, but this society needs to rise up, this society needs to grow, this society needs to develop, this society needs to improve, and it shouldn't drown in small details. We dream of a Turkey that pursues excellent ideals. Turkey can be the most powerful country in the Middle East and the Mediterranean; there is no obstacle in front of it, and there is no obstacle other than the political institution. We want to grow, develop, generate employment and set an example for ourselves and all oppressed nations. As we develop, they will also develop. As our culture of democracy increases, their culture of democracy will also increase. Just like the struggle we fought in the War of Independence. We fought the War of Independence, and all oppressed countries fought the War of Independence. We established our republic, and all oppressed countries established their republics. Their eyes are upon us. They are looking at Turkey. They are looking at Turkey's growth and development. We will ensure this together. We will provide trust and ensure peace and abundance on the tables. We have to do this.

And the political institution must tell the public the truth. If the political institution does not tell the people the truth, there is profound mistrust between the people and politics. This is the main reason why politicians are not trusted today. Let me give you an example. Covid-19 has happened, right? A pandemic disease. Official figures were announced 82 thousand people lost their lives. Then the number of people who died in Turkey was reported, 200 thousand, my friends, 200 thousand! At least let us mourn; let us live our pain. Some even see this as too much. That is why we will start a new Turkey. We will begin in a new Turkey, a new understanding.

Yes, we suffered. Yes, there was an earthquake. But, dear friends, I would like to briefly share the aid provided by our mayors to Gaziantep and Nurdağı. Our Mayor of Antalya Metropolitan Municipality is here; he sent 35 vehicles, 70 personnel, 54 trucks of humanitarian aid, three mobile kitchens, one mobile oven, 2,800 blankets, 120 heaters, etc. etc. Our Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality is also here; 13 vehicles, 87 personnel, 13 humanitarian aid materials, 5,500 blankets and many other aids were sent here. And my dear friends, we want to pave the way for being together, being together, sharing the pain and then embracing as a nation.

Apart from the loss of life, my dear friends, there are also material losses. Buildings, the people living in those apartments, their refrigerators, their kitchens, their armchairs, in the end, all of them were destroyed. Infrastructure, agriculture, industry, and factories, a large part of them have also destroyed a significant portion of them. Especially barns and livestock breeders suffered considerable damage. Human capital, i.e. trained manpower... After the earthquake, lawyers, engineers, architects, supervisors, and everyone left the earthquake zone in a manner of speaking, and I would like to express that this is also a great pain, dear friends.

The number of buildings destroyed in the earthquake and heavily and moderately damaged buildings is 817 thousand 48. The number of slightly damaged buildings is 1 million 657 thousand. A total of 2 million 467 thousand 84 buildings, some of which will be reinforced, others will be completely demolished, and new facilities will be built. We were promised, it was said, 'we will build your buildings quickly; we will build buildings for those whose houses were demolished. With a 2-year grace period and 20-year instalments, we will give and sell you these buildings.

I promise from Nurdağı to all my earthquake-stricken brothers and sisters, to everyone whose house, shop, barn, and apartment building was destroyed. All of these buildings will be built; not a dime will be charged.

God willing, you will see after May 15, we will come, we will not sit in the palace, and you will see that after May 15, whoever's house, barn, or building was demolished, all of them will be built, the key will be handed over and no money will be charged. The reason... Look, dear Nurdağ residents, dear Antep residents, dear brothers and sisters; I am reading the Constitution. Article 57 of the Constitution says, 'The state takes measures to meet the need for housing within a planning framework that considers the characteristics of cities and environmental conditions'. In other words, it says that it makes a plan, makes a program, determines a location and meets the housing needs of citizens. Who? It tells the state does this.

Well, dear friends, let me move on to another issue. I want to ask a citizen who owns a house and whose house was demolished. A contractor comes and constructs a building. To buy an apartment from that building and go to the title deed office to sign, 23 signatures and 23 signatures are also required. All of these 23 signatures belong to the public. A geological engineer must sign for a ground survey because the ground here is possible. Again, a civil engineer will come and sign for the ground survey, and a geophysical engineer will sign for the ground survey. There is an architect, a mapping engineer, a city planner, a civil engineer, a mechanical engineer, and an electrical engineer... Architects, construction engineers, mechanical engineers, all of them sign, 23 signatures are signed, 23 signatures are signed, and at the end, the municipality gives permission, says, this building is strong, this building is earthquake resistant, all research has been done, we have all signed our signatures, and the matter is over. As a citizen, you then go to the title deed office, you go to the contractor, you agree, you say, 23 signatures have been signed, this building is sound, I will buy this building. You put a single signature on the title deed conveying that you are purchasing this building. When you buy the building, the state assures you there are 23 signatures; it says this building is strong and will not collapse in case of an earthquake. And you, as a citizen, go and buy it. You have no fault, no wrongdoing. Then whoever is at fault should pay the money.

I come to the Constitution again. Article 125, paragraph 7 of the Constitution states: 'The administration, i.e. the state, is obliged to pay the damages arising from its own actions and transactions: 'The administration, i.e. the state, is obliged to pay the damages arising from its own actions and transactions.' It must pay the damages arising from its actions and transactions. Now they have come here and asked for your forgiveness. That's not how you do it. Forgiveness goes like this. When I deliver these buildings to you without charge, I will ask for your forgiveness. You will say: "Friend, we can't bring back the dead; I know your house was destroyed, I know your shop was destroyed, I know your barn was damaged. But I will do all of this as the state. I was at fault; I was at fault; 23 people signed, and none of these signatures was accurate. I will go back to them and ask them to account for it, but you had no fault, no wrongdoing. You went, you signed and took it from the land registry. I can't bring back those who died, but I am handing over your house, shop, and barn to you without charging you a penny. Now give me your due. Then this will happen.

My dear friends. The farmer should not worry; we will completely write off the loans and interests of the farmers whose barns were destroyed to agricultural credit cooperatives, tradespeople, merchants' surety cooperatives and banks. We will write off all the loans and interest debts of the merchants and farmers damaged by the earthquake to the banks because they are already devastated. Why will we write them off? The man's shop has already been destroyed; he cannot shop. His shop was destroyed, he lost his relatives, and he had no money to pay the bank. He has no job anyway. You say, come to the bank, pay your debt, pay the interest. Where is the welfare state? The welfare state exists these days. It will come and say, don't worry; I'm cancelling your interest, I'm cancelling your debt, I'm paying your losses, as long as you buy your shop, you will produce, the state is on your side. In this way, the fact that the state is the protector of the citizen, that the state is on the side of the citizen, and that the state protects the citizen will be revealed.

Now, this is also an agricultural region. I know Nurdağı has farmers, producers, livestock breeders and others. All of these need to be assessed,

I told you about the houses to be built for earthquake victims, I told you about the demolished shops, I told you about the demolished barns and 20-year instalments without getting a penny of money. They are also putting your grandchildren in debt. How will you get it? I talked to bar associations and lawyers; when you ask for money, you can easily file a lawsuit, and you will win the case; you can get your money with interest, don't worry. The state has to fulfil its obligation. If a person's building has not been demolished but needs to be reinforced, they will be given a zero-interest loan from the bank. The bank will say, "Here, brother, strengthen your building", and its architect and engineer will handle it. We will also do this. Those 23 signatories who signed that the building is strong and earthquake resistant will go back to them as the state and ask them to account for it. When the citizen bought this building, this apartment, this shop, you sold him a grave. We will say you didn't sell him an apartment; you didn't sell him a shop. We will ask for accountability. We will ask for accountability so that when an engineer signs his signature, he will know what he is signing, how he is signing and his responsibility.

Dear friends, most factories cannot work or work sufficiently due to a lack of personnel. People have left the cities. It is said that the number of earthquake victims from Hatay to Mersin alone is around 350,000 or even 400,000. First, they need to come and vote. Second, the factories there need to work in some form. Taxes and insurance premiums should not be deducted from the wages of the outgoing workers for a certain period, at least for two years, so that they can return with a better income. They can have a better standard of living. We should allow them to earn a higher wage in the earthquake zone instead of a lower wage there. Then these people will return to these lands and start working again. Intellectuals are leaving; they need to come here; doctors, architects, engineers, they need to come here in some form.

Let me tell you what else we can do. Everyone is a contractor. We will regulate contracting. There needs to be a diploma; there needs to be an exam; there needs to be a morality; there needs to be a virtue. The house I am going to live in has to be beautiful, earthquake-resistant, livable, and in compliance with the rules. We will bring regulations for this; not just anyone can be a contractor, and we will carry social responsibility insurance for contractors. Look, when a doctor performs a wrong operation, they sue for compensation. If he builds the wrong building or a building that is not earthquake resistant, no one does anything. They will also be insured; the building will also be insured, the contractor will pay for it himself, and the state will take his share from him if he is liable. Every building will have an identity and will be earthquake resistant. Citizens will buy their buildings with confidence.

We will restructure disaster-related institutions. Look, there was a disaster... But, dear friends, we couldn't find the Red Crescent. AFAD needed to be more. People died of cold, and no rescue teams could pull people out from under the rubble.

I went to Cyprus. In Adıyaman, many children were trapped in a hotel and lost their lives. People from Cyprus came to that hotel but could not find search and rescue teams in front of the hotel, in front of the rubble, to remove the debris. I listened to the tragedy of those families; I listened to the mothers; I know how they told me in tears, 'We can hear our son's voice, but we can't save him; there were no search and rescue teams'. You, my dear friends, have also experienced similar tragedies; we have seen and listened to them in one way or another.

Turkey needs to come out of this in some way; remember this. Turkey is a strong country. We will do this, but there is no money. It will be done anyway. What do two years grace period mean? I build the building and deliver it to you. That means there is money. Turkey is a rich country. Turkey has resources, and Turkey has opportunities; as long as you use them properly and correctly, use them for the people. We will use them for you; we will use them for the people, don't worry.

Politics has to evolve into a new field. Politics now has to think about its people. With the Political Ethics Law, we have to create a parliamentary structure that is more qualified and has a more moral basis. We will do this, six leaders have promised. As the Nation Alliance, we pledged to enact a Political Ethics Law. MPs should no longer run after tenders, after this or that. Those who run should not be in parliament, and those who are in parliament should think of their people, their nation, and their problems. We will do this too, don't worry. We will open a new page. We will open a page built on morality, merit and Justice.

Justice... Justice is the religion of the state, my dear friends. Justice is like a northern star. Where there is no justice, the state starts to decay. Where there is no merit, the state begins to deteriorate. God willing, you will see; we will bring Justice to this country and merit to this country. We will bring togetherness and unity to this country. We will respect everyone. We will also welcome people who do not think like us. They are also our citizens. We will not marginalize people who think differently. We will not declare people that think differently as enemies.

On the contrary, we will embrace whoever thinks what they think, whatever benefits humanity: a new page, a new vision. I want every single child in this country to realize their dreams. I want every mother to send her son or daughter to university and not worry about which dormitory they will live in and where they will live. She won't have to worry about which dormitory she will stay in or where she will stay. You will see that we will solve that problem in one year, not more than one year.

Everything starts from here. Politics is not a means of enrichment. If a politician goes and enriches himself, he is stealing. I will not allow them to steal.

I promised I promise again from Nurdağı; I will get that 418 billion dollars for you, collect it for you, and bring it for you! I will bring 418 billion dollars, and I will get it.

They say, 'How will you get this money? They have left.' I will bring that money wherever they go in the world, and I will bring it to this country and invest it. I will not let anyone eat the orphan's rights. Let everyone know that.

I offer my respects to all of you, my dear friends."