CHP's "Call to the Second Century Meeting"

CHP's "Call to the Second Century Meeting" was held at Lütfi Kırdar International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Istanbul. In addition to CHP Leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, CHP Deputy Chairman and Party Spokesperson Faik Öztrak, CHP Secretary-General Selin Sayek Böke, US author, economic and social theorist Jeremy Rifkin, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Economics Professor Daron Acemoğlu, Bilkent University Economics Department faculty member Prof. Hakan Kara, Bilkent University Economics Department faculty member Prof. Refet S. Gürkaynak, CHP Poverty Solidarity Office Coordinator Hacer Foggo, and Prof. Ufuk Akçiğit spoke at the meeting.

Around 5500 people attended the event. 

"To Power!"

As he entered the convention hall, CHP Leader Kılıçdaroğlu was met with cheers of "To Power!" by the attendees. This was followed by the screening of a film about Kılıçdaroğlu's overseas visits about science and technology. As the film ended, the attendees cheered with the slogan, "The hope of the people is Kılıçdaroğlu!" 

At the opening of the vision meeting organized in Istanbul with the slogan "Call to the Second Century", CHP Leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said: "Today is the day to change the destiny of the country. For this, we must radically change our administrative approach. The solution is not to dispense with the current one-man rule to replace it with another. Must that one man go? Yes, he must. Must we end the one-man regime? Yes, we must. However, we must replace it with a new, functioning system. We do not seek another one-man rule. Today, we will be telling you about a completely different system." Stating that they have been working with a 70-strong team on science and technology, Kılıçdaroğlu said, "Let us not forget. Political or non-political, with party badges or without, we are united for this country." 

As Kılıçdaroğlu took the podium for his opening speech, the attendees again chanted, "To power!". To which, Kılıçdaroğlu said, "That will happen as well, friends. With patience, all will happen. Everything will be fine in this country. Rest assured."

Some highlights from Kılıçdaroğlu's speech are as follows:

"WE HAVE INVITED YOU HERE TO PROPOSE THE VISION OF AWAKENING, STANDING UP AND GROWTH FOR TURKEY: Are you excited? I am as excited as you are. And I am starting this speech with that excitement. I would like to paint a picture for you today. I will deliver my main speech at the end. Distinguished Party Leaders, and dear friends, today we have invited you to propose our vision of awakening, standing up and growth for Turkey.

YOU WILL ASK FOR VOTES FOR A NEW POLITICAL CULTURE AND A NEW SUPRA-POLITICAL APPROACH: Dear friends, today you will learn why we will be asking for votes from our citizens. Let me put it very clearly. You will not ask for votes for another candidate, another one-man rule, or the interests of one group. Instead, from now on, you will ask for votes from our people for a better life for everyone, a new order, the dream of a new Turkey, a new political culture, and a new supra-political understanding.

WE WILL COME OUT OF THE CRISIS WITH OUR HEADS HELD HIGH AND TOGETHER: I am announcing this new system today. What you will hear today will not only be a plan to get out of the crisis but will be relatively more straightforward. We will come out of the crisis with our heads held high together. The challenge is to prevent once and for all the country from slipping back into a structural crisis. This country has gone through a pattern of entering into crises, getting out of them, and then repeating them. As a result, we find ourselves in a profound crisis once again.

WE ARE NOT LOOKING FOR A NEW ONE-MAN: Our people, thrown into the same vicious circle continuously, suffered unbearable economic and social pain. Today is the day to change the country's destiny. For this, we must radically change our administrative approach. The solution is to refrain from dispensing with the current one-man rule to replace it with another. Should that one man go? Yes, he should. Should we end the one-man regime? Yes, we should. However, we should replace it with a new, functioning system. We do not seek another one-man rule. Today, we will be telling you about a completely different system.

WE WILL BUILD A TURKEY THAT WILL BECOME THE CENTRE OF PEACE AND PROSPERITY IN ITS REGION: In the second century of the Republic, Turkey will never again experience such brutal, unjust, and polarised times. As we declared in the Declaration of our Party's Call to the Second Century, today, we are taking one step further in our determination to disperse the dark clouds that have descended over our country and to bring Turkey to the level of modern civilizations and to surpass it. We will build a Turkey whose institutions have been rebuilt, whose system is based on a legal framework, where social trust and peace prevail, and which has become the centre of peace and prosperity in its region.

A 70-STRONG UNITY OF FORCES FROM AROUND THE WORLD AND TURKEY, ALL REPUTED EXPERTS IN THEIR FIELDS: What we aim to achieve is not only a transition in the government. The point is to protect the great dream of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. We will, God willing, realize this vision. So today, you'll meet a brand-new unity of forces. This is a supra-political union. You will see some of the people making up this supra-political team of great brains. I am talking about the fact that we have brought about a team of 70 reputable experts from around the world and Turkey.

KEMAL KILIÇDAROĞLU WILL NEVER STEP BACK FROM THE PATH HE HAS TAKEN: As you know, I have travelled all over our country and visited important countries of the world. I visited the US and the UK, two major science, technology, and investment centres. No matter what they say, I will never take a step back from the visionary journey I believe in, and I will never give up. At the beginning of this path, I knew what I wanted and where it would take me. Rest assured that Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu will never step back from the path he set out on.

DO NOT FORGET. POLITICAL OR NON-POLITICAL, WITH PARTY BADGES OR WITHOUT, WE ARE UNITED FOR THIS COUNTRY: I will soon visit Germany. I especially wish and request you to follow what is going on in Germany. During and after my travels, I met with these 70 valuable people individually. I invited them to join the supra-political alliance. We have three important powers at hand. The first is our people who believe in us. The second is you, our political power. And the third is our supra-political union with our friends. Do not forget: Political or non-political, with party badges or without, we are united for this country.

THE GOVERNMENT WILL WORK 24/7: What logic is this system I am mentioning based on? These 70 valuable people will form a unity of forces working 24 hours a day for Turkey. While some are finishing their day and getting ready to sleep, our patriots and friends on the other side of the world will welcome the day. The government will work 24/7. I am starting right away to build a Turkey, which is engaged in continuous production irrespective of time, space, latitudes, and longitudes.

THEY WILL WORK FOR THEIR COUNTRY: These 70 valuable people will not work for a person, a party, or a government. They will work for their country. This is what I do. I unify. I build systems. My job is to work the system. It is also to make sure that the system is permanent. Today I will call on some of those who dare to transform the country with us. Let them be the first ones to tell you about it. Then I will take the stage to summarise what we are going to do step by step.

RIFKIN IS MY CHIEF ADVISOR FOR NEW INDUSTRIAL TRANSFORMATION: The valuable speakers you will listen to here will tell you that despite all the darkness, we are very close to the light. First, you will meet Mr Jeremy Rifkin. In Germany, he was Merkel's advisor for Industry and Industrial Technology. He was also an advisor to the Chinese President. He is now my chief advisor for Industrial Transformation. Mr Daron Acemoğlu, one of the top 10 economists in the world, will be with us. I am sure Mr Acemoğlu will receive the Nobel Prize in the coming years. Mr Öztrak will talk about macroeconomic solutions that will breathe life into the country; Ms Böke will speak about digital development and green transformation; Mr Hakan Kara and Mr Refet Gürkaynak will talk about monetary policies; Mr Ufuk Akçiğit will speak about employment policies, and Ms Hacer Foggo will talk about our social policies.

THE REPUBLIC WILL RISE AGAIN, POWERED BY ITS OWN ESSENCE: The system I build with these eminent people will swiftly take Turkey out of the darkness and into the light. The Republic will rise again, powered by its own essence. Let us begin."

Call to the Second Century booklet