KEMAL KILIÇDAROĞLU'S 'EKREM İMAMOĞLU' WARNING TO THE GOVERNMENT: "THEY SHOULD BE WARY OF MAKING SUCH A BIG MISTAKE.’’

CHP Leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu warned the AKP government due to rumours that Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu will be dismissed from office and said, "If they continue this conspiracy against our mayor, Mr İmamoğlu, God forbid, if they engage in the stupidity of appointing a trustee to replace him, we will regard this as terrorism that a dictator imposes on his people. We will fight against this terrorism in every possible way. If they try to do this, no one should expect more patience from myself. I am being crystal clear. They should be wary of making such a huge mistake. They would surely open the gates of hell. It would not be good for anyone."

CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu spoke at the party group meeting in the parliament today. Kılıçdaroğlu said the following about the issues of the day:

‘As six leaders, we are in unison. We stand together for democracy. We are together so that we may bring peace to our country. We have come together to ensure that there is cohesion in society, not polarisation. We have come together so that there is no discrimination between men and women. We have embraced one another, trying to heal the pains of the past. We are for reconciliation, for embracing each other, for justice. We are always talking about these matters, and we will continue to do so. Democracy is a beautiful thing. In democracies the media is free, there is no partisan media. There will be no media whose bread and butter is the resources of the palace. The media should be free to criticize us. We will give them that opportunity.

There are those taking bribes. They have decimated meritocracy in the government. You will see that we will cleanse this country of bribe-takers and drug lords in 2023, following the elections. We will give them no quarter. Young people will not have to look for influential connections to get into good positions after they sit for their exams. They will sit for their exams and once they are successful there will be no verbal examinations to follow. If they have done well in the written exam, they will be appointed straight after. We will not allow any favouritism. We will build a new Turkey together. Yes, we are six different parties, but we act based on the same philosophy about democracy. We know what to do and how to do it. We have already started working on what to do from today. We are not only working as leaders, but we have many teams following our instructions. We will do good things together for this country.

EMPHASIS ON RIGHTS: If everybody respects everyone else's rightful share and if you believe as a society that it is sinful to usurp what is somebody else's by right, then you need to make sure that you will send the ones who usurp people's fair dues away from power and bring into power the people who will not be corrupt and who will act honestly and honourably. We will a build a Turkey without terrorism. A heavy price has been paid to terrorism. Innocent people, innocent children have lost their lives. We will cleanse Turkey of terror. We will build a Turkey where democracy reigns, where thoughts are expressed freely, and where terrorism is eliminated. We will live in peace with all our neighbours. We will not regard anyone, any of our neighbours, as enemies. You will see that Turkey will become the most powerful country in its region. Not only Turkey but the whole world will witness this.

When we come to power, God willing, with the votes of the people, we will take it as an honourable and dignified duty to account for every penny of tax collected from the people. This is how we will look at it. In my conversations with young people, I tell them: ‘You pay your taxes, but you do not hold the government to account as to what they do with your taxes.’ Because you do not, democracy is not advancing. One of the foremost questions for the advancement of a democracy is to ask what the taxes collected out of your pocket have been spent on. If you cannot ask that question, then democracy does not advance. Young or old, we all pay taxes, and we are entitled to inquiring about what our taxes are spent on. But in our government, even if these inquiries are not made, we will account for every penny of every expenditure to this nation and our nation will have the chance to probe.

KILIÇDAROĞLU READS THE NAMES OF THE IMPRISONED ONE BY ONE: There are people unjustly incarcerated in the prisons of this country. Osman Kavala, Selahattin Demirtaş, Mücella Yapıcı, Çiğdem Utku, Hakan Altınay, Mine Özerden, Can Atalay, Tayfun Kahraman... They are all serving unjust sentences. If one is not defending justice, there is no point to one’s engagement in politics. We will not excuse any injustice, even on the part of those who remain silent in the face of injustice. We will raise our voice against any injustice. Just the other day, when I was going through the newspapers, I saw the shot of a mother hugging her six-year-old son, Yusuf, who has cancer. I was so heartbroken. The mother is in prison. Yusuf is just six and has cancer, combating death and longing to be with his mother. This mother is separated from her child. Is this justice, for God's sake? The prosecutor gave her permission, and she wants to see her child in hospital. I called our İstanbul chair Ms Kaftancıoğlu and asked her to find the family. I asked her to inquire whether they needed anything. On what grounds can you separate a mother from her six-year-old child? The person may be guilty, but at least a mother has to be there for her child. You may not remember, but I have never forgotten. After 15 July, they took a woman, a teacher, who had just given birth to the police station. I said that the child needed breastfeeding and should be handed over to the mother. All hell broke loose. They accused me of supporting terrorists. But what was that innocent child's fault? I fought for this and finally they did as I had suggested; they handed the child over to the mother. The mother met her child and fed her child. We are human beings! Do you know what losing one's humanity is? Can you imagine separating a six-year-old child from his mother? Does that mother have to go and stand by the grave when her son dies and see him only then? They imprisoned people aged 85 to 90 who were interrogated for links with the FETÖ terrorist organisation. They are now in prison. We care about conscience, morality, virtue, and justice. I promise our people. All these injustices will come to an end. We will surely bring justice to this country.

WE WILL END THE RULE OF OPPRESSION: I am talking to my 85 million citizens. Do not fall into despair. Do we see and experience all these injustices? We do. But we will never be pessimistic. When the ballot box comes, we will go and put an end to this tyrannical government. No-one should worry. Time is nigh. What's coming is coming.

CANNOT EVEN RAISE HIS VOICE ABOUT THE DEMISE OF ONE OF HIS SONS: An assassination took place in the capital of this country: Sinan Ateş. They killed a young father. He was one of the most valued members of the Idealist (ülkücü) movement. He was an academic, a nationalist, a believer, and a Kemalist. He was the father of two daughters and the husband of a grieving wife. They killed him in central Ankara. We are patiently keeping quiet for now because his family asked for it so that the matter would not be politicized. I have spoken to his father and his spouse. We are waiting patiently to see what will happen. Obviously, we are also getting information. Of course, we know a good deal about the matter. We are also aware of the stench emanating from this event. We feel it and know it. People are telling us about it. We are keeping quiet for now so that the officials can do their job. We are keeping quiet so that the honest police officers of this country can do their jobs. Note that the palace is quiet. The palace's sidekick is not saying a word as if one his most valued sons had not been killed. He cannot even raise his voice about the demise of one of his sons. They cannot turn a blind eye to this murder, they cannot let it die down by keeping silent. As CHP, we will not allow this, and we will strive to shed light on the truth. I promised his spouse and his father. No one should forget that if I set my mind to something, I will definitely do it.

MINISTER OF JUSTICE IS ALSO PART OF THE CONSPIRACY: Let me tell you about the first conspiracy. The first conspiracy was that the prosecutor drafted an indictment saying Mr İmamoğlu had insulted someone or had insulted members of the Supreme Electoral Council. In fact, the target was not the Supreme Electoral Council. That much has clearly been explained. These words were aimed at Süleyman, or ‘Fotoroman’ (photocomic, or photonovel) Süleyman, as we call him. ‘Fotoroman’ Süleyman. However, the Supreme Electoral Council insisted that they had been targeted. Then the case came before an honest judge. Obviously, the honourable judge would have examined the case and decided in line with legal norms. But they changed that judge. They sent him away, appointing him in Samsun. This judge said some interesting things. I instructed our party's group deputy chairs and some lawyer members of parliament to the Ministry of Justice this afternoon. We want an investigation to be launched into the allegations of the judge sent to Samsun. There should be an investigation. If an investigation is not launched, then the Minister of Justice is involved in this conspiracy. Not only I, but 85 million people have the right to know the truth. On what grounds was this judge sent away? Who told the judge that they had also arranged everything with the appellate court and that İmamoğlu would be convicted there as well? The rulings of a judge sitting at the dinner table of the palace cannot be respected; everyone should be aware of this. The ruling is not the judge's but the palace's. If a judge has mortgaged his will to the palace, they cannot be called a real judge. They have nothing to do with the judicial profession.

I have a message for all judges and prosecutors. If you are performing your duties according to the rule of law stipulated by the Constitution and your conscience, then I can only offer you my respect. But if you are not doing that and following your own law through the instructions of the palace, then you will be held accountable when the time is right. You must never forget that the scales of justice that you have callously misadjusted will one day weigh you as well.

The second conspiracy is that terrorists and people associated with terrorism are working within the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. On 9 December 2021, Mr ‘Fotoroman’ says 'You have so many terrorists working for you'. Then he says there are 1,668 such workers. Upon this, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality naturally writes a letter mentioning this claim and saying 'Well, you're the Minister of Interior and hence you have intelligence units. If there are people like that, then inform us of who they are, and we'll do whatever is necessary': The answer they get? They tell the municipality 'No, you cannot do that. We will not oblige with that request.' Dear citizens, they are making these accusations but when information is asked for, they are declining. Now I appeal to all my citizens, put your hands on your hearts and think. You are accusing the mayor, then the mayor is asking you for the names, but you are turning him down. Then the mayor says 'Okay, you should deal with these people, then.' You are the Minister of Interior; you have an intelligence organization. Whoever these people are, apprehend them and deal with them. But he says, 'I will do it later'.

A TOTAL CONSPIRACY: The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality says in the letter they sent that the Ministry of Interior should conduct archive research and a security investigation and let the municipality know of the results. Then the Ministry of Interior writes to all governorates. That letter reaches Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality as well. The letter says that 'the Ministry holds that it would only be possible by way of new legislation to carry out security investigations and archive research as regards persons employed or to be employed in companies more than half of whose capital is owned by special provincial administrations under governorates, municipalities and their affiliated organisations, or local administration unions of which the foregoing are members. Until such new legislation is made, security investigations and archive research should not be carried out except for the exceptions specified in Law no. 4045 and other specific laws.' I am not saying this, but the Minister of Interior. Who is being accused? Our mayor Mr İmamoğlu is being accused. This is completely illogical. Why are they not performing a security investigation? Well, because the Constitutional Court revoked the relevant law. So, they cannot perform this investigation. What is Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality doing? If they are to hire personnel, they tell the prospective employees to go and collect a criminal record certificate to have information on their background. If the prosecutor's office issues a clean criminal record, if they show that this person is honest, honourable, and can work, then that person is hired, we think. I have asked the municipality whether they have ever not asked anybody whom they have hired to submit a clean criminal record certificate and they have answered in the negative. They have told me that for the blue-collar workers, or anybody else, they have always asked for their criminal records. If you are searching for terrorists and you will accuse somebody of this, then you need to accuse the prosecutor who has issued that clean criminal record. The prosecutor is the one issuing the document. Who are you accusing? Furthermore, before Mr İmamoğlu, Mevlüt Uysal served as mayor for some time. So, the governor acted as mayor between two elections for a short time. In that time, 4,116 people started work. For 1,800 of them, no security investigation or archive research were performed. But nothing is said about that. What are they doing? As I said, in the first conspiracy, they changed the judge, replacing him with one that obeyed the palace. They changed the inspector here too, and the inspector had to leave for health reasons. They replaced him with an AKP parliamentary candidate, and he is organising this report. A total conspiracy.

IF THEY GO THROUGH WITH IT, NOBODY SHOULD EXPECT ME TO BE PATIENT: We are faced, yet again, with a palace intrigue. By using the judiciary as a stick, by striking a blow to the national will, they want to get hold of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality in some way. Their aim is to enter the elections by using Istanbul's resources. This is the only reason for the conspiracy against Ekrem İmamoğlu. Now we see that they are eager to go so far as to appoint a trustee to replace Mr İmamoğlu. I will make short and clear warnings. If they continue this conspiracy against our mayor Mr İmamoğlu, if, God forbid, they engage in the stupidity of appointing trustees, we will regard this as terrorism that a dictator imposes on his people. We will fight against this terrorism in every possible way. If they try to do this, no one should expect more patience from myself. I am being crystal clear.

THEY WOULD OPEN THE GATES OF HELL: They must not make this mistake. They would surely open the gates of hell. It would not be good for anyone. We have so many problems in this country. What do you want to do? What problem do you have with a nation's will? You are attacking democracy; you are attacking the will of the nation. Is it your appointed judges that you trust? We will decide in which scales of justice those judges will be weighed; you will see.

USURPING PEOPLE'S RIGHTFUL SHARE: According to ENAG (Inflation Research Group), inflation stands at 138 percent. According to the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, whose chair is very close to the palace, inflation is 93 percent. According to TURKSTAT, it is 64 percent. Which figure will they take into consideration for salary increases? The TURKSTAT one, of course. Who is being wronged here? Civil servants, blue-collar workers, pensioners. I am addressing civil servants, workers, pensioners, widows, and orphans. We will not allow anybody to usurp your rightful share. I will fight for it. I will defend your rights to the end. Using the TURKSTAT figure means cheating you out of your fair share. It means raising your due share and collecting even more money from you later. We will not allow this. 2023 will be a beautiful and peaceful year when democracy advances, the Istanbul Convention takes effect again, and everybody will start to live in peace of mind.'