CHP Leader Özgür Özel: Turkey Faces a Distribution, Not a Resource Problem
Ankara, January 12 – Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairman Özgür Özel asserted that “Turkey has a distribution problem, not a resource problem. The AK Party is sharing resources with loyalists, not with citizens. The AK Party is giving contributions to those who stand by them, who are close to them, and who do everything to sustain their power, not to retirees.”
Özel made these remarks after chairing the Presidential Candidate Office Executive Board Meeting, which lasted approximately 3.5 hours and was held behind closed doors. In his statement following the meeting, Özel emphasized the importance of their work:
“Today, seeing the preparatory work, assignments, and dynamism of activities carried out recently at the Presidential Candidate Office, I realize how right we were in doing this. In this process, where the country is going through so much struggle, polarization is at its highest, and unfortunately, the ruling party creates a fog effect over discussing the burning problems of the country, preventing citizens’ concerns from being addressed, this mechanism where we create a positive agenda and coordinate our preparations to take over the country’s government is our most important guarantee and hope for our party and our country for the future.”
‘Unacceptable Statements Have Gone Unanswered’
Özel also criticized the foreign policy, stating that it is being shaped by “President Erdoğan’s personal relationships, interests, conflicts of interest, or alliances with Mr. Trump. This practice of relations puts Turkey’s interests in the background. It is well known to all of us that Mr. Erdoğan is trying to build a relationship with Trump not for Turkey, but for his personal future or the hope of his cadres to remain in power, and this is the biggest risk for our country.”
He further elaborated on the consequences of this approach:
“As a result of this distorted understanding of management, which is led by one person, excludes institutionalism, and cannot explain to anyone but himself the intentions behind his decisions, F-35s we paid for are waiting in a hangar in America with Turkish flags on them. Our Foreign Minister himself announced that the US did not provide the engines for our prized KAAN. Again, the heavy sanctions imposed by the United States could not be prevented; our business people, our nation, all of us have paid and continue to pay the price. The failure in the procurement process of S-400s has turned into a crisis area, first with the US and now with Russia. Just as we have not been able to add a single aircraft to our fleet for 15 years, the reassuring statements regarding our air defense system are long-term declarations of intent, and the concern created by our air defense vulnerability is evident. Despite all this, Mr. Erdoğan has made all the concessions Trump wanted; from expensive natural gas to Boeing aircraft, from tax reductions on American goods to imposing taxes on Chinese goods, and unfortunately, a series of concessions, including the promise of rare earth elements to Trump, have been given without hesitation. The most severe damage of this twisted relationship to Turkey has been revealed by the words of the US Ambassador and the Secretary of State. One said ‘Trump gives Erdoğan a legitimacy he does not have’, while the other said ‘They beg us for a five-minute meeting’. Unfortunately, these unacceptable statements have gone unanswered. It is clear that for Turkey’s relations with the US to get back on track, a President who derives his legitimacy from the nation and defends Turkey’s future, not his personal future, is needed.”
‘Permanent Stability Will Be at the Center of Our Syria Policy’
Özel stated that if the Republican People’s Party comes to power, Turkey will be a safe country internally and a trustworthy country externally. “Turkey’s democratization and development will contribute to the welfare and peace of the region. We will hand over foreign policy to an institutional mind again. We will place our Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the very center of foreign policy, strengthening its capacity, expertise, and memory. We will revitalize relations with the EU and immediately launch a comprehensive reform process in judicial independence, the rule of law, freedom of expression, and media freedom,” he said.
Regarding Middle East policies, Özel added: “The main goal of our Middle East policies will be regional peace, welfare, and security. We will establish an understanding in which Turkey leads regional and global relations in these three areas. Permanent stability will be at the center of our Syria policy. We advocate for peace and stability for all peoples of Syria; Arab, Turkmen, Kurdish, Alawite, Sunni, Christian, Druze communities. Our guide is the principle of ‘Peace at home, peace in the world.’ This is not passivity; this is generating power with legitimacy. Our passport should once again be a symbol of respect in the world. Adventure, not strategy; institutional mind, not personal relationships; diplomacy, not tension, are the three fundamental pillars upon which we will build our foreign policy.”
‘AK Party Shares Resources with Loyalists, Not Citizens’
Özgür Özel criticized the government’s economic policies, stating: “Today, even if we gave retirees a minimum wage of 28 thousand lira, we would not be able to lift them out of poverty. We would not be able to bring them above the hunger threshold. But we would give them a breather, we would have taken an important step. This important step requires 650 billion lira; this money is not available. They deemed one-tenth of it worthy for retirees. However, this money exists. Because in the budget they passed, 768 billion lira is the amount they will waive from the taxes that rich companies should pay. Those who find 768 billion lira in the corporate tax item that will be waived, meaning they will say ‘Okay, we won’t take tax from you,’ are not finding, not giving, 650 billion lira to retirees. The same AK Party, with its wrong economic policies, will pay 2.7 trillion lira this year alone, almost five times more than the required amount, just for interest. So, resources are more than abundant. Turkey has a distribution problem, not a resource problem. The AK Party is sharing resources with loyalists, not with citizens. The AK Party is giving contributions to those who stand by them, who are close to them, and who do everything to sustain their power, not to retirees. This is exactly what retirees mean when they say ‘From now on, we will not even greet the AK Party, let alone vote for them.'”
Source: Demirören News Agency (DHA)
