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Beştaş: “Abdullah Öcalan’s voice can put Turkey at ease”
Meral Danış Beştaş, Deputy Chairman of the HDP Group, held a press conference in the Assembly to assess the developments on the agenda.
Celebrating September 1, World Peace Day at the beginning of her speech, Beştaş said:
“I’d want to say this on the occasion of the start of the new judicial year. Justice is distrusted by 75% of the population. This is a very disgraceful rate for a country. Those who want justice get arrested in Turkey. Let alone legitimacy for a second; we demand that you obey the law and fulfil the agreements you have signed. Even this could be the first step towards bringing Turkey into the light.”
“Turkey is the sixth country with the biggest number of cases,” Beştaş stated, drawing attention to the epidemic.
Beştaş stated that “Isolation has extended from Imralı to all jails” and made the following observations:
“The COVID procedures implemented in prisons are one of the most fundamental priorities. All rights and freedoms have been suspended, and the government has turned the pandemic into an opportunity; all legal rights for detainees and convicts have been suspended and the ongoing isolation in Imrali has expanded to all jails. There is still no open view, but it was stated that video calls would be available. Families do not see their spouses and children for months at a time. We will not stop saying that the fight against the pandemic is inadequate, incomplete, and costs the lives of the citizens. We will continue on our way by fighting against these injustices.
Please follow the doctors’ advice and get vaccinated.”
FOREST FIRES
“Indeed, there have been many disasters this year. On the one hand, mucilage caused immense suffering; on the other hand, drought, forest fires, and flood disasters caused great misery. Most recently, woodland fires broke out in Bitlis, Bingöl, and Dersim. The fire in Dersim was largely brought under control. However, for more than ten years, forests in Dersim, as in other provinces, have been burned with numerous lies and distortions in the name of operations and war against terrorism, and the fires, of course, have not stopped. This is the state’s policy. Indeed, they even discriminate the fires. We are equally saddened for the fires in Marmaris and Dersim at the same rate, but we are confronted with a policy that discriminates and attempts to divide society with fake news, even during a fire, as in an epidemic. The Kurds were blamed for the Muğla fire but then the truth revealed that it had been broken out by a citizen who was drunk. We will continue to strive so that the country does not become increasingly split. I’d like to express how much we sympathize with the residents of this country, whether Kurdish, Turkish, Laz, Circassian, or Arab.”
ECONOMIC COLLAPSE
Beştaş, referring to the economic collapse, said:
“The economic agenda is as heavy as it has always been. The government continues to claim that we are generating momentum under this heading. While the fires burn the forest, price increases continue to burn the tables. Food prices, particularly electricity and natural gas, are rising, as well as rents, education, and clothing. We will only provide some data which is from TUIK. In the last 12 years, the unit price of electricity has quadrupled, the unit price of water has tripled, and the unit price of natural gas has doubled. Let me inform you that certain data has been further lowered, and the facts have been altered. Because TUIK can still claim that the country’s economy grew by 21.7 per cent. We have some suggestions for TUIK. Publish an election survey. There is a power bloc that needs high numbers in certain polls. Our second suggestion is to the Palace and its supporters to investigate the limits of wealth. because these price hikes directly affect all of our homes and lives.”
I’d want to point out that poverty is not a fate; rather, it is the product of the government’s poor economic policies. They were on the verge of handing over the citizens to the domestic IMF. The country’s debt-management approach is still in full swing. Poverty affects 10 million individuals. The minimum wage in Turkey is 2825 lira, and the poverty line is 2926 lira. Six million people are unemployed and rely on government assistance. 35 million people owe money to banks, and 25 million are facing foreclosure. Looking at these figures, everyone is in debt, suffering from hunger and poverty, except for the Palace and its surrounding. They can still claim that the economy is growing. The government appears to have read George Orwell’s 1984. They traveled a long way from Goebbels to establish TÜIK as the ‘minister of abundance’. They try to fool us but we will not be fooled. Our demand is that the minimum wage is raised above the poverty line and that the government cease running in debt.”
‘THERE IS A GREAT CRIME SERIES’
“The crimes of this government complement each other like puzzle pieces,” said Beştaş and continued:
“Let me speak a few words on Erdoğan Bayraktar’s confessions. We have a long line of criminals ahead of us. On the one hand, Peker reveals big crimes; on the other hand, an AKP official claims that 95 percent of AKP members will confess; and on the third, Erdogan Bayraktar claims that “the allegations against me were accurate. ‘I haven’t stolen anything but I have misused my authority,’ he says. He’s obviously talked to the lawyers and he knows it’s too late. Everyone is aware that the political leg of 17-25 December is in power, but the judiciary is also not involved in this matter. If we evaluate Bayraktar’s statements and many recent statements together, we will see that the crimes of this government complement each other like puzzle pieces and a big picture emerges. This corruption is spreading at an alarming rate. We can see that this trend is continuing with new cases.
I have a challenge for the judiciary: Dare to investigate these crimes.”
‘THE KURDISH ENMITY IS DIRECTING FOREIGN POLICY!’
Beştaş drew attention to the relationship between the occupying foreign policy of the AKP-MHP government and the Kurdish hostility and said:
“The subject of Afghanistan is on the agenda of the entire globe. Awful things are happening. We are keeping a close eye on everything. The ebb and flow of Turkey’s foreign policy can also be seen in the Afghanistan issue. Foreign policy is based on producing money for contractors and landlords. However, they initially stated, ‘we are withdrawing.’ Then they said, ‘We’ll run the airport,’ and now they’re pulling out again. They began winking at the Taliban. A bizarre policy of inconsistency and insecurity is on the way. Turkey’s foreign policy has to aim for peace. The conflict within Turkey’s persists, and the Kurdish problem remains unresolved. In both domestic and foreign affairs, Turkey continues to pursue a policy of war and discrimination. I am not convinced by AKP’s moves on this matter. Because Kurdish antagonism is one of the key approaches that influence foreign policy. Today, the will of the peoples of Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan must be accepted as a starting point. While it is vital for a democratic government to acknowledge people’s rights and liberties and to conduct a foreign policy, there is a Turkey that is distant from all of this.
‘WE WILL STRENGTHEN SOLIDARITY WITH AFGHANISTAN WOMEN’
Of course, the experience of women in Afghanistan stands before us as a separate drama. They are not allowed to leave their homes or to travel to the border provinces. Women’s voices are barred from being heard on radio and television. Did you hear Turkey say anything about it? Have you heard a single complaint about the violation of women’s rights? But one of our most important goals is to recognize women’s right to live, as well as their economic and political rights. In this regard, we shall strengthen our global solidarity with global women’s organizations, and we will support women’s struggles for freedom and equality.”
IMRALI ISOLATION
Beştaş also touched upon the isolation of İmralı and said:
“When we speak international policy, we are confronted with a mentality that denies peace and intensifies isolation. Those who prohibit peace on the day of peace continue to isolate Öcalan, who plays a critical role in fostering peace. He can bring peace to this country, employ the key to peace, and pave the route for all of us. Who can console Turkey if Ocalan’s voice is silenced? The government’s commitment to this subject remains unwavering. Despite CPT reports and ECtHR’s judgements, the isolation remains, with no access to any freedom channels. We believe that everyone who can contribute to an honourable peace should do so, and we believe that this isolation should be lifted. We want the voices of the prisoners who are on hunger strike to be heard.”
‘WE WILL MAKE A DECLARATION’
Meral Danış Beştaş, Deputy Chairperson of the HDP Group, stated, “We will announce a declaration on September 27,” and continued, “With this proclamation, we will share with the public our opinions and proposals on the major themes, even if not in detail, on the changes and regulations that should be implemented in the next period, following the election. Those who talk about HDP without considering HDP’s existence: Stay silent until September 27 or discuss HDP in HDP’s own terms.”