Kılıçdaroğlu: Hopelessness has been broken

Society was shrouded in hopelessness. This has been broken and torn apart. There is no longer any need to succumb to hopelessness. We are very strong, because we are in the right.
We will enter Istanbul joyfully, to singing and folk songs. We want to give hope to people at large as we make our entry, without creating a pessimistic atmosphere.

Justice is the common denominator of those who voted ‘no’ in the referendum, or even of ‘yes’ voters. We can imagine that the ‘no’ side of the equation has grown a little more over this process.
CHP General Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, pointing out that the Justice March he launched in response to the detaining of Istanbul member of parliament Enis Berberoğlu has instilled excitement in all sections of society, gave voice to his feelings as follows: ‘It is good that we set out on the road.

Society was shrouded in hopelessness. This has been broken and torn apart. There is no longer any need to succumb to hopelessness. We are very strong, because we are in the right.’ Kılıçdaroğlu also appealed to President Tayyip Erdoğan, ‘If Mr Erdoğan speaks of a Justice and Development Party, the justice in his party’s name does not currently exist. If he wishes to rebuild the Justice and Development Party’s justice in a true sense, he must march together with us.’ Kılıçdaroğlu replied as follows to our questions:

- When you set out on the road, there was a certain feeling and thought in your mind even if not by way of a plan. Did you see that thought acquire a bit more significance as you marched?

We took the decision for the march at the Central Executive Committee meeting. We, too, did not know what the upshot would be, because it was a decision that had just been taken. For us to delay could have created a problem for us in terms of social expectations. So, the next day we went to Güven Park and launched our march. That day, an unbroken 21 kilometres were covered. We rested for ten minutes under a tree along the road. Both the participants, and I, were very excited. That day, with nobody expecting us to walk 21 kilometres, some people joined in with normal shoes and some in ties. We managed to start marching in an orderly fashion the next day. This amounted to us taking a speedy decision, implementing it immediately, and, in a sense, giving an external reflection to social reaction. We are satisfied. There may be tiny hitches, because the participants have many needs and they have to be met. Some of the participants go to nearby hotels or home in the evenings. We owe them a debt of gratitude. If they stayed here like me, there would be a serious problem. We would have to find a corresponding number of blankets and meet other needs. So, a large group goes and comes the next day. After passing through certain provinces, the people there return to their locations and new ones join in, and this is how we are continuing on our way.

There are also those within the AKP who think it is justified

- Perhaps there are those on the AKP wing who do not raise their voices but think that the march is a good thing.

For sure there are, because they also see certain injustices. But, they cannot raise their voices because their own party is in power. Perhaps they sit within the confines of their own circles and talk about this. They most probably see our march as being justified, too, but one would love them to speak out a bit more loudly. Let them prove capable of being heard outside the family assemblies they are part of.

- How do you imagine your entry into Istanbul?

There will be an entry from Gebze. We will enter joyfully, to singing and folk songs. We want to give hope to people at large as we make our entry, without creating a pessimistic atmosphere. If we can accomplish this, the march will to a large extent have achieved its goal.

‘Yes’ voters also see the injustice

- We hear positive things about this march from groups that voted ‘no’ in the referendum. Positive reactions have come from both the SP and opposition segments in the MHP as well as the HDP. In this sense, you also say that ‘no’ won the referendum, so does that atmosphere, the state of mind of having won, instil this march?

Our common denominator in the referendum was democracy. Those who defended democracy and the parliamentary system voted ‘no’ in the referendum. This process is a process that must be treated independently of the referendum. Here we are focusing on justice. Justice is the common denominator of those who voted ‘no’ in the referendum, or even of ‘yes’ voters. Citizens who voted ‘yes’ also see and experience the injustice. From this point of view, if we think in terms of a referendum, we can actually imagine that the ‘no’ side of the equation has grown a little more over this process. This is because injustice has really assumed serious proportions and sits like a social wound in the social conscience. This must be surmounted. Those in power must be sensitive to this reaction from society and do what is called for. This is our expectation and the coming days will show how far we will achieve it.

- Do you see this march inspiring excitement and hope in those sections of society that remain silent?

We sense this. That excitement is present in all sections of society. We see it inspiring excitement.This is expressed in one form or another in incoming messages and speeches and by march participants. Society was shrouded in hopelessness. This has been broken and torn apart. There is no longer any need to succumb to hopelessness. We are very strong, because we are in the right. We are defending democracy, justice, human rights and cohabitation. We accept those who think differently as being a richness. We do not want stress and strife in society. We want a tranquil Turkey. We think we will be able to achieve this with a parliamentary democratic system. In that sense, if these demands can be constantly voiced by wide sections of the people we can be far stronger in the future.

If Erdoğan wishes to construct justice he must march with us

- Erdoğan fell ill. You also wished him a speedy recovery. Despite having walked so far, your health is in pretty good shape. Do you have a recommendation about health?

I do not know about the Justice and Development Party General Chair’s illness. But, ultimately, we also wish him a return to good health. A person falling ill, and especially a person in the echelons of government falling ill, calls for corrective action.

- Would marching do him good, I wonder?

If Mr Erdoğan speaks of a Justice and Development Party, the justice in his party’s name does not currently exist. If he wishes to rebuild the Justice and Development Party’s justice in a true sense, he must march together with us. He must listen to citizens. He must see what citizens perceive this justice to be and what he perceives, how valuable justice is and how indispensable justice is for assuaging society’s conscience. There are thousands of people who have been wronged and have been unjustly imprisoned. You have kept these people in prison for moths and are torturing them. You are not giving them a fair trial – you also confess to this in a submission you have made to the United Nations. You say, ‘I will not act justly to those who have been detained. I will not give human treatment to those who have been detained.’ For a country’s ruler to present a submission to the United Nations on these two fundamental issues beggars belief. But, these are currently known things in the public domain globally.

Society may explode
- What will happen after the march ends? What is your dream?

The aim of this march is to create a happy Turkey. And justice constitutes the basis for that. If the government responds to society’s expectations concerning justice, and if it lifts the state of emergency and the pressure on the media and the pressure on universities, that is, if it makes the judiciary independent and impartial in a true sense, I believe that justice will be brought about. Otherwise, we wish to note that reactions in society will become ever more strident. Society will reach a point at which it can take no more and society may explode. We will stage our reactions in various forms until our expectation for justice is realised. This march will end, but our quest for justice will not.

There should be no participation under a party identity

- We see support from ultranationalists for the procession. And the HDP says that it will greet the procession at Kandıra. Can these two diametrically opposed views march together and how will they interact?

This is a justice march, not a party march, so, whoever wants justice and whoever complains of injustice can take part. But, we do not to consider participation under a party identity to be correct. We are not sporting a party identity and party banners, either. Those who complain of injustice associate a great many factors such as the political atmosphere and people’s inability to comfortably express their thoughts with injustice. Those who are uncomfortable with these things can take part. It is open to everyone who seeks justice.

We respect the protests
- You court attention from the people you see along the way and from time to time there are those who protest. Are you satisfied?

I am very satisfied with the attention along the way. Meanwhile, there are those who in a sense signal their opinions to us by making the Rabia sign. We also greet them with respect. If we want justice, they also have the right to protest. We must show respect for as long as there is no attack. If they suffer an injustice, we will also object on their behalf. This is the kind of self-confidence we have.

Obstruction will have tragic results
- Participation is increasing as time passes and the procession grows. Is there a possibility of obstruction by the government?

I do not think there will be an obstruction. The arising of an obstruction may lead to very tragic results. You will notice that we have taken care not to impede the traffic flow ever since Ankara. We have reacted to provocations with common sense. The slogans chanted have to do with ‘righteousness, the law and justice.’ A mould is being broken and hopelessness is being broken. People also see that groups of different sizes external to them share their own thoughts. They are also joining us.

Bahçeli’s support is the reason for the quandary

- Bahçeli is using more strident language than the government.

True. He has kept on escalating his criticism. Maybe. This is not something that has come as a great surprise to us. He opposed the parliamentary democratic system in the referendum and supported the introduction of a system with a president as boss. If Turkey today finds itself in a quandary and if democracy is bleeding, this is also a little bit the result of that support. History will probably write about it.

‘It is good we set out on the road’

- Is your sense that, ‘It is good we set out on the road’ growing stronger?

It is good that we set out on the road; we see this, anyhow. We realise this from the reactions of groups away from our march circuit, and those who are taking part in the march along with us also come and say, ‘It is good that you marched. Thanks and keep it up.’ With many groups such as musicians, sportspeople, jurists and the wronged giving us their support, they have stated how important this march is for them. Former judges have marched. Those who were judges and have retired and now see the injustice have also come and joined us. We owe them a debt of gratitude, too.