Kılıçdaroğlu: No Ataturkism in word alone

The key points from Kılıçdaroğlu’s speech:
 
“We, the citizens of a country in which earthquakes have brought great pain, share their pain and extend heartfelt wishes for a speedy recovery.”
 
“The hero Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his friends are our crowning glory”
 
“Love for the hero Mustafa Kemal Atatürk is being manifested nowadays and this makes us happy. Just as we stand up for our shared values, the hero Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his friends who contributed towards Turkey’s modernisation in almost every area are our crowning glory. Even his enemies respected the hero Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. He also waged war in accordance with the rules. He protected the honour of those country’s people.”
 
“The founder of the association the commissioned Kocatepe Mosque was İnönü.”
 
“Apart from us, the hero Mustafa Kemal Atatürk is also the world’s shared value. Criticism has been made from time to time. He closed mosques and a whole host of chatter. This is tittle-tattle and there were no such things. They are trying to keep their anger going with such tittle-tattle. İnönü comes in for all kinds of slander. The founder of the association that commissioned Kocatepe Mosque was İnönü.
 
“Had it not been for Atatürk, would the call to prayer be read five times daily?”
 
“I really wonder, too, if you know about history. Do you not read history? How is it that you can come out with these things? Had it not been for the hero Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his friends, would the call to prayer be read five times daily on our minarets? Everyone must know this truth.”
 
“It is unclear who is governing the state.”
 
“The state is not being governed just now. It is unclear who is governing the state. Having windscreen film fitted on cars. 5.5 million people fitted film on 3.3 million cars. Each of them paid 600 lira.”
 
“Will the windscreen film fines be repaid?”
 
“The same government bans windscreen film. Did you not come together? The people were in outrage and said it was wrong. They said the fine is 427 lira. The cost per car to have it removed is 150 lira. What right do you have to take this money? With reactions coming, the minister makes a statement. He says we have done away with imposing fines. What happened to those who had paid a fine? Are you giving them their money back? No, he is not. Mücahit Günay Ertopuz, Attorney-at-Law, expressing his view on the path that drivers who were fined under the windscreen film ban should follow, said, ‘The administration’s general regulatory act whereby it imposed the sanction of fines for windscreen film is in force’.”
 
“70,000 butchers are being penalised”
 
“You have been importing meat for seven years. So, production was going to increase. They have not done it and production has decreased. It is as if there were no meadows, no rearers and no butchers in this country. Your butcher is being penalised. I call out to the 70,000 people running butcher's businesses. You must hold them to account for this at the ballot box, brother.”
 
“Atatürk did not import boneless meat from outside”
 
“They brought in meat over which the basmala has not been pronounced and tried to get the people to eat it. You eat it yourself in the palace. Ataturkism is defending the people’s interests. Mustafa Kemal says, ‘Who is Turkey’s proprietor and lord?’ and says, ‘Turkey’s proprietor and lord is the true producer and the villager.’ This is Ataturkism. He did not go and import boneless meat from outside. The hero Mustafa Kemal Atatürk abolished the tithe so that it would not burden the farmer. So that farmers could stride forward. He said that the real lord of the nation is the villager. The same villager has now been reduced to destitution. Everyone is in destitution. 330,306 small and medium sized businesses are undergoing debt recovery proceedings. Debt recovery cases involve every citizen, in fact. Virtually one in every two people has a debt recovery case against them.”
 
“Who made the Social Security Institution go bust?”
 
“I call out to all the retired. Instead of crying, you will go to the ballot box and vote. They say to me, ‘Kılıçdaroğlu made the Social Insurance Institution go bust.’ On the date I retired, the three social security institutions had a deficit of 2.341 million lira. Now the deficit is in excess of 21 billion lira. I ask Erdoğan and Binali Yıldırım. Is this figure right or wrong? Who made the Social Security Institution go bust? In my day, women retired at 34 and men at 43. Mr Erdoğan, you will hear me, you will listen to me. You made it go bust, you did.”
 
“Agricultural policy depends on the palace government”
 
“Board of directors’ members have not been appointed to the Sugar Authority for a long time. Why are appointments not being made? They need to be made, but have not been since 2016, and there has been no oversight. Education policy depends on the palace government and agricultural policy depends on the palace government.”
 
“There are two governments: The palace government and the Yıldırım government”
 
“There are nowadays two governments that stride towards the same goal. The palace government and the constitutional Binali Yıldırım government.”
 
“Are you prepared to send your children to a non-quality school?”
 
“The responsible minister has announced that ten per cent of our schools are quality and ninety per cent are non-quality. Are you prepared to send your children to a non-quality school? Dear mothers, will you hold this government to account at the ballot box? If you love your children, if you want them to go to a good school, it is your duty to teach this government that has made ninety per cent of schools non-quality in fifteen years the necessary lesson at the ballot box.”
 
“The palace government is illegitimate, and there is also a legal government”
 
“The palace government is illegitimate, and there is also a legal government: Binali Yıldırım. The palace determines foreign policy. The palace’s government determines education policy. The illegitimate government predominates in the relationship between the legal government and the illegitimate government. It is the legitimate government’s duty to have windscreen film fitted on cars. Citizens are shouting out for the illegitimate government not to impose fines.”
 
“With whose money did you pay 145 billion dollars in interest over fifteen years?”
 
“Over fifteen years, you have paid 145 billion dollars to the miniscule rentier lobby. With whose money? Our citizens’ 620 million lira, in old money 620 quadrillion lira, was paid in interest domestically. Who got this 620 quadrillion lira? Who got the 145 billion dollars?”
 
“How come the palace and the government use separate covert funds?”
 
“How come the palace government and the Binali Yıldırım government use separate covert funds? Are accounts kept of this? No. Why, for what reason, have you made no appointments to the Banking Regulation and Supervision Authority for five or six months? Why not? Why is nobody asking this question? Turkey is not being governed. This applies to the Banking Regulation and Supervision Authority, to the Sugar Authority and to the Turkish Statistical Institute.”