Two questions from Kılıçdaroğlu about the Russian ambassador’s assassination

CHP General Chair, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, said with reference to the killing of Russia’s ambassador to Ankara, Andrei Karlov, ‘That the murderer was a policeman is a further point that we must dwell on. That that individual was not apprehended alive and was killed is a further point we must dwell on. If we are unable to provide sufficient security, there is a serious problem.’
CHP General Chair, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, addressed his party’s parliamentary group meeting. Kılıçdaroğlu, noting that the point that has been reached today is one that gives rise to concern, said, recalling the events of the past week, ‘We sit at home and watch our televisions, but, for sure, we all feel concern over the country’s future. Where is this country going? We must ask this question. Look at what has happened in one week. In Istanbul, in Kayseri and yesterday evening in Ankara – what is happening to us? I have said before that Turkey is not being governed well. It is not a case of not being governed well – Turkey is not being governed. It is unclear what is going on. Does this country have no intelligence service? Does this country have no state? What is going on, then? Which person or people have brought the Republic of Turkey into this state? When I ask this question, they immediately accuse us, “Why on earth did you say that?” If I don’t voice these concerns, who will? It is not just me who is responsible for the continued existence of this country, everybody is.’

‘WE ARE PREPARED TO GIVE WHATEVER IS DEMANDED OF US TO COMBAT TERRORISM’

Kılıçdaroğlu, stressing the need for a joint front against terrorism, said, ‘The aim of terror and terrorists is clear. To create fear and dread in society. To dictate their will to the holders of political power through pressure, fear, pain, blood and tears. All of this country’s citizens from 7 to 70 must take an honourable stance in opposition to terror, regardless of what inspires it and who it originates from. We must condemn and curse terrorism altogether. We are prepared to give whatever is demanded of us to combat terrorism. We have given you a blank cheque. You are running the state. If you demanded something of us and we didn’t give it, come and recriminate us. We just want calm in this land and peace in this country.’

‘TERRORISM DRAWS ON FUNDING FROM ABROAD’

CHP leader Kılıçdaroğlu, stressing the importance of depriving terrorism of sources of finance in fighting terror, spoke as follows, ‘If it is a fight, we are prepared to fight in any way. When it comes to terrorism, this is a serious fight. Fighting terrorism is impossible in a country whose intelligence service has disintegrated. We must have a serious and strong intelligence service. At the same time, warm, close relations must be formed with other intelligence services that are combatting terrorism, because terrorism draws on funding from abroad. The most effective way of combatting terrorism is to cut off terrorism’s sources of finance. Do they not at all wonder where a terrorist organisation that harbours three or five thousand people gets its money come from? What sources are keeping them going? If such questions are not asked in a state edifice there can be no fight against terrorism. Fighting terror is a matter of intelligence, information, know-how, experience and, most importantly, merit. If you completely undermine merit in the state you cannot fight terror. This is the point we have reached in Turkey.”

‘YOU WILL NOT BRING THE STATE INTO NEGOTIATIONS WITH A TERRORIST ORGANISATION’

Kılıçdaroğlu, arguing that attention must also be paid to foreign policy in combatting terrorism, said, ‘If you are going to fight terrorism, you will not invite people you consider to be members of terrorist organisations to Ankara. You will not unfurl red carpets at their feet. The moment you do that, you bestow legitimacy on the terrorist organisation. If you are going to fight terrorism, you will not bring the state into negotiations with an illegitimate organisation, that is, with a terrorist organisation. You will not sit down at the table. You sat at the table in Oslo and in Habur. You put prosecutors and judges at the beck and call of the terrorist organisation. You set up table in İmralı. We said this was not the way to prevent terrorism. They were unable to prevent it. Who is paying the price? Is it the children of these gentlemen who hold power in Ankara? None of them serve as soldiers. It is the children of this country’s poor Anatolian citizens who are paying the price. I suffer pangs of conscience. This is not the way to run a state.’

‘IF YOU ARE TO PREVENT TERROR YOU WILL NOT EMBRACE RADICAL JIHADIST GROUPS’

Kılıçdaroğlu, pointing out that 843 security personnel have sacrificed their lives in terror incidents since 20 July, said, ‘Who is politically responsible for this? Has a single soul come forward and said, “I accept political responsibility for this. I was unable to prevent it. So, I am standing down’? No, they haven’t. Why not? Who is responsible for this affair? In all parts of the world, it is those running the state who are responsible for such affairs. But, nobody accepts responsibility. If you are to prevent terror you will not embrace radical jihadist groups. You will not send them arms. You will not protect them. You will not stand behind them. If you do so, we will face the prospect of a Turkey mired in terror.

COMMENT ON KARLOV: IF WE ARE UNABLE TO PROVIDE SUFFICIENT SECURITY, THERE IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM

Kılıçdaroğlu, stressing that the assassination of Russia’s ambassador to Ankara was a vile attack, said, ‘It does not befit Turkey, not at all. That the murderer was a policeman is a further point that we must dwell on. That that individual was not apprehended alive and was killed is a further point we must dwell on. There was nobody about. Why can’t you apprehend him alive? We don’t want any foreigner to be assassinated in our country. Protecting them is the Republic of Turkey’s honour. If we are unable to provide sufficient security, there is a serious problem.’

‘WHO PROCURED IT AND WHO SUPPLIED THE WEAPON?’

Kılıçdaroğlu, making an appeal regarding ambassador Karlov’s assassination to the relevant government officials, said, ‘The point is that, rather than his killer, we need to find those who procured the murder. Who procured it and who supplied the weapon? Look at the photographs. He is standing behind him. He is standing there with great decisiveness. He is shouting slogans. He fires further shots at the ambassador, who has fallen to the ground after being shot. This kind of image is not an image that this country’s citizens deserve. I strongly condemn this kind of image. I appeal to government officials. Without fail, find the culprits for this and bring them to justice.’


‘THE THIRD COUP OPERATION STARTED ON 20 JULY’

Kılıçdaoğlu, arguing that there were three coups in Turkey in 2016, said, ‘The first was the coup of 4 May 2016. Ahmet Davutoğlu was prime-minister, having gained 49.5% of the vote. He was invited to the palace. A letter of resignation was taken from his hand and he was sent packing. If this is not a coup against democracy, what is it? Is this what democracy is about? The 15 July coup attempt did not succeed. It did not succeed because we fought it altogether. But, a certain person came out and said, “This coup attempt was a gift from God.” A third coup operation started on 20 July. A state of emergency was declared. The third attempted coup operation started. Parliament has been entirely circumvented. They have placed Turkey in a process that is neither local nor national, but is non-national.’

THE 20 JULY PUTSCHISTS ARE GETTING A GUARANTEE WITH ARRANGEMENTS FOR AN EXECUTIVE PRESIDENCY’

Kılıçdaroğlu, saying that every coup has its aim, said, ‘Every putschist wishes to guarantee their future. The legal norm that guarantees the future is the constitution. Now the 20 July putschists are getting a guarantee with arrangements for an executive presidency in the aftermath of the 20 July coup. What is being done is blatant regime change. A system of parliamentary democracy is being overturned and a regime consistent with dictatorial government is being introduced.”

‘THEY CAN’T KID US BUT THEY’VE KIDDED BAHÇELI’

CHP leader Kılıçdaroğlu, criticising the party-affiliated presidential system, continued as follows, ‘Following election, he will come to parliament and swear under oath to be an impartial president, because they cannot change that article. The office of president is the state’s insurance policy. The president of the republic will now say that he heads, not the republic, but the party. If you become the head of the party, you cannot head the republic. You, the head of the party as president, will become a dictator, brother, and you can be nothing else. He says that he will appoint twelve of the Constitutional Court’s fifteen members. The president gets to decide who six of the twelve judges on the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors will be. Then they’ll try to kid us the judiciary is independent. They can’t kid us but they’ve kidded Bahçeli.’

‘A DICTATOR IS EMPOWERED TO DISSOLVE PARLIAMENT - WE WILL NOT GRANT THIS’

Kılıçdaroğlu, recalling that the proposed constitutional amendment empowers the president to dissolve parliament, recounted how there were discussions over empowering Atatürk in a similar article in the course of debate over the constitution held in 1924. Kılıçdaroğlu said, ‘He would have been able dissolve it without any reason. The war hero who had led the war of independence said that he would not empower a single person, himself, to dissolve parliament. Even if it is Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. The point made is that the people’s will prevails here. We have now forgotten history. We have forgotten the meaning of parliament. A dictator is empowered to dissolve parliament. We will not grant this, friends, we will not.”

‘LET THESE WORDS OF MINE BE A LESSON FOR MR DEVLET BAHÇELI’

Kılıçdaroğlu, listing and criticising the articles in the proposed constitutional amendment, issued the following call to MHP General Chair Devlet Bahçeli, ‘Regional governments covering more than one province may be created by decree. Let these words of mine be a lesson for Mr Devlet Bahçeli. I will say no more.’

‘THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY CANNOT BE HANDED OVER TO A GROUP OF PEOPLE’

CHP leader Kılıçdaroğlu continued his speech as follows: ‘Today this constitutional amendment will be discussed in the parliamentary constitutional commission. We have instructed our people as follows. You will not submit any amendment resolutions. Every resolution you submit lends it legitimacy. No resolutions are to be submitted. You will say whatever is needed to leave a record for history. It is neither local nor national, this thing is non-national. They are throwing 140-years of parliamentary experience into the waste basket. What are you speaking of when you say ‘national’? There isn’t a dictatorial government like this in any country in the world. We’ll have it for the first time here. They wish to imbue their own coup with constitutional status. My word to you is my bond. We will not permit this. The Republic of Turkey cannot be handed over to a group of people. The Republic of Turkey is not a country in which regime change will be brought about through the raising and lowering of hands. Let everyone come to their senses.’
HÜSNÜ MAHALLİ
Last week saw the anniversary of Necip Hablemitoğlu's death. Just like Uğur Mumcu and Ahmet Taner Kışlalı, he passed from our midst in a murder by unknown perpetrators. While our talk was focussed on this, another journalist has been jailed. Hüsnü Mahalli. He was a journalist who yearned for relations between Turkey and Syria to be repaired. You are summoned, held in waiting for days and then remanded in custody. A judge’s good standing comes from acting justly. Those who act as the regime’s cudgel do not deserve the name judge and are not judges.