Turkish opposition leader deals painful blow to Erdogan

Emira al-Sherif

The Ottoman dictator continues to receive painful blows and criticism from the Turkish opposition because of his corruption in Turkey and the terrorism he spreads throughout the region and the entire world. Turkish opposition leader and Republican People’s Party (CHP) President Kemal Kılıçdaroglu has again criticized President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accusing him of assuming the blood of the victims of the 2016 coup attempt, not exposing the plans of Fethullah Gulen’s Hizmet organization early enough, and submitting to the leaders of the major powers.

This came in Kılıçdaroglu’s weekly speech in front of his party’s parliamentary bloc, where he said that “the palace government (an expression he has always used when talking about Erdogan’s government) has completely abolished the middle class. The presidential regime has been born dead; 83 million people work for one person, 83 million people work for one family; working to feed the palace.”

He asserted that Erdogan receives instructions from top world leaders and fulfills their needs, all the while saying that he is challenging the world, adding, “What is this challenge he is launching? He uses the media to say that Erdogan is hitting his fist on the table and the world trembles. Didn’t Erdogan there (in Russia) while 33 soldiers were martyred? (33 Turkish soldiers were killed in Idlib). They didn’t even give him a chair.”

Kılıçdaroglu also criticized the arrest of opposition journalists by Erdogan’s government, saying, “Hundreds of journalists were arrested, detained and sentenced to imprisonment by the repressive government, just for writing, thinking, talking and commenting; arrested for writing facts and not selling their pens. They were arrested for not obeying the palace.”

“On this occasion, we should not ignore them or put them in prison as much as they want to be treated unfairly. Doctors cannot see them such that it harms them. These journalists do not sell their writing. They fight for their country and write the truth as independent journalists,” he added.

Kılıçdaroglu pointed out that “the Ottoman state collapsed because it was plagued by corruption, bribery and cronyism, and if they (the government) do not care, then this leads to the dissolution of the state, and this deterioration will spread to all areas, and the people who rule the state must communicate with experts and NGOs.”

Regarding Erdogan’s battle against the Hizmet organization led by Fethullah Gulen, whom the Turkish president accuses being responsible for the coup attempt against his rule on July 15, 2016, Kılıçdaroglu said, “Were you children? One of the most important institutions in this country is the National Intelligence Organization (MIT). Why didn’t you tell them about the Gulen organization? Why didn’t you tell them about the organization in all the meetings of the National Security Council? You didn’t do that, and then you said we were deceived. If a terrorist organization has the ability to deceive the most important person, namely the head of state, then you (Erdogan) should not sit in this seat. You betray the country every minute you sit there.”

Continuing to address Erdogan, Kılıçdaroglu said, “On August 3, 2016, following the coup attempt, you went out to say ‘I pray that my Lord and my nation forgive us.’ What about the blood of 251 martyrs (the victims of the coup attempt), while you were hiding in Marmaris? 251 people sacrificed their lives in the arenas because of what? Because ‘the word deceived me’?!”