CHP head calls on parliament speaker to ‘resolve terror problem’ after deadly blast

ANKARA

AA Photo

The head of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has called on the parliament speaker to launch an initiative with all four political parties in parliament to establish a “joint stance” against terrorism and explore ways to address the problem, after the third deadly terrorist attack to hit the Turkish capital within six months.  

“This is my call to the Parliament Speaker [İsmail Kahraman]. He should immediately let parliament deal with the terror problem. This is not a problem that one political party can deal with alone. This is a national problem,” CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said at a press conference on March 14.
 
Kılıçdaroğlu stressed that the CHP had submitted nine separate motions to parliament for a detailed investigation into the problem of terror but none had been approved due to the majority votes of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). 

“But I hereby repeat my call to the parliament speaker in front of everybody: Let parliament engage with this problem,” he said. 

The government should also immediately undertake a complete change in its foreign policies by returning to the founding principles of the Republic of Turkey, “Peace at home, peace in the world,” Kılıçdaroğlu also said.
 
“We should change our foreign policy. We should normalize our relations with all of our neighbors. If not, Turkey’s position as an importer of terrorism will continue,” he added. 

‘Is there a capital without a police chief elsewhere in the world?’

The CHP chairman also underlined the fact that the government has failed to appoint a police chief to the Ankara Police Department for months, with only temporary appointments currently heading both the Ankara police as well as its intelligence bureau. 

“Can there be a government that can’t appoint a police chief to Ankara? Is there any capital city without a police chief elsewhere in the world?” Kılıçdaroğlu said.

Ankara has witnessed three deadly terrorist attacks in recent months with hundreds of people killed and wounded, and the CHP head called for accountability over security failures.

“Who is responsible for all these [attacks]? I call on the Prime Minister [Ahmet Davutoğlu] to act in line with Article 112 of the constitution that defines the duties and responsibilities of ministers. If a minister fails to perform his duty, you should dismiss him and appoint a new one. Otherwise you will never get rid of your image of being unable to rule,” Kılıçdaroğlu stated. 

‘Why should we learn to live with terror?’

The CHP head also slammed suggestions from some pro-government journalists and officials that Turkey “must live with terror for a while” in comments since the Ankara attack. 

“Why do we have to get used to living with terror? Why should we accept the ineptitude of this government? Your comments on news stations should not aim to cover up the government’s failures but focus on how this problem can be solved,” he said.