CHP ‘to lend support’ should AKP’s reforms be genuine

ANKARA

The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) will support the reforms to be undertaken by the ruling Justice and Development (AKP) in the field of economy and justice if they are genuine and solid, the CHP chair has said.

“If they admit that they have ruined the economy and the justice and if they say they have drawn their lessons, then we will support the reforms and the laws they will submit to the Parliament because we are genuine advocates of justice. But the thing is that to what extent is [President Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan sincere?” CHP Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu told his parliamentary group in a weekly address on Nov. 17.

It’s ironic that Erdoğan, who has been ruling Turkey for 18 years, is now talking about reforming the economy by urging the people that the measures to be taken by the government can include some painful solutions, Kılıçdaroğlu said.

“How did this happen at the end of 18 years in government? You had everything you wanted. You did whatever you wanted to do. There is nobody left around you to dare to say that ‘It is wrong.’ And now you introduce a painful prescription to the people,” stated the main opposition party leader.

According to Kılıçdaroğlu, the picture in justice is no different as people have almost lost all of its trust in Turkey’s judicial system as a result of the 18-year-long policies of AKP. The CHP will still support the judicial reforms should they include some very concrete steps, he suggested, noting a 14 item to-do list to this end.

Any reform action should deal with the judges who don’t abide by the verdicts of the Constitutional Court, remove all the governmental influence on the judicial proceedings, release all the prisoners who are kept in jail because of their thoughts and writings, suspend efforts to weaken the bar associations, and stop appointing trustees to the opposition-held municipalities, Kılıçdaroğlu stressed.

“If you do all these, then I will understand that you are sincere. We’ll support you if you introduce these measures. We’ll lend you any sort of support if you do the right thing, but when you do the wrong, we will continue to voice it. If you think you can silence us, that’s not something you can do,” he added.