CHP leader: Turkey suffering from moral collapse

ANKARA

AA Photo

Turkey’s main opposition leader has suggested that the entire country has been degenerating, while indicating that both President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) have been responsible for the country’s moral lapse.

“There is an ongoing debate between Mr. Erdoğan and me,” main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said on Jan. 26.

Last week, Erdoğan took Kılıçdaroğlu to court for his repeated remarks describing him as a “sham dictator,” and asked for compensation for non-pecuniary damages.

“Everything has a reason, so this [court case] has too. We got an opportunity for explaining the degeneration that Turkey has been living. Turkey is living a serious degeneration and moral collapse at the moment. These [issues] have ruled the country for 13 years,” Kılıçdaroğlu said, referring to the AKP-majority rule since 2002.

“Leaders have a duty. Presidents have a duty. Ministers have a duty. They have to set a model for society. If you give up setting a model for the society and dissociate it, then you leave the society face to face with this degeneration. That’s the point that Turkey has arrived at,” he said. 

“If the president of a country doesn’t abide by the oath that he took, then he cannot be a model for the society and he nourishes the degeneracy in the society. They have nourished the degeneracy in society since 13 years this way. They talked about religion and faith. In which religion does morality have a second-class position? In which faith is morality thrown into garbage?” he asked.

“Why have suicide cases increases? There has been a 33 percent increase. Drugs that have spread in last 13 years have become trouble for Turkey. Increase in drug addiction is 678 percent. The increase in those jailed for drug trade is 355 percent,” Kılıçdaroğlu added. “There is 790 percent increase in prostitution. More than 300,000 women are being held by prostitution gangs like slaves. What is this Justice and Development Party is doing, can you tell me? Where is justice here? Where is the development here?” he asked.