CHP slams AKP, MHP over convention failure

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

We’re here at Parliament because we respect the people’s will,” Kılıçdaroğlu says speaking at his party’s extraordinary parliamentary group meeting. DAILY NEWS photo, Selahattin SÖNMEZ

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has slammed both the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) over their refusal to attend the scheduled extraordinary parliamentary session. “While our borders have become a powder keg, and our internal and external security is under threat, Parliament is the last institution that should be on recess. Keeping Parliament closed while there is an extraordinary situation in our country is disrespectful of the people’s will. We’re here at Parliament because we respect the people’s will,” Kılıçdaroğlu said yesterday, speaking at his party’s extraordinary parliamentary group meeting.

Parliament’s General Assembly gathered yesterday in an extraordinary session upon the CHP’s request, to discuss the latest attacks by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The gathering did not achieve the required quorum of 184 lawmakers, however, as the AKP and MHP did not attend, on the grounds that such a session would demonstrate that the PKK was strong enough to cause Parliament to convene.

Almost 130 CHP lawmakers and 10 from the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) attended the session, but they did not fill enough seats to reach the required number.

Holding an extraordinary parliamentary group meeting with his lawmakers ahead of the General Assembly session, Kılıçdaroğlu said that such a call for an extraordinary parliamentary session would have been made by the ruling party, if Turkey was an ordinary democratic country.

“The CHP made the call for extraordinary session because the ruling party is afraid to give an account [of the recent operations against the PKK] to Parliament. The ruling party should inform Parliament and receive opinions from opposition parties. Parliament is the place that represents the national will, and the ruling party should inform Parliament for this reason. If you refuse [to inform the Parliament], that means you ignore the Parliament and the people’s will,” Kılıçdaroğlu said.

‘No change in Kurdish policy’

Kılıçdaroğlu also criticized the MHP and accused them of lending support to the AKP’s policies. “Mr. Bahçeli has said Turkish soil is under siege by the PKK. This view is very dangerous and scary. If we are facing such danger, will you come up with a solution by lending your support to the AKP policies that brought Turkey to this point?” Kılıçdaroğlu said.

Once again condemning the kidnapping of CHP Tunceli deputy Hüseyin Aygün by the PKK, the CHP leader said Aygün’s abduction will not change the CHP’s attitude towards Kurdish issue, in a veiled appeal to the PKK. “I’m appealing to the all groups that have sovereignty claims over our region. The CHP will not take even a step back from our country’s interests. We will not accept any power other than Parliament as an interlocutor. We will not seek our legitimacy anywhere other than the national will,” Kılıçdaroğlu said. “This incident will not change our point of view about terrorism. We will not allow terrorism to determine our views, even if it targets our closest [colleagues]. We will deliberately speak the language of peace and defend societal conciliation. We will not bear a grudge.”