Gov’t rushed to Öcalan to ease violence: Turkey’s main opposition leader

ANKARA

Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. AA Photo

Turkey’s main opposition leader has said the government’s incompetence with its intelligence body has left it relying on calls by Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), to ease street violence.

“If your intelligence department is strong, if you think such an order may be given and take timely precautions, then you would be able to stop most of these incidents before they even begin,” said Republican People’s Party (CHP) head Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.

He argued that the government’s planned homeland security reform envisioning tough “preemptive” measures would be no use so long as the state’s intelligence body is not able to provide a timely flow of information to the executive bodies.

“Turkey turned into a lake of blood and the government doesn’t know what to do. However, it does one thing – let’s give credit where credit is due – it rushed to İmralı [Island],” Kılıçdaroğlu said during a televised interview on Oct. 15, using a byword for Öcalan.

Öcalan gave the necessary instructions and the incidents suddenly ended, the CHP leader said, referring to the violent protests that erupted in Turkey calling for support to the northern Syrian town of Kobane.

Kılıçdaroğlu also criticized Interior Minister Efkan Ala’s remarks on the day of the protests, when he said “violence will be equally responded to,” saying no such statements could be made in democracies.

“Schools were burned and the state merely watched, then the government decided to pass new laws in order to punish these vandals. Burning schools is already a crime. Before anything, you should arrest those criminals and bring them to justice,” the CHP leader said, likening the government’s new security reform to the laws of Kenan Evren, the former president and 1980 coup leader.

Kılıçdaroğlu also said he would not attend the Independence Day reception on Oct. 29 that will be hosted by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. “It’s a private invitation and we will not accept it,” he said.