Ruling AKP to dissolve after elections, says jailed Kurdish politician Demirtaş

Duvar English 

Jailed former People's Democratic Party (HDP) co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş has penned an opinion piece for Gazete Duvar in which he said that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) will no longer exist after the upcoming elections scheduled for 2023.

In his piece named "The AKP will close down," Demirtaş said that the AKP had turned “into a distribution center of unearned income [rant]” and that party officials who were disturbed by corruption had already left the party one by one. “Those not involved in theft were no longer unable to endure and have left the AKP,” Demirtaş wrote.

Below is the complete translation of Demirtaş's piece:

"After the elections, the AKP might no longer exist, and it will most likely not. Do you think this is too assertive? You are right. How will it happen that a party, which still attracts 30 percent of support in the polls despite so much corruption, poverty and oppression, will dissolve after the elections? How will the store close down? Let me try to explain it.

'AKP officials not involved in corruption left party'

The AKP is no longer the party of the “cause.” People believing in the “cause” have already abandoned the ship. People who stayed behind are those that do not believe in any belief or ideology.

What was keeping the AKP on its feet was the people that believed in the “cause.”

The cadres, especially women, visiting homes and villages 365 days, organizing the people, taking interest in people, attempting to find solutions for their problems, and explaining the “cause” no longer exist. Because these cadres I have mentioned are not thieves.

AKP's executives that did not get involved with theft, at every level from former chairs to ministers, from provincial and district heads to neighborhood organizations, were no longer able to endure and have left the AKP.

And those staying at the AKP have neither belief, consciousness nor power to go about streets and visit homes. Therefore, the AKP's connection with the streets and homes broke off. They are trying to bring people to even rallies by the force of the circulars issued by the governor's offices.

You cannot find even one single person at the AKP organizations who does his duty without solely caring about his self-interests, gains and benefits. An AKP executive going to an AKP building anywhere this morning probably has in his mind the question of “What share can I grab from a tender today?” instead of “What can I do for my party today?”

'AKP is a big distribution center of unearned income'

The AKP is now nothing else than a big distribution center of unearned income [rant]. Unearned income is being distributed everywhere every day, from gigantic tenders to a hospital cleaning tender in a small district, from billion-dollar marinas to kiosks in neighborhoods, from job hiring with favoritism to privately licensed hookah cafes.

Apart from these, it is making the poorest dependent on itself under the name of “social aid.”

From its ministers to undersecretaries, from its general managers to provincial managers, from the “journalists of his majesty” to judges and prosecutors, from its contractors to exporters, from pro-government unions to cults, from its foundations to municipalities, all of them are now part of this cogwheel of unearned income.

Of course, there must be some exceptions, but as you know exceptions don't break the rule.

Universities, televisions, courts, trolls and mafia-like gangs produce fake ideologies, oppressions and threats and try to keep the order in place for the theft system to continue.

Pro-government cults and cloaked hodjas try to cover the theft with religion, books and the discourse of “inşallah, maşallah.” Because all moral values in the AKP system have collapsed. In the AKP system, the property of the state is sea and those not plundering it is a pig!

'All of them will flee'

In the light of these determinations, let's think about what kind of a mood AKP officials will have just a month before the elections. All of the data clearly show that the AKP will both lose the parliamentary and presidential elections.

Do you think that those staying at a party by leaning their back against unearned income, self-interest, corruption or theft will stay there when they understand that these will be lost?

Also, if you were a thief, would you not flee when the police came? But of course, do not be a thief; just empathize. Be assured that they will all flee. And there will be a small mass left who still think about voting for the AKP with pure and clean emotions.

But be careful! These people will not flee abroad; they will flee to the new parties of the rulership. They will try their chances also with the new rulership. And be assured that the majority of Turkey society will choose the ones who are moral, honest and fair.

No party or candidate that consists of thieves can get 50+1 percent of the votes. Those who toil by the sweat of their brow, make an earning in an honest way and the oppressed will determine the results of the elections.

In the end, it will not be the AKP but the thieves that will lose. Do not be surprised at what I am saying. As thieves lose and flee, the AKP will automatically close down anyway. Because not many people will be left in the party."

(Demirtaş's piece has been translated by Duvar English)