COLEMÊRG - Speaking at the "March for Respect to Will" completed in the center of Colemêrg, DEM Party Co-Chair Tülay Hatimoğulları stated that violating the will of the people also means violating the Constitution.

 

The "March for Respect to Will", which was launched against the appointment of a trustee to the Colemêrg (Hakkari-Kurdistan) Municipality under the management of the People's Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) on June 3, ended with a press release. Hundreds of people came to Hakkari Governorship and made a statement there. DEM Party Colemêrg Provincial Co-Chair Hümeyra Armut thanked the people for marching against the usurpation of will and said that they will continue to fight against the usurpation of will.

 

'WILL MEANS THE PEOPLE IN DEMOCRACY'

 

DEM Party Co-Chair Tülay Hatimoğulları said: “This delegation of ours has been on the road for nine days. People hit the roads from Istanbul, Tekirdağ, Izmir, Ankara, Çukurova, all over Turkey and Kurdistan. They came here by traveling from city to city. We did it uninterruptedly from Wan to here. We had a demand during this 9-day walk. Respect for will. What is will? In democracy, will means the people, but in dictatorship, will means the palace, one man. What is will? It is democracy, it is justice. But in authoritarian fascist regimes, the will is law enforcement, trustees, and replacing the elected with the appointed. We say, respect to will. If the right to vote and be elected has been enacted in Turkey in the early period, this means the recognition of the will of the people and the direct will of those who vote at the ballot box."

 

Hatimoğulları, reacted to Erdoğan's statement that those who came out of the ballot box would be respected, said: “But he did not respect those who came out of the ballot box, as in Hakkari. Our friend Mehmet Sıddık was unfairly and unlawfully sentenced to 19 years. Before a decision was made about our friend Mehmet Sıddık, the person you see behind us who should have been in the Governor's office was appointed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the municipality as a trustee, that is, in place of the elected one. No decision has been made yet. In other words, it is obvious injustice, the law has been clearly violated. In Manisa Kula, the mayor was taken into custody and arrested, and the municipal council member elects the mayor instead. What did we do in Hakkari? Our Municipal Council convened and elected our Co-Mayor Viyan Tekçe as vice-chair. What needs to be done now is the official appointment of our friend Viyan Tekçe as our Mayor, but they are not doing this."

 

'YOU CANNOT REPLACE THE ELECTED BY THE APPOINTED'

 

Stating that she has been on the streets since the day the trustee was appointed, Hatimoğulları said: “In Istanbul, which is a quarter of Turkey in terms of population and economy, we are on guard together with all the democratic forces, our watch to protect our municipalities, our watch for respect to will. During the 9-day walk, some of our friends had blisters on their feet, and some of our friends had various diseases. Some of our friends were older, but people did not stop walking in the heat that melted the asphalt. If people marched against all this, the will and determination of the people in the Palace and in the Governor, that is, the appointed trustee, should be seen. You cannot replace the elected with the appointed. It is written word by word in the constitution how the elected person is elected, how they will be dismissed, how they will be tried, and if they are dismissed, who will be elected instead."

 

'THE WILL OF THE KURDS HAS BEEN VIOLATED'

 

Stating that what this government is doing is violating the will of the Kurds, Hatimoğulları said: “By violating the will of the people of Hakkari, it is also violating the Constitution. Therefore, we say here once again that the Constitution must be implemented. The agreements to which Turkey is a party must be implemented. Local governments are bound by the autonomy requirement in Turkey and must act accordingly. It must act in accordance with the Venetian protocol. These trustees appointed today are not only a crime according to the laws in Turkey, but also against the European conventions to which we are a party, they are not legal. We shout from here once again. We claim our will with our calloused, blistered feet and our sunburnt skin as walking arms. The trustee must be withdrawn immediately, and Viyan Tekçe must be appointed as vice chair immediately. Today, as it was yesterday, our actions and activities against those who disrespect our will will continue, not only as the DEM Party, but also with all democratic forces in Turkey and all segments of society that are in favor of rights and justice." 

 

'RESPECT THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE'

 

Lastly, Hatimoğulları said: “Reactions against the trustees rose from all over Turkey. Because this problem is not just problem of the Kurds. This problem is not just the problem of Hakkari or the DEM Party. Appointing a trustee means taking away our right to vote and be elected, which is the minimum condition of democracy. Istanbul Municipality is not safe, neither is Izmir Municipality. If it goes wrong, Konya Municipality is not safe either. Konya municipality is not safe if politics acts contrary to the situation. We invite everyone to respect the will of the people rising from these areas and squares in Turkey. We end our march here today with this press release, but only this march. Our vigils will continue. We will continue to fight with our friendly institutions, those who support democracy, those who support human rights, and all segments of society that respect and defend the right to vote and be elected, with our actions and activities to respect the will from all over Turkey."