CHP Leader Özel addressed the Parliament: “Whoever is involved in this matter should come, and let us seize all their hospitals and all their assets on behalf of the public.”

Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairman Özgür Özel made statements regarding current issues during the Vestel Half Marathon he attended in his hometown Manisa. In his statements about the ‘Newborn Gang’, CHP Leader Özel said, ‘Today, there is no need for a Decree Law. Let’s seize all the hospitals and all the assets of those involved in this matter on behalf of the public.’

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel participated in the Vestel Manisa Half Marathon held in Manisa. The marathon, organized in cooperation with the Manisa Metropolitan Municipality and Vestel, was started by Özel, along with Manisa Governor Vahdettin Özkan, Manisa Metropolitan Mayor Ferdi Zeyrek, and district mayors, and he closely watched the marathon athletes.

Chairman Özel made statements about current issues during the marathon. Addressing the ‘Newborn Gang’, which has been determined to have threatened the prosecutor conducting the investigation and killed 12 babies, Özel said, ‘Today, we are in my hometown Manisa. A marathon is being held in Manisa. While Turkey has a heavy agenda, today in Manisa, the people of Manisa are expressing their reaction to femicides with black tracksuits and facing a gang that has been committing disgraceful acts, especially towards newborns, which none of us can tolerate living in the same country with anymore. Once again, I call from my hometown Manisa and say that those who govern the country cannot escape responsibility. Anyone involved in this disgrace should be tried not for misconduct in the course of their duties, but for causing death deliberately and by organizing. Additionally, all hospitals involved should not simply have their ‘licenses suspended or revoked’, but rather should be expropriated, and all of the hospitals’ assets, buildings, and equipment should be seized on behalf of the public and registered with the Ministry of Health. During the state of emergency, all assets of the community involved in the July 15 coup, including all their hospitals, schools, tutoring centers, and lands, were seized. Today, there is no need for a Decree Law. The Parliament is functioning during the state of emergency. As the main opposition party, I propose that those involved in this matter have all their hospitals and assets seized on behalf of the public. Let this be a lesson to all. A hospital owner should know that if such a thing happens in their hospital, they will lose it. We need to take the most severe measures. I reiterate this.”

Özel continued: ‘The current minister is responsible for this matter. We learned about the issue 19 months later, while the Istanbul Provincial Health Director was aware at that time. There is a serious neglect here. The provincial health director of that day is the minister of today. That is where their responsibility lies. But if the Health Minister of those days did not pursue this matter adequately, they are also responsible. But there is one real responsible person. He always says, ‘I, I,’ the one who appointed both ministers is the same person. The real responsible one is Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. All other responsible parties should be pursued, but those are secondary responsibilities. In this country, the commodification of health, the commercialization of health services, and the establishment of a performance-based system for hospitals led to the situation where there are many neonatal intensive care units in private hospitals while state hospitals are few. The creator of this system is Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who boasts about establishing this system while asking for votes from people in Cumhuriyet Square.’

On the issue of refugees, Özel touched upon President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Özel stated, ‘I want to draw attention to a sentence Erdoğan said during the press conference while escorting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz yesterday. He said, ‘If new refugees come from Lebanon, our door is open.’ Let’s ask this: who else in this country, besides Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, thinks this way? Which of our unemployed or poor thinks this way? Did those who voted for the AK Party and MHP vote for Erdoğan for this reason? He says, ‘New refugees could come from Syria. If refugees come from Lebanon, our door is open again.’ We have people who are afraid to return to their country. We expect them to be encouraged and sent back quickly. While he is talking about new refugees, he should be talking to Assad to solve this issue. I cannot help but be enraged. I am complaining to everyone who voted for him. Moreover, there will be a plane of refugees arriving from Germany every day. They have reached an agreement on this. I am someone who closely follows German politics and has met with Olaf Scholz many times. They are very happy. They say, ‘Erdoğan is taking the refugees from Germany. We have reached an agreement.’ He says he will keep the refugees coming from Lebanon in Turkey. The main issue here is that he is taking refugees from Germany in exchange for Eurofighter planes. We were previously in the F35 project. Turkey was removed from the F35 project. Correctly, there was no adequate response. We begged for F16s, but it did not happen. Now, he will bring refugees from Germany for Eurofighter. Besides, he says our doors are open to those coming from Lebanon. What will we do if a few million come from Lebanon? What are they doing? Are they eating the bread of this country? They are eating the bread of the poor. They are working in place of the unemployed. While we are at the end of our rope, it is unbearable to not be enraged. He talks about new refugees. I expect him to sit with Assad and send the existing refugees back to their countries, not to sit with Olaf Scholz to bring new refugees. I repeat this call once again. I am complaining about this attitude to every voter who voted for him. Just 3-5 years ago, he did similar things. Our situation today is evident. Therefore, I urge him to abandon this false attitude as soon as possible.’

Özel, participating in the marathon with the tracksuits of Manisaspor, which competes in the amateur league, said, ‘We are born Manisaspor fans. I was born 250 meters down from where I am, in Manisa Doğuymev. My registered neighborhood is 150 meters ahead. Our cradle is Manisaspor.’

Speaking about the marathon, Özel stated, ‘The Manisa Marathon is a very important event organized by the Manisa Metropolitan Municipality and its sponsors, which empowers and strengthens Manisa, helping it to reach the places it deserves both domestically and internationally. We came here upon the invitation of the mayors because it is my hometown and election district. We just opened the half marathon. We are also here to inaugurate the public vaccination soon.’

After his speeches, CHP Chairman Özgür Özel, together with his wife Dilek Özel, Manisa Metropolitan Mayor Ferdi Zeyrek, Şehzadeler Mayor Gülşah Durbay, Yunusemre Mayor Semih Balaban, and CHP Provincial Chairman İlksen Özalper, walked together before departing from Manisa to Istanbul.