Fatih Erbakan calls for referendum on peace process

According to Kurdistan Press, Fatih Erbakan, the leader of the New Welfare Party, who had traveled to Diyarbakir to participate in several programs, spoke to reporters about the peace process, mother tongue rights, and the appointment of caretaker mayors instead of elected mayors in a meeting.

Erbakan, who referred to the current process as "Turkey without terror," said that the New Welfare Party is not against the solution and has not refused to accept responsibility for achieving an honest and sustainable solution.

Referring to the presence of the New Welfare Party representative in the commission formed in the Turkish parliament, he said: "Our position was clear yesterday and it is clear today.We have never been in favor of continuing the stalemate in this process; on the contrary, we have always supported an honest and sustainable solution. By introducing a member to the parliamentary commission, we also showed that we will not shirk our responsibility.”

Proposal to refer directly to the public vote

The chairman of the New Welfare Party emphasized that such an important issue should not be limited to closed-door negotiations or political calculations, but should proceed with the direct participation of the society

Erbakan said: “Our desire is not for secret negotiations and political calculations behind closed doors. We want the solution to be broad, encompassing all sectors of society, and for such a vital issue to be directly submitted to the people’s approval through a referendum.”

He added: “Our goal is for the process to gain solid and unshakable legitimacy with the support of the overwhelming majority of the people.»

Erbakan did not provide further details about the possible timing of the referendum, the question to be asked, or the legal framework for holding it.

Supporting the right to education and speaking in one’s mother tongue

The leader of the New Welfare Party emphasized the importance of one’s mother tongue in another part of his speech. This is despite the fact that he had previously said, “Our official language is Turkish and there is only one official language,” and that adding another language alongside it could lead to widespread chaos.

Citing Surah Ar-Rum in the Quran, Erbakan said, “The difference in your languages ​​and colors is among the signs of God.” He continued, “The difference in our languages, lineages, and ethnicities is by God’s will. Our duty is not to ignore these differences, but rather to respect each other’s language, identity, and creation.»

Erbakan considered living according to the customs and traditions of each society, speaking in one’s mother tongue and passing it on to one’s children as natural human rights, and said: “If you want to prevent these rights, you have committed injustice. For this reason, we support learning and speaking in one’s mother tongue.”

He added: “I said it before in Bitlis and Van, and I repeat it today in Diyarbakir; our mother tongues are as lawful and rightful for each of us as our mothers’ milk. Who can deprive them of the right to live with the language and identity that God has given to His servants? Attempting to do so is a clear violation of right and justice.”

A call to end the appointment of guardians

The chairman of the New Welfare Party continued by addressing the policy of appointing government guardians instead of elected mayors, saying that this policy cannot establish social peace.Erbakan emphasized that in municipalities where supervisors are appointed, people suffer the most, and addressed the Turkish government, saying: "We also told the government in Ankara that if you are honest in your claim, you must end the policy of appointing supervisors."

He concluded by emphasizing that restoring brotherhood in society is not possible with just symbolic words, and requires that everyone demand for others the rights and opportunities they want for themselves.