In a recent gathering at the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) headquarters in Ankara, Co-chair Mithat Sancar announced that the primary agenda would be the decision to hold an extraordinary congress. The HDP aims to transfer its institutional legacy to the Green Left, and is discussing the methods to achieve this.
Faced with the threat of being shut down by the Constitutional Court, the HDP fielded their candidates in the May elections under the lists of the Green Left Party. According to Sancar, as long as the HDP continues to exist, its struggle will continue through the Green Left Party.
Sancar emphasised the historical significance of the decisions to be made during the meeting. “Since the elections, as we promised our people, we have been conducting evaluations, accounts, criticism and self-criticism in the most extensive manner possible. This process is ongoing. Conferences and congresses will be held at the end of all this. I say congresses because we have both the HDP’s and the Green Left Party’s congresses on our agenda,” he stated.
Addressing Turkey’s economic situation, Sancar noted that it would be incorrect to label it merely as a crisis. He pointed out the significant collapse and emphasised that 95 percent of the population, including workers and the impoverished, are affected. “People cannot afford housing or food, and cannot maintain their lives according to basic human conditions. Labour exploitation is on the rise,” he added.
Sancar also touched on environmental concerns, referring to the destruction of forests in Cudi and Akbelen. He criticised the government’s policies, stating that their primary goal is to maintain a “primitive predatory, grasping, looting, accumulation model.”
Discussing the Kobanê case, Sancar expressed concerns about the lack of legal procedures. He believes the trial is an attempt to take revenge against those who resisted ISIS. “The government is attacking them ideologically and politically through this case,” he said. He further highlighted the recent involvement of the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) in the case. “They [the government] have recently brought the Diyanet into play. It is presenting statements to the court that almost seem like a continuation of the ISIS mentality, in the guise of an intervention petition. This government is conducting these attacks at an ideological and political level through this case,” Sancar added.
Highlighting ongoing injustices, Sancar mentioned the Saturday Mothers, who, in spite of a decision in their favour from the Constitutional Court, are prevented from gathering by the police. “It is clear lawlessness, a despotic administration. They are trying to subdue society with an unjust, looting, war-based order. We are aware of these traps and operations. From Akbelen to Cudi, from workers’ strikes to the struggle for justice of the Saturday Mothers, we are working with all our might to be present everywhere,” he asserted.
Sancar concluded with a call to action, emphasising the need to develop methods to counter feelings of hopelessness being imposed on society. “All the oppressed, the freedom struggle of the Kurdish people, defenders of the natural world, women’s equality, freedom and rights struggle, the struggle of youth to live in a bright future, all invite us to join them. We accept this invitation and we want to announce to our people that we will make the necessary decisions here,” he stated.
