No government can survive if it fails to link all the social problems in Turkey to the unresolved Kurdish question, Green Left Party spokesperson Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar said at her party’s first weekly parliamentary group meeting on Tuesday, as she called on the government to take a stance in favour of peace.
Uçar emphasised the significance of Turkey’s May elections, stating that the party’s failure to achieve its desired outcome warranted serious criticism and self-reflection. “It is clear that we need a new political structure and organisational discourse,” said Uçar. However, she also stressed that no one should assume on the basis of the election results that the party has abandoned its commitment to peace, labour rights, ecology or women’s rights.
Uçar pointed out that discussions on the party’s methods of struggle have been ongoing within all its committees since the elections. “For us, the main issue is strengthening our ideological framework to find a solution,” stated Uçar. She added, “We will continue our work with an understanding that expands our social alliances, and avoids being confined to middle-class politics.”
Uçar underlined that the Yeşil Sol Party is not a party formed merely for elections or established under central control. She expressed the party’s unwavering commitment to a more robust contribution to the realisation of its founding paradigm. “We will not cease our efforts to strengthen our foundation,” Uçar said.
Stressing that the Yeşil Sol Party is the sole political party in the Turkish parliament advocating for coexistence as opposed to racism and hatred, Uçar concluded, “We promise to forge stronger and more authentic connections with all realms and dynamics of struggle in this society, from women to the youth, labourers to the oppressed, disabled individuals to the impoverished and environmentalists. We pledge to amplify their fight not only within Parliament but also alongside them on the streets.”
