MAYORAL CANDIDATE BIRDAL: "KURDISH AND DEMOCRATIC VOTERS WILL CHANGE THE COURSE OF ELECTIONS"
Bawer Cakir

BIA Magazine
March 6 2009
Turkey

Akın Birdal, candidate for mayor’s office in Greater Istanbul, has
predicted that many people will be surprised at the local election
results, as the media is misleading the public.

"The media are profit partners of the government and their allies
in some way or other, so it is normal that they are ignoring us. But
the fact that they ignore us doesn’t mean that we are not here."

Akın Birdal, former head of the Human Rights Association (IHD)
and then MP for the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) in
Diyarbakır, is the candidate of the "We exist, too" Platform for
Greater Istanbul mayor.

He says that the mainstream media is giving the impression that the
elections are only being fought between the Justice and Development
Party (AKP) of the national government and the People’s Republican
Party (CHP), the main opposition party in parliament.

Kurds and democrats

>From impressions gathered at neighbourhood visits and meetings with
professional associations and trade union representatives, Birdal
believes that he can trust in the votes of the 1.7 million Kurds in
Istanbul who have been voting for the AKP in the hope for a solution
to the Kurdish question, as well as in the votes of the democrats
who have reluctantly voted for the CHP in the past.

Birdal said, "Our election campaign is in full stride. We have been
meeting with trade unions linked to the DISK and KESK federations,
as well as the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) and the Union of
Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMoB), in order to
see what kind of city we can create."

He criticised the fact that trade unions and professional associations
were excluded from local government, saying that he found it vital
to include the representatives of the people.

People are excluded from city

Birdal said that he has been listening to "the people who are
not asked" during events, election office openings and solidarity
meetings. He is also in contact with shopkeepers.

"The small traders are very worried. They have all said that they
have come to the point where they will have to close down. They
are worried that the AKP has slowed down the economy because of the
elections and that they will suffer the consequences."

"Existing neoliberal policies have pushed the small traders and all
workers outside of the financial city", he said, adding:

"There are 4.5 million workers in this city, and they are aware of
the situation. But the current local government does not consider
them or what kind of city they would like tol ive in. We will create
a new Istanbul by including this group in local administration."

"We also exist" Birdal emphasised the importance of the sense of
solidarity created by the "We also exist" Platform. He expressed his
belief that many voters disappointed in the AKP and the CHP would
vote for him.

"Women, Kurds, Armenians, homosexuals, workers, in short all the
oppressed and workers in Istanbul will stand up and lead us to an
impressive result. This will not be a surprise for the media or the
other parties."

He ended by saying,

"Even if the media is the voice of government and is ‘burying’ us,
there are independent and oppositional newspapers, Internet websites,
TV channels and radio stations."

Today (Friday), Birdal is meeting with people in the areas of Nurtepe
and Okmeydan, before giving an interview on YaÅ~_am Radio at 5 pm. At
7 pm, there is an election rally in Maltepe.

Tomorrow, Birdal will take part in the Saturday Mothers/People protest,
which is a regular protest demanding justice for the many people who
have disappeared in Turkey in the last decades.
From: Baghdasarian