ANKARA - HDP Co-Chair Sezai Temelli, who will hand over the office to Mithat Sancar, said: "I was Sezai Temelli on this road that we started two years ago, thanks to you, I became Heval (Comrade) Sezai. I will continue to be at the service of this honorable and proud people."
Sezai Temelli, the Co-Chair of the Peoples' Democratic Party, gave a farewell speech at the 4th Grand Congress. Temelli will hand over his duty to Mithat Sancar after the congress.
Temelli said: "Turkey, and our precious friends coming to raise the the prospects of peace and freedom around the world, I salut you! The comrades of İbo, Deniz, Laz Kemal, I salut you! Our mothers carrying the weight and determination of a 40 year struggle, I salut you! Our youth who raises our struggle with their hope and energy, I salut you! Our friends in prison who are continuing the struggle for democracy in dungeons, I salut you! Women, labourers, our oppressed comrades resisting at home, at work, in the factories, on the streets, resisting, claiming their dignity and honour, I salut you! I salut those who fill our hall against all kinds of pressure and obstructions."
There was an HDP they were trying to collapse 2 years ago, now thanks to all of you, there is an HDP that creates options. I was Sezai Temelli on this road that we started two years ago, thanks to you, I became Heval (Comrade) Sezai. I will continue to be at the service of this honorable and proud people. No one can stand in the way of that. We came here with the resistance and great efforts of our people against AKP and MHP. One day mothers waited in front of the prison gates trying to stop their sons and daughters from losing their lives in the hunger strikes, another day we were at the polls protecting our votes. We stopped the 'one man' in June 24 and March 31. We raised our struggle against fascism shoulder to shoulder."
"In order to create the democratic republic, we must strengthen our struggle for radical democracy on the path of absolute democracy. We must move on to the parliamentary system, strengthened by local democracy. We must save politics from orientalist approaches. We must create our freedoms all together. It is time to bring politics on the street with the local people. It is time for politics to return to the neighborhood. Although our path is long and laborious, our resistance is young. Although our path is full of obstacles, our faith is strong. I greet each of you once again. My comrades, even though seperation is painful, it bears the joy of new meetings. Let them turn back from their path, I will not return. Godspeed and wish you all the best!”