"turkish President Provokes People Through Security Bill"

- A war of words between the ruling and main opposition parties in Turkey over a controversial draft security bill has grown larger, with the latter describing the law as a “clear provocation.”

“Although he sits in the seat of the prime ministry, I do not think he has been informed (of the content of the bill). It is not us who will provoke the people, but those who pass the law,” main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) head Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu told reporters on Feb. 5, responding to Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu’s suggestion that Kılıçdaroğlu was a “provocateur” rather than a political leader.

Declining to comment on statements made by President Tayyip Erdoğan on the grounds that he was “not his interlocutor,” the CHP leader instead directed his criticism toward the government over the security bill.

“If you want to punish those who use weapons with a one year sentence and those who use slings with two years, then you would be provoking the people and that would not be right. Plus, eavesdropping on people and detaining people without a court decision are also wrong,” Kılıçdaroğlu said, referring to the content of the new bill.

The security bill is introducing anti-democratic measures, in violation of the constitution, he added.

“We want first-class democracy for Turkey. We want the same rights and assurances that exist in Germany, France, England, the United States and Japan. Turkey is not a country deserving of a third-class democracy,” he said.

The draft law is no different to the laws passed by the junta government of the 1980s, Kılıçdaroğlu added.

Meanwhile, CHP Deputy Parliamentary Group Head Akif Hamzaçebi said that if the law passes, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) will prove itself to be the Baath Party of Turkey.