14.02.2025 12:40
In the general assembly held yesterday, TÜSİAD President Orhan Turan criticized the government on various issues, primarily the economy. Following this statement, reactions from the AK Party and the government side came in quick succession, while all eyes were on Turan, who made another noteworthy statement.
The messages regarding the arrest of Ümit Özdağ, the investigation against İBB President İmamoğlu, allegations of monopolization, the expulsion of Ayşe Barım and officers from the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) created a significant impact during the Ordinary General Assembly of the Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen's Association (TÜSİAD).
"I AM A CHILD OF ANATOLIA" While reactions from the government side came in succession to these messages, new statements were made by TÜSİAD President Orhan Turan, to whom attention was drawn. Stating that "We need to pay attention to fair distribution," Turan said, "I am a child of Anatolia. I came this far due to equal opportunities in education. We need to make structural reforms together in the fields of energy, law, and education. Otherwise, we will experience bad things again in 3-5 years. While growing up, we need to share fairly. This is very important. We have disrupted income distribution. If there is no democracy, we cannot expect income; independence in the judiciary is essential," he expressed.
"THE EXPERIENCE OF FIGHTING INFLATION IS NOT GOOD" Continuing his remarks, Turan also touched upon the fight against inflation, stating, "Turkey's experience in fighting inflation is not very good. We have been saying for 3 years that our goal is to reduce inflation to a single digit. We did this between 2002-2011, and we saw rates around 5%. We disrupted the system with the interest rate policy in 2021. As the time extends to correct this, stress increases," he said.
REACTIONS CAME IN SUCCESSION On the other hand, Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç responded to Orhan Turan's critical remarks about the government by saying, "The Republic of Turkey is a state of law. No institution, organization, or interest group is above the national will. One of the cornerstones of our democratic system is the separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary. Just as we do not accept any pressure on judicial processes, everyone should know that we are against any attempt to influence the judiciary. While it is certainly a democratic right for civil society organizations to express their views, attempts to direct the judiciary and politics are contrary to the spirit of democracy and the principle of the rule of law. Democracy is not just the common trust of certain circles but of the entire nation and state. Turkey is not the old Turkey. Those who do not understand that the Turkey directed by privileged groups is now behind should know this: No one or no organization can see itself above the will of the nation and the law. There should be no doubt that we will respond to any attempt to intervene in the legal order as strongly as we have until now," he stated.
ÇELİK: THOSE WHO SEE THEMSELVES ABOVE POLITICS... AK Party Spokesperson Ömer Çelik, in his statement regarding the issue, said, "In democracies, it is the most natural right of civil society organizations to make statements and evaluations about the country's agenda. However, the right to evaluate the country's agenda is a separate matter from attempts to shape politics and give orders to the judiciary. The difference lies in commitment to democracy and respect for the law. Unfortunately, some civil society organizations in Turkey have a problematic record in this regard; their past support for military and judicial tutelage has not been erased from memory. Additionally, their open targeting of the legitimate government and efforts to remove it from office have made headlines in the past. For these reasons, the TÜSİAD management should confront why its approaches are among the first that come to mind when those fighting for democracy mention 'trust crisis' in this country. TÜSİAD should strive to leave behind its poor record on democracy. As the AK Party, we will not allow any initiative that sees itself above politics, just as we have until now. We are more determined than ever to protect the democratic space of politics," he said.