"Words from CHP's Karatepe that unsettle retirees and civil servants fixated on the rate of the raise."

CHP Deputy Chairman Karatepe held a press conference at the Headquarters. Evaluating the rate of increase in salaries that millions of civil servants and retirees are watching closely, Karatepe stated, "The minimum wage has created a great disappointment, but an even greater disappointment is the increase in pension payments and changes in civil servant salaries that will be announced next week. We know that we will face an increase that is far below the minimum wage."

Here are the highlights from Karatepe's statements;

"Unfortunately, the concept of poverty has become so prevalent in our country that today, even when making free comparisons, we have had to include terms like hunger and poverty in our language. We have become unable to discuss the level of wage increases without referencing hunger. Last week, we unfortunately saw this very clearly in the evaluations regarding the minimum wage. While comparing the minimum wage increase, which is significantly below the inflation that is already far below the expectations of workers, we have unfortunately reached a point where we, as economists, discuss in meetings, on television screens, and in newspaper columns when the minimum wage will fall below the hunger threshold in 2025. The place we have reached after 22 years is unfortunately not a place of wealth, prosperity, or richness, but a place where hunger is taken as a reference and all wages are compared based on this. We do not deserve this. What we deserve is a society that lives in wealth and prosperity. Even exceeding the hunger threshold is not enough. I would like to clearly share with you today why we do not take the poverty line as a reference. I regret to inform you that the vast majority of the population living in the country has an income below the poverty line. The minimum wage has created a great disappointment, but an even greater disappointment is the increase in pension payments and changes in civil servant salaries that will be announced next week. We know that we will face an increase that is far below the minimum wage."

"INFLATION IS EXPECTED TO BE AROUND 46 PERCENT"

On Friday, January 3, the inflation rate for the end of 2024 will be announced. We know that this figure is likely to be around 46 percent. In other words, when 2024 is completed, the inflation rate will be officially shared with the public by TÜİK at 10 a.m. on Friday, and it will be at the level of 46 percent. In a period where inflation is officially realized at 46 percent, despite wages being increased by around 30 percent, the expression 'We are not letting our citizens be crushed by inflation' can only be used by those who mock the intelligence of the citizens. In this country, where poverty deepens and hunger is used as a reference, unfortunately, there is no middle class left.

The only reason we have come to this situation is the economic program implemented by the government. It has dragged citizens into such deep poverty that the programs implemented have led our citizens, who cannot meet their needs with what they earn, to quickly seek ways to earn money to meet their needs, whether through gambling, legal or illegal betting sites, or highly volatile areas like cryptocurrencies.

"THE ECONOMY APPLIED IN TURKEY."

The economic policy applied in Turkey is not designed by an economist, but is a policy implemented with a fund manager mentality. Because we know that the basic design is constantly based on foreign fund inflows. But we will change this. The current government has no chance of changing this. Because the current government has not even been able to change the indicators it complained about when it came to power. About 11 years ago, in 2013, President Erdoğan stated in a post on his social media account: 'When we came to power, the interest rate was 47 percent,' expressing his discomfort with this. He complains about this high-interest rate. When they came to power, the interest rate was 47 percent. Do you remember what the policy interest rate is today? Last week, the Central Bank's Monetary Policy Committee met and lowered the interest rate by 250 basis points to 47.5 percent. We are facing very difficult economic conditions. However, there is no need to be pessimistic. We, as the CHP, sincerely believe that these economic conditions will change. We are doing politics to correct these issues and to lead society to prosperity and wealth. How this will happen is quite clear. There will be an election, and after that election, the CHP and its competent staff will come to power and quickly solve the problems we are currently facing.

"WE WILL REBUILD THE MIDDLE CLASS"

This system must change, and we are ready to change it, and we will change it. While doing this, we will produce a lot, we will produce abundantly, and we will share what we produce fairly. This is quite easy to do. We will rebuild the middle class, which is the backbone of Turkey. We know that the current situation, where only a limited number of wealthy people exist and the vast majority of the country's population is poor, is unsustainable. We will rebuild the middle class. We will rapidly decrease the proportion of minimum wage earners among total employees. We will ensure that the current rate of 50 percent is brought down to the OECD average and closer to the European Union over time. We will quickly reduce the tax burden on our citizens. We will not only provide agricultural support but will also enable Turkey to access food at low, affordable costs with a very comprehensive agricultural policy. While our citizens access affordable food, our farmers will also be able to earn money from the products they produce and the sweat they shed.

Today, the main source of Turkey's foreign currency needs is the dependency of our production on foreign sources. This dependency on foreign sources is unfortunately a result of the policies implemented by the government over the past 22 years. Today, approximately 75 percent of our imports consist of inputs, raw materials, and other items used in production.

"ELECTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, IMMEDIATE ELECTION"

As the CHP Economic Team, we are traveling around the country. We have visited 13 provinces, and our visits will continue after the New Year. We have gone to every region, including the Southeast, Thrace, the Western Black Sea, and the Mediterranean. There is no place we have not stepped into. Everywhere we go, we see a common thing. All our citizens, industrialists, business people, workers, farmers, and tradespeople, in short, everyone involved in the wheels of the economy, express their loud complaints about the current economic conditions and demand that the ballot box be placed in front of the citizens as soon as possible for change. Therefore, I would like to express this message, which our citizens have conveyed through us, once again from here.

To change the current order you are in, an election is needed as soon as possible, immediately an election.