President Tayyip Erdoğan attended a fast-breaking meal programme of the Internal Security Units in Istanbul. Addressing the programme, Erdoğan reacted to comments by Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD) Supreme Consultation Board member Tuncay Özilhan. Saying that Özilhan had “made recourse to statistical demonry,” Erdoğan commented, “I know both where you stood seventeen years ago and I know where you stand today. If called for, I’ll reveal these things. I know how to hold those striking Turkey from within to account.”
Erdoğan said, “Yesterday, I listened with sorrow to TUSIAD Supreme Consultation Board member Tuncay Özilhan’s speech - I wouldn’t have wished to couch it in these terms - that reeked of intolerance for democracy and moreover also made recourse to statistical demonry to vilify Turkey. Statistics of this nature are for the most part the product of circles who we know are never fair in their approach towards our country.”
The key points in Erdoğan's speech were as follow:
“HOW MUCH HAS YOUR COMPANY GROWN IN 17 YEARS?”
“Despite this, there are many areas in which Turkey is really very well placed in similar statistics. For example, moving up seventeen places at once in ease of doing business to 43rd place among 190 countries. He doesn’t see this. We are 68th among 180 countries on the economic freedom index. He doesn’t see this. Conversely, this person keeps on trying to strike our country based on statistical curves showing our country in 110th or 120th place.”
“Gentleman, what was Turkey’s per-capita national income seventeen years ago and what is Turkey’s per-capita national income today? Where were you economically on that day, and where are you today? How much has your company alone grown from that day until today? How much stronger have your colleagues become? You don’t put this on the table at all.”
CLASSIFIED AS “THOSE WHO STRIKE FROM WITHIN”
“I know both where you stood seventeen years ago and I know where you stand today. If called for, I’ll reveal these things. But be aware that those trying to strike Turkey from outside are trying to do so but I know how to hold those striking Turkey from within to account.”
“Because, why does TUSIAD not support our 2.5 million employment campaign that we have started rather than deliberately harbouring behind the illusion of statistics showing Turkey in the lowest ranks, let us remind it of this? Does no task befall you here? You have giant factories; you are conglomerates. Come on, what have you got to lose if you take on five or ten unemployed people? You don’t trouble yourself with them.”
“WHAT DID WE DISCUSS ONE WEEK AGO?”
“We would prefer TUSIAD to come into the limelight for the contribution it makes to Turkey’s economic independence rather than for its political partisanship. You came to visit me just one week ago. What did I discuss with you? Look at the comments they made before a week was out. Let’s not forget that this country is the shared homeland of all of us. These dollars and these euros will not come as salvation to you. If this people saves you, this will be your salvation. Know this, too.”
“The flag is the shared flag of all of us. The constitution is the keystone holding our state together. Democracy is the greatest achievement we have attained, paying for it with lives. Nobody has the right to open breaches in Turkish democracy and dynamite our achievements of seventy years.”
TUSIAD CRITICIZES ELECTION ECONOMICS AND SUPPORTS THE TURKEY ALLIANCE AND PRESIDENTIAL SYSTEM
Yesterday in his Supreme Consultation Board opening speech, TUSIAD Supreme Consultation Board Chair Tuncay Özilhan warned the government about the way the economy was headed and argued that there was a need for the legal and judicial system to straighten out to enable the economy to mend. There was criticism of election economics in the speech, which also included support for the Turkey Alliance proposed by Erdoğan and the presidential system.
Assessing the impact of the election processes on the economy, Özilhan commented, “Election economics is practised in the elections held in succession as economic performance declines. The solving of structural problems is postponed. We have been to the polls a full fourteen times since 2007. If we include the annulled Istanbul elections, it comes to fifteen. We held these elections to establish a system in which the separation of powers functions excellently, the executive works, freedom of expression and the media are guaranteed and the impartiality and independence of the judiciary are beyond everyone’s doubt. Well, have we managed to do so? Looking at the point we have reached today, we cannot say, ‘Yes.’” (EVRENSEL DAILY)
(Translated by Tim DRAYTON)
Aras Coşkuntuncel
