Statement on Economy and Corruption from MHP Chairman Bahçeli

In his written statement, MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli stated that Türkiye is acting with the aim of reaching a better, more prosperous tomorrow by solving its accumulated problems over the years, with experience and wisdom.

Recalling that, looking at recent history, Turkey has faced significant economic costs due to the pressure the country is being put in as a result of cooperation with Türkiye's adversaries, such as terrorism, economic sanctions, the July 15 uprising, the disaster of the century, the February 6 earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş and Hatay, the US-Israel Iran war, the Ukraine-Russia War, the internal conflicts in Syria, other geopolitical risks and migration, as well as the undemocratic interventions that have taken place. Bahçeli continued as follows:

"The approximate minimum calculable cost of PKK terrorism, which has been fought for more than 40 years, to the Turkish economy, in the words of our President, is 2.3 trillion dollars. The minimum cost of the February 6 earthquakes, the disaster of the century, has exceeded 110 billion dollars. According to the statements of the Ministry of Treasury and Finance, the US/Israel-Iran war has imposed a significant cost on the Turkish economy with its market interventions and reserve effect, inflation effect, energy and fuel costs, foreign trade and tourism risks, and its effects on financial markets. In the global oil supply "The disruptions experienced have been greater than similar shocks in the past. Inflation targets have deviated due to the direct and indirect effects of high oil prices in the markets."

Stating that the war affected not only the energy markets but also many strategic products, from fertilizers to raw materials used in chip production, and that disruptions in global supply chains tightened financial conditions and negatively affected the foreign trade balance, Bahçeli said, "Undoubtedly, Turkey is in a geopolitically challenging region and the uncertainties created by wars have created a significant risk. These developments, which disrupted the development of our country, also hindered economic stability and prevented the formation of a sustainable order." made the statement.

Stating that the cost of global crises is felt more on Turkey due to high fragility, Bahçeli said, "Turkey has carried out the pandemic process in an order that can be envied in the world, without victimizing any of our citizens. International economic sanctions have negatively affected our trade and the economic and social policies implemented. While our country was wanted to be invaded on July 15, it was hoped that our economy would collapse. Despite all this negative situation, Turkey is a strong country that has managed to increase its national income to 1.7 trillion dollars and its national income per capita to 18 thousand dollars today." "It is an economy. It has a low unemployment rate, high export capacity, sustainable current account deficit, debt management and budget balance. Of course, we have problems in society, from retirees to farmers, from tradesmen to employees, and these need to be resolved quickly." made his assessment.

Allegations of corruption in municipalities

Explaining that while trying to take part in global competition as the People's Alliance, Türkiye also went through a purification process in which corruption and irregularities were revealed, Devlet Bahçeli continued his words as follows:

"The scandal of corruption, bribery and immorality, which started with the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, has spread to the public and to municipalities in many parts of our country. In the last two years, investigations have been carried out against many municipalities on allegations of bribery, extortion, bid rigging and organized corruption. Although the litigation processes are continuing, the allegations, statements and public statements that are the subject of the investigations reveal that the magnitude of the events is great and a picture that requires serious consideration. Essentially, municipalities are a public trust before being a political power area. "And those who manage these places must internalize this legal and moral responsibility and fulfill their duties. All kinds of relationships of interest in areas such as tenders, zoning, licenses, real estate, participation, personnel and public expenditures are not only a problem concerning criminal law, but also a problem of morality and governance."

Bahçeli stated that the public was curious about the financial picture of the corruption scandal and said, "It is inevitable to clearly reveal the public damage through judicial decisions, the Court of Accounts and the findings of the relevant auditing institutions, to share the cost of corruption with the public, and to relieve the social conscience. The public damage incurred due to corruption should be taken back and given to our retirees, low and fixed income citizens, and spent for their welfare." he said.

Stating that the recent developments within the scope of the fund investigation indicate that a narrow-scope group is manipulating the market by violating the law, Bahçeli said, "From the statements of state institutions and authorized persons, it is understood that the situation has been resolved, a road map has been determined and implemented to identify those who committed crimes and to eliminate the grievances of the victims. The stability of the Turkish economy depends on financial stability. The financial system is based on trust. While our citizens, especially small investors, invest in a financial product while depositing their money in the bank or capital market instruments, they are transferred to the financial system and this system is referred and implemented." "It also expresses the trust in the institutional structure that manages and supervises. Therefore, the damage of an allegation of manipulation in financial markets is not limited to investors who lose money. The loss of confidence can affect the entire markets, the relevant institutions and the economy as a whole."

"The fund market closely affects the confidence and stability of economic markets."

Underlining that citizens want to protect the purchasing power of their savings obtained by working in a high inflation environment, Bahçeli said, "Questioning whether there is an effective mechanism that can secure this will move the issue from an economic one to a system and management problem, as well as a matter of social trust. It is natural that our citizens want to invest their savings through legitimate means in financial markets. Some investors take risks at their own discretion. The main thing here is to destabilize the financial system and economy during the management of the funds in question, and at the same time to cause market-distorting transactions, manipulation, fraud and trust by leaking information." "Undoubtedly, the fund market is an area where savers seek returns, and it also closely affects the trust and stability of the economic markets as a whole." he said.

Emphasizing that the problem in Türkiye stems from practice rather than rules, and that deficiencies, faults and inadequacies in supervision and control are at the root of the problem, Bahçeli said, "For this reason, legal, administrative and structural measures should be taken to establish and maintain a financial system in which investors can trust. Confessions reflected to the public show that there is an open corruption and bribery wheel in municipalities, through demand and collapse, by force. The events in the fund market are an optional disposition, without prejudice to the manipulations made."

"These should be considered as an opportunity for purification and acquittal."

Underlining that Türkiye, in the unity of the People's Alliance, is capable of overcoming every problem, stifling every discord, breaking every betrayal and foiling the schemes of Türkiye's enemies, Bahçeli said:

"Turkey should not be faced with discussions of erosion of social trust and decay in the face of developments such as corruption, irregularities and nepotism. These should be considered as an opportunity for purification, exoneration and addressing the underlying causes. In this respect, it is a demonstration of the will to examine the structural problem networks in a holistic manner and eliminate them with permanent solutions. We see justice as the guarantee of fundamental rights and freedoms and the foundation of the state. With an effective legal system in which the principle of impartial and independent judiciary will fully come into being." "We believe that establishing a strong institutional capacity is of vital importance. It should be ensured that the practices as well as the regulations that will make this possible are compatible with the principles of impartiality and independence and are reassuring. The Nationalist Movement Party, which sees the state administration as a trust of our nation, sees it as a national duty not to allow corruption, bribery, plunder and nepotism, and to punish those who commit these crimes in the most severe way within the framework of the rules of law."

"It should be dealt with regardless of the person's identity and personality."