Statement from MHP Leader Devlet Bahçeli about Corruption and Fund Investigations

MHP Leader Devlet Bahçeli made a written statement about "The Troubles That Turkey Has Experienced in Our Recent History, the Fund Investigation and Corruption in Municipalities". Bahçeli's statement is as follows:

Stating that Türkiye has gone through many difficult processes in its recent history, from terrorism to global crises, from the July 15 treacherous coup attempt to earthquake disasters, Bahçeli emphasized that despite this, Türkiye has a strong economy that has increased its national income to 1.7 trillion dollars and its per capita national income to 18 thousand dollars.

'OUR COUNTRY HAS FACED ECONOMIC COSTS DUE TO THE CENTER THAT OUR COUNTRY WANTS TO PUT INTO'

Pointing out that while the People's Alliance was preparing Türkiye for global competition, it was also going through a purification process in which corruption and irregularities were revealed, Bahçeli said:

Türkiye acts with the aim of reaching a better and more prosperous future by solving its accumulated problems over the years, with experience and wisdom. When we look at our recent history, our country is in a trap that is being forced into us as a result of cooperation with Turkey's adversaries such as terrorism, economic sanctions, the July 15 treacherous attempt, the disaster of the century, the February 6 earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş and Hatay, the US-Israel-Iran war, the Ukraine-Russia War, the civil conflicts in Syria, other geopolitical risks and migration, as well as the undemocratic interventions. faced significant economic costs. In the words of our President, the minimum calculable cost of PKK terrorism to the Turkish economy, which has been fought for more than 40 years, is 2.3 trillion dollars. (TASAV study 1984-2024 is 2 trillion 170 billion dollars.)

The minimum cost of the February 6 earthquakes, the disaster of the century, exceeded 110 billion dollars. US/Israel-Iran war; According to the statements of the Ministry of Treasury and Finance, it has imposed a significant cost on the Turkish economy with its effects on market interventions and reserve effects, inflation effects, energy and fuel costs, foreign trade and tourism risks and financial markets. Disruptions in global oil supply 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.

"Türkiye IS A STRONG ECONOMY"

The war affected not only energy markets but also many strategic products, from fertilizers to raw materials used in chip production, and disruptions in global supply chains tightened financial conditions and negatively affected the foreign trade balance. Undoubtedly, Türkiye is in a geopolitically challenging region and the uncertainties created by wars have created a significant risk. As I emphasized above; These developments, which disrupted the development of our country, also hindered economic stability and prevented the formation of a sustainable order. The cost of global crises has been felt more heavily on our country due to high fragility. Türkiye 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 they wanted to invade our country on July 15, it was hoped that our economy would collapse.

Despite all this negative situation, Türkiye is a strong economy that has managed to increase its national income to 1.7 trillion dollars and its per capita national income to 18 thousand dollars. It has low unemployment level, high export capacity, sustainable current account deficit, debt management and budget balance. Banking and capital markets are safe and stable. Of course, we have problems in all segments of society, from retirees to farmers, from tradesmen to employees, and these need to be resolved quickly.

"MUNICIPALITIES ARE PUBLIC TRUST"

While we, as the People's Alliance, are trying to take our place in global competition, Türkiye is also going through a purification process in which corruption and irregularities are revealed. The corruption, bribery and immorality scandal that 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, tender rigging and organized corruption. Although litigation processes are ongoing, the allegations, statements and public statements that are the subject of investigations reveal that the magnitude of the events is large and requires serious consideration.

Essentially, municipalities are a public trust before being a place of political power, and those who manage them must internalize this legal and moral responsibility and fulfill their duties. All kinds of relationships of interest in areas such as tendering, 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. However, our public is also curious about the financial picture of this historical corruption scandal. It is inevitable to clearly reveal the public harm through judicial decisions, the Court of Accounts and the relevant audit institutions' findings, and to share the cost of corruption with the public, in order to ease 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.

"THE FINANCE SYSTEM IS BUILT ON TRUST"

On the other hand, recent developments within the scope of the Fund investigation indicate that a narrow-scope group is manipulating the market by violating the law. It is understood from the statements of state institutions and authorized persons that the situation has been resolved, a road map has been determined to identify those who committed crimes and to eliminate the grievances of the victims, and its implementation has begun. The stability of the Turkish economy depends on financial stability. The financial system is based on trust. By investing in a financial product, our citizens, especially small investors, express their trust in the financial system and the institutional structure that manages and supervises this system, while investing in a financial product. For this reason, the damage of an allegation of manipulation in financial markets is not limited to investors who lose money. Loss of confidence can occur in the entire markets, relevant institutions and the economy as a whole.

"ADMINISTRATIVE AND STRUCTURAL MEASURES SHOULD BE TAKEN"

Our citizens want to preserve the purchasing power of their savings earned by working in an environment of high inflation. Questioning whether there is an effective mechanism that can guarantee this will move the issue from being economic to a system and management problem, as well as an issue 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 whether there are any illegalities such as destabilizing the financial system and economy, as well as market-distorting transactions, manipulation, fraud and abuse of trust by leaking information, during the management of the funds in question. Undoubtedly, the fund market is not only an area where savers seek returns, but also closely affects the confidence and stability of the economic markets as a whole. Essentially, it is understood that the problem experienced in Turkey stems from the implementation rather than the rules, and the deficiencies, faults and inadequacies in supervision and control are at the root of the problem. For this reason, legal, administrative and structural measures must be taken to establish and maintain a financial system that investors can trust.

I would like to draw your attention: the confessions made public show that there is a clear corruption and bribery system in municipalities, through coercion and collapse. Events in the fund market are optional savings, without prejudice to manipulations. I'm not trying to compete against corruption or make anyone innocent here. By drawing attention to a fact, I would like to say that politicians with new names and old mentalities do not try to exploit the society, direct it to a different place, and in this way cover up the unlawful acts committed in your municipalities, you cannot make anyone believe this story.

"THESE SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PURIFICATION AND JUSTIFICATION"

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. Our call is that politics should not approach important issues with the mindset that "if the government goes away and the country burns down." The reason why every political party is a Turkish party is that, first of all, it says Türkiye. Turkey should not be left facing discussions about the 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, justification and addressing the underlying causes. In this respect, it is a demonstration of the will to examine 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. We believe that it is vital to establish an effective legal system and a strong institutional capacity in which the principle of impartial and independent judiciary will be fully embodied. It must be ensured that practices as well as 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, does not allow corruption, bribery, plunder and nepotism; It sees it as a national duty to punish those who commit these crimes in the most severe way within the framework of the rules of law. It is a great responsibility to carry the state property, which is the sum of the labor and sweat of the whole people, on your shoulders. It is within the morality of the state that those who encroach on state property should be treated with justice. Of course, the pit into which a person falls is a manifestation of his own will. Attributing this will to a value, belief, idea or group will make it difficult to detect the problem and may also render the treatment dysfunctional through incorrect diagnosis.

The late Prof. said that the factors that determine the mentality of people and society determine economic thought and life, therefore there is a strong connection between mentality and economic order and life. Dr. Sabri Ülgener; He says that no matter where and in what century, economic life is not just the material world consisting of the gathering of external data, but that underneath and behind all those piles lies the human reality with its unique attitudes and behaviors. Ülgener defines the relationship between mentality, economic order and life as moral-centered, stripping away the materialist worldview that objectifies and makes people passive. The braid that connects and explains the ring of justice and morality constitutes the projection of the world of mentality and the accumulation of culture and civilization. Morality means being in the direction of what is good; It is to avoid all kinds of ideas and actions that will bring evil. However, as much as people competing with each other in doing good deeds; There are also those who compete with evil and darkness in society, and there will be from now on.

"ORDER AND FUNCTION OF THE STATE DEPENDS ON THE LAW"

Our aim is to create an individual, society and political pillar on a strong moral basis; It is to build the pillars of the state from this ground and to place the roof of justice on these pillars. The framework of justice of the state, whose moral foundations are rotten, will also collapse. As a matter of fact, as emphasized by Kınalızade Ali Efendi in his "Department of Justice"; "Justice is the basis of peace and salvation in the world. If the world is a bond, the wall is the state." Justice, which constitutes the morality of the state, is the guarantee and protection of the rights of each person. Because the order and functioning of the State depends on the law.

"ATTEMPTS TO SABOTATE THE PEACEFUL CLIMATE CANNOT BE ACCEPTED"

A great political determination has been demonstrated with Turkey's will for national rise; At a time when Turkey stands out with its economic, political and diplomatic successes, has made significant progress in many areas such as the defense industry, and at the same time the steps taken in line with the "Terror-free Turkey" and "Terror-free Zone" targets have yielded results, attempts to sabotage the climate of peace and trust are unacceptable. While the events lead to a weakness in morality, justice and trust; On the other hand, it is noteworthy that the aim is to create the image of a country that cannot be governed by extending illegal and immoral events to the whole of society, all state organs and the general situation in the functioning of institutions, and social mobilization is hoped for in this direction.

Although all these developments can be evaluated as independent judicial and political events, they must be addressed together with more fundamental and structural problems. Therefore, wherever and to whom it concerns; If there is a crime such as corruption, irregularity, abuse of public property, violation of rules, etc., it must be dealt with within the framework of the law, regardless of the nature of the crime and the identity and personality of the person against whom the criminal charge is directed. Within the framework of this understanding; The goal of "clean politics, clean governance and prosperous society" should be transformed into a concrete mentality and moral reform program within the framework of morality, justice, merit, equity and accountability.