AFP PHOTO / ADEM ALTAN
A keen competition among the political parties for the upcoming election continues. Prime Minister Erdogan refers to the history of CHP in his rallies. The arguments he keeps on and on are as follows:
1. In İnönü-era, second chairperson of CHP after Ataturk, there was bread ration card and people struggled with hunger.
2. During the period of CHP rule in the 1970’s, there were scarcity of oil, sugar and butter.
3. CHP administration of Istanbul damaged Istanbul due to ISKI corruption.
4. Istanbul was very dirty during Nurettin Sözen-era, mayor from CHP. He made no contribution to Istanbul.
5. SSK was collapsed under the management of Kılıçdaroğlu.
What is the truth, anyway?
To react against these arguments, a website has been established: akpartiyalanlari.wordpress.com. The answers under the name @KILICSIZ are as follows:
1. At the time of İnönü, there was bread ration card and people struggled with hunger.
At the beginning of the Republican era, the economy was struggling with poverty. Having missed the industrial revolution, having had its land occupied and peoples scattered, died in war and emigration, our county was struggling with thousands of troubles as the world was experiencing a chaos.
The İnönü-era witnessed economic depression following the World War 1 and 1929 World Economic Crisis, which yielded World War 2, the bloodiest war in the world history.
Inonu put in action bread ration card due to the scarce production resources of wheat and difficulties in its importation at the time of world economic crisis. The main goal was to prevent wasting resources considering famine and ambiguity, and to stock up considering a risk of going to war.
Besides, Turkey was not the only country with bread ration card as U.S.A. and European countries, notably United Kingdom, have applied exactly the same policy. Due to the crisis and war, people in Europe were on rationing for oil, clothes and food.
Strangely enough, no governments have been tried in court nor blamed for this policy. No leaders who pulled their nations through these hard conditions have been criticized, but instead, have received appreciation.
2. During CHP-era in the 1970’s, there were scarcity of oil, gas, sugar and butter.
This is another big lie attributed solely to CHP. The time period of CHP’s rule under the leadership of Bülent Ecevit was so short in the 1970’s for which Erdogan has been jeering at his rallies. CHP’s coalition with MSP (National Salvation Party), the political party of which Erdogan was a member, lasted 10 months (20 January to 17 November 1974) and its own rule with supporting deputies form other parties lasted 20 months (5 January 1978 to 12 November 1979).
There had been scarcity of oil, gas, sugar and butter in times of National Front cabinets too (composed of right wing parties).
There were two reasons for the scarcity in the 1970’s:
a. Due to the “Yom Kippur” war between Arabs and Israel, started in October 1973, oil prices increased 4 times. Organisation of Arab Petroleum Exporting Counties declared retention of exportation to the countries supporting Israel. There was a collapse in global markets as a result.
In addition, upon the Ecevit cabinet’s peace operation to Cyprus, prominent countries applied an economic embargo to Turkey. Both factors gave enormous damages to the country’s economy.
The fact that there was scarcity of oil and basic products in Europe and America is unknown to Turkish people.
Having pulled the country out of the world economic crisis and the world’s bloodiest war, with a great foresight in the years of İsmet İnönü, CHP did not hesitate to conduct a military operation for life security of Turkish community in Cyprus, in spite of embargo from western countries. Erdogan criticises Ecevit’s decision back in the 1970’s, while he himself now tries to offer Turkish Cyprus to Greek Cypriots in the framework of Annan plan. On the issue of energy, everyone should know that Turkey is intrinsically a foreign-dependent country.
Foreign energy dependency was about 69 percent when AKP came to power in 2002. It went up to 73 percent in 2010. Turkey’s foreign-dependency is 98 percent in natural gas and 92 in oil.
These figures show that, in case of a war or a chaos in the neighborhood, Turkey will go back to 1970’s with rationing on oil, sugar, wheat and butter. AKP seems to have no alternative for the risk of similar situations while Erdogan keeps ascribing the global crisis in the 1970’s to CHP.
3. CHP and ISKI CORRUPTION
Actually, there is a great moral lesson for AKP members to learn from ISKI incident, on which AKP has been putting emphasis repeatedly.
Above all, ISKI incident happened in SHP (Social democratic Populist Party) era when CHP was banned due to the military coup in 1980. But, the incident was attributed to CHP, when it recommenced in 1992. This is quite natural as CHP members remained active in SHP, and as CHP took the responsibility of the political legacy when SHP joined CHP in 1992.
From AKP’s point of view , Recep Tayyip Erdogan claims to be successor of Menderes and Ozal, when it comes to the legacy of DP (Democrat Party) and ANAP (Motherland Party). This is quite natural as the majority of AKP members were active in ANAP at that time and were supporting Ozal. What is strange however is that AKP, as a new political party established in 2001, never associates itself to the ruins and corruptions of ANAP. Why don’t they take the responsibility of fictitious exportation and corruptions by Ozal’s “princes” and “daisies”, which would multiply ISKI corruption dozens of times? What kind of morality is this to take pride of Istanbul Bridge, built in Ozal era and not to be embarrassed of fictitious exportation files?
All the accused individuals of ISKI trial have been sentenced to prison and the money returned to the national treasury. The director of ISKI of the time now lives in hard conditions depending on the retirement salary from his deceased ex-wife.
Now, we ask:
Has anyone been put on trial due to the huge corruptions at Istanbul Municipality, at Deniz Feneri file and from the recent disgusting corruptions of billions of dollars value?
Ok. ISKI incident happened in SHP-era. The accused were put on trial and sentenced. No one attempted any lobby activities, no one fabricated any scenarios. Sozen, the mayor, showed an exemplary attitude and asked for the best inspectors from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Why do AKP members, who attack against CHP due to ISKI, not show such a sincere and dignified attitude when it comes to their own corruptions? Why do they prefer writing hundreds of scenarios on those incidents?
4. In CHP era, Istanbul was very dirty… Nurettin Sozen made no contributions to Istanbul
For a period of time in SHP-era, waste collection was not carried out in Istanbul due to a strike of municipal workers. AKP created the impression that waste collection had never been carried out in SHP era. The administration had never employed contract workers, but, on the contrary, had given the full rights of unionization, labor agreement and strike.
Nurettin Sozen, saying “Human rights first”, had negotiated with workers for labor agreement, but, faced some deadlocks blocking waste collection services and starting garbage problem on the streets of Istanbul.
Negotiations ended up with probably the highest rise for municipal workers. Sozen gave 10 percent for welfare in addition to inflation rate. Taking over the administration, Tayyip Erdogan and his successors have started and embedded contract labor that contained no social, personal rights, instead of protecting them and their rights.
Sozen had become victim of respecting the rights of labor.
His biggest misfortune was that his administration faced one of the drougtiest times in Turkey. He was obliged to invest for infrastructure and water carriage systems which had never been renovated by the previous administrations.
Sozen, being targeted by AKP, is the man who started many projects that AKP now takes pride in.
He is the man who planned and started metro in Istanbul.
14 km of the line Taksim- Şişli- Yeni Levent was built in Sozen-era.
The regulators to transmit water from Istıranca were produced in his time. The project Melen was initiated in his time.
He made remarkable investments in the worn-out sewage and water carriage systems.
Do you know the first natural gas was pumped by Sozen in Kadikoy district of Istanbul, in 1992?
Erdogan says “I am in love with Istanbul.” But, about Istanbul’s silhouette–spoiling skyscrapers, he makes a childish statement: “I’m cross!”
A similar case in Sozen’s era was additional 20 floors of Park Hotel which Sozen demolished without hesitation upon complaints of silhouette-spoiling.
5. KILIÇDAROĞLU RUINED THE SSK (Social Insurance Institution), BUT EVADED BY THE AMNESTY CALLED “RAHSAN AMNESTY”
This is another black propaganda brought up repeatedly by AKP members.
Above all, one should note that such institutions are not super markets or holdings, as being based on the concept of service, not on profit. These institutions make financial loss and are consolidated from the public budgeting.
Suppose that SSK is to make profit, referring to AKP mentality, its general policies are not determined by its general manager, but by the government. So, the government is responsible for financial loss or failure, if any.
Kılıçdaroğlu, as the general director of SSK from 1992 to 1999, worked under the cabinets of ANAP and DYP, to which AKP members associate themselves now.
As for AKP administration of SGK (Social Security Institution)…
There will be 174,4 billion TL income and 196 billion TL expense, leaving 21.6 billion TL deficit of income over expenditure for 2014. In reference to GDP, there will be its 10.15 percent income and 11.40 expense, leaving 1.26 deficit. Consequently, Erdogan’s administration brought about 21,4 billion TL deficit.
No more words needed.
Another toxic aspect of AKP’s black propaganda over SSK is that Kılıçdaroğlu evaded by the Rahsan Amnesty. That’s a lie! Kılıçdaroğlu was included in the investigation file for beating SSK, not as a suspect, but as an “affiant” to give information about the case. This file was closed upon the Rahsan Amnesty.
Kılıçdaroğlu has nothing to do with the corruption or with the Rahsan Amnesty.
23.03.2014
For more facts (Turkish): http://akpartiyalanlari.wordpress.com/
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