Republican People’s Party CHP prepared a report on the 5th year of Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s first time Presidential election victory on August 10, 2014. According to the report, in the last 5 years it caused a decrease in Turkey’s domestic income, while there has been recorded an increase in inflation to double-digit numbers, also an increase in unemployment and plummeting in Turkish Lira’s value. CHP also presented a 13 item recommendation list as a solution to the crisis in the advertising brochure related to the report.

Prepared under the coordination of CHP’s Vice Chair in Charge of Economy & Politics and Spokesperson of the party Faik Öztrak; “One Man Party Government Fad’s Cost to Our Nation” brochure focuses on the last five years. The brochure takes note of Erdogan’s words of “I am not going to be an ordinary President” as the first sign of going out of resident rules, customs and legal order, and expresses that after 24 June 2018, the Turkish Nation has faced with the cost of damage done to democracy. The 26 pages long report includes the following information;

“In the last five years where the construction of One Man Party Government regime has picked up pace, the national income wasted away 202 Billion dollars. The national income in 2013, which was 950 Billion dollars, went down to 748 Billion of dollar within the first three months of 2019. Since 2013, the income per capita went down to 9.076 dollars by wasting away 3.404 dollars. Turkey went down by 4 steps in terms of national income within last 6 years. The risk of falling out of the largest 20 economy appeared for Turkey.

DOUBLE-DIGIT INFLATION

The inflation rate which was around 7 percent at the time of Erdoğan’s first election as President, rose to double digits starting from 2017. Our nation, waited in queues for cheap onion and potatoes during 2019 winter. The inflation rate of 11.9% rose to 20.3 in 2018. The inflation rate stands at 16.7 as of July 2019.

UNEMPLOYMENT IS THE BIGGEST ISSUE

The unemployment rate of 9% in 2013 rose to double digits since 2015. Unemployment has risen to its highest levels ever since the global crisis. During the era of one man party government fad, the official number of unemployed people has grown over 4 million, while the real number of unemployed people reached to 8 million. In the same period, the number of unemployed holding a university degree have exceeded over the limit of 1 million as well. While at the end of 2013, 16 out of every 100 young people were unemployed; as of April 2019, every 26 out of 100 young people are unemployed now.

THE WEIGHT OF DEBT HAS INCREASED

The total debt of Turkey, which consists of public and real sector companies and the citizens’ debts have exceeded over national income. In 2013, each 100 lira income had 98 liras of debt against it and now within the first quarter of 2019, each 100 lira income has 109 lira debts against it.

INTEREST RATE INCREASED

The risks in economy increased with the one man regime fad almost tripled the internal borrowing interest rate of Treasury. The efforts made in order to build a one man party government wasted away the value of Turkish Lira. Between 2013 and August 2019; with the average rate of exchange, Turkish Lira lost 66 percent against dollar and 60 percent against Euro.

13 SOLUTIONS

CHP’s report notes that the party chairperson Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s 13 items he explained with regards to recovering Turkey quickly are still valid, and lists those items as the following:

1. Meritocracy-based system in government must be rebuilt.
2. We must pass on to democracy; establish the rule of law and legal security.
3. Turkish Central Bank’s independence must be reinstated.
4. A rationalistic management of external resources must begin.
5. Foreign currency based tenders must be changed to Turkish Lira rapidly.
6. Public Tender Act must be changed in accordance with the international standards.
7. Court of Audits must be able to make independent inspection.
8. Budget discipline must be ensured.
9. Foreign policy must be given a 180 degree change.
10. Uncontrolled borrowing that takes our future under mortgage must be avoided.
11. Unjust taxation policy must be corrected.
12. A planning and support policy that gives priority to manufacturing must be implemented.
13. Turkey must avoid wasting and give priority to savings.”

Translated by: Demet Demir

Source: Dokuz8Haber