TÜSİAD President Orhan Turan: The rule of law and the independence of the judiciary must be guaranteed

The Second Century Economics Congress kicked off yesterday at the Izmir Ahmed Adnan Saygun Art Center. In the congress, which will last approximately one week, Turkey’s problems will be discussed with the participation of economists, businessmen, agricultural and industrial representatives, politicians and sociologists.

Orhan Turan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of TÜSİAD, delivered a speech at the congress held under the motto “Call to Conscience”.

Turan highlighted the importance of the congress, “The meeting, which was held with the participation of 1,135 representatives of different classes and segments, determines the state’s economic roadmap to be established, that is, the principles of the Pact. Just like that day, today we have a new era ahead. The second century of our Republic begins and the last session of the congress will include the policies to be followed in this new period”.

The highlights of Orhan Turan’s speech are as follows:

“WE HAVE THE SENSATION THAT WE LIVED A MOMENT REMEMBERING THAT ENCOUNTER”

* It is impossible to speak today without mentioning the significance and importance of the Economic Congress convened in İzmir a hundred years ago. Because we have the feeling that we are witnessing a moment that reminds us of that time, that meeting.

*As you know, the Economic Congress was held at a time when the Treaty of Lausanne was interrupted and the Republic had not yet been declared.

ATATÜRK SUMMARY THE FUNDAMENTAL ISSUES OF THE ECONOMICS PROGRAM”

*Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, in the opening speech of the congress, ‘We must know that to be successful we need to work hard. We say economics, but friends, the economy means everything. It means everything that is necessary for human existence to be happy to live.

* It means agriculture, it means trade, it means work, it means everything. You know very well how our country and our nation is now in all these matters, I am not going to want to describe them, ”he says, and then summarizes the main titles of the Economics Program.

“LIKE THAT DAY, TODAY WE HAVE A NEW ERA”

*The meeting held with the participation of 1,135 representatives of different classes and segments determines the State’s economic roadmap to be established, that is, the principles of the Pact. Just like that day, today we have a new era ahead.

* The second century of our Republic begins and the last session of the congress will include the policies to follow in this new period.

*In this speech, I would like to share my views on Turkey, our goal for the coming term, and the policies we need to adopt to achieve this goal.

“DEVELOPMENT CONTINUES TO BE OUR FUNDAMENTAL GOAL IN THE 2nd CENTURY”

*The conference organizers quite rightly titled the conference ‘We are building the Turkey of the future’. Leaving the centennial behind, when we look at the performance of the hundred years, we see the empty part of the glass as well as the full part.

*Therefore, our main focus remains development in the 2nd century. As Atatürk said at the Economic Congress a hundred years ago, the goal of politics and economics is still to make the nation rich, comfortable and happy.

*However, the world of 2023 also requires placing development in a broader framework. Today, the way for our nation to be comfortable and happy is to ensure social and economic justice along with development, to be a respected member of the international community, and to fight against ecological destruction and global warming that threaten the entire heritage of mankind. .

“WE LEARNED A LESSON WE WILL NEVER FORGET”

*In our report entitled ‘Building the future with a new approach’, which we prepared for the 50th anniversary of TÜSİAD, we defined the Turkey of our dreams as developed, respectable, fair and environmentally friendly, and sought an answer to the question how to build this turkey.

*We affirm that we could achieve the Turkey of the future by providing human development and competition, investing in science, technology and innovation, and adopting a governance model that includes institutions and rules that enable political, economic and social progress.

*Because today, the main driver of development is not underground resources or structures built with concrete above ground.

*We have learned from a lesson that we will never forget how concrete structures can disappear in a moment, especially if science is not based, rules are followed and institutions do not adequately fulfill their defined duties.

“NOT MEMORIZED, BUT FREE, CRITICAL AND CREATIVE…

* Our educational system must be able to equip all our children and youth with the necessary skills in the 21st century. We need free, critical and creative thinking, not memorization. We must raise a young generation that follows the developments in the world, equipped with digital, technical and social skills, and is fluent in foreign languages.

*Human-centred development necessarily requires the enhancement of social justice.

*The fact that the severe material deprivation rate is 27% and the criterion for inequality in income distribution is 0.40 also shows that we should aspire to reduce poverty and improve income distribution in a short time as we establish the Turkey of the future.

“WE ARE WORKING ON GENDER EQUALITY”

*Human-centred development and social justice also require the fight for gender equality. As TÜSİAD, we have been working in the field of gender equality for many years.

*Because we believe that the level of democracy and development of a country cannot be reached without the equal participation of women and men in economic life, decision-making mechanisms, politics and social life.

* On Monday, March 20, we will hold a conference entitled ‘Achieving the Goals of the Republic with Gender Equality’ in Istanbul.

“WE WANT TO RETURN TO THE ISTANBUL CONVENTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE”

*Turkey left in March 2021 at the Istanbul Convention. We hope to return to the Istanbul Convention as soon as possible. Another reason why inequality between men and women has not been eliminated is the very low representation of women in politics.

*Although women in Turkey gained the right to vote and be elected before many other countries, today the rate of representation of women in parliament is well below the world average. At this point, I invite all political parties to include women on the voter lists to increase the representation of women in the elections to be held in 2 months.

“WHERE EVERYONE LIVES EQUAL AND FREE…”

*When we ask what kind of Turkey we dream of in the future, a Turkey that has ensured economic stability, has made investment averages predictable, has left the problem of inflation behind, has strong macroeconomic balances, creates good opportunities for work and have a high level of well-being, and at the same time income justice is established, A green homeland where regional differences are eliminated, gender equality is ensured, everyone lives in equality and freedom without discrimination of language, religion, sect, race, origin, have a fair social structure where no one is left behind in the development process, ecosystem balance is observed, carbon neutral development is achieved, we say that you must be a respected member of the international state system, that it is a model to follow with diplomacy and cooperation, it strengthens its relations with the western world, especially with the integration of the Union Union, and adheres to international laws and conventions.

“SHOULD ENSURE THE RULE OF LAW AND THE INDEPENDENCE OF JURISDICTION”

* The main thing is to be able to produce solutions by discussing even the most serious problems on legitimate grounds. We have to act with this awareness. We must ensure the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary, operate the mechanisms of balance and control, be based on pluralism and not majoritarianism, establish full freedom of expression, establish accountability in the public, make appointments based on on merit and guarantee the independence of autonomous institutions. I think when we provide these, the potential of Turkey will take us to a completely different place in our second century. (PHOENIX)