Control is essential: Trust does not preclude oversight

The Republican People's Party (CHP) will establish a new unit to be headed by Yılmaz Büyükerşen that will oversee local governments.

The team, which will consist of Court of Accounts auditors and civil service inspectors who have served in the state, will both inform existing municipalities on legal legislation and assist in their training, as well as contribute to the detection of corruption in municipalities that have changed hands.

Reading this news reminded me of my days in the military.

They taught us in the military:

Trust does not preclude oversight.

Newer generations who did short-term or paid military service might not know this.

But those of us who performed our national service as reserve officers know it very well.

We learned many things during the 3-month training we received to become reserve officers.

Beyond movement, marksmanship, and command and control, we understood the importance of oversight back then.

During the pandemic, I was secretly eating at a roadside restaurant, trying not to get caught by the gendarmerie.

The owner of the restaurant, who is a close friend of mine, told me that the city's mayor was eating in the next room with his team.

He introduced us.

It was obvious from the very first minute that he was incredibly annoying, impolite, vulgar, and lacking in morals.

I left the restaurant without dragging the conversation out, greeting him within the framework of respect.

I wondered how they had elected this man as mayor.

Not long after, this mayor was removed from office on the grounds of shady zoning affairs and housing permit kickbacks.

When I combine these two pieces of news, it gives the impression that the CHP has come to its senses. It seems they will follow the municipalities they won after many years with their own internal audit system.

However, there is a point I did not see in the text.

It seems that audits will only be conducted on financial, administrative, and legal matters.

I did not see any mention of technical issues.

Not much has been written regarding questions such as what an investment is, how it is made, what the return rate is, what the feasibility is, whether there is a need, whether the tender was conducted properly, or whether the approximate cost was taken into account.

I am sure that the CHP, which has won quite a few municipalities with the support of the public, will also audit its municipalities in terms of technical infrastructure and investment.

Otherwise, it will not be possible to prevent new İSKİ scandals from occurring.

It could also act quickly in losing the municipalities it won after years.