The war between TÜİK and ENAG

On a certain day each month, both TÜİK and the private institution ENAG announce their monthly and annual inflation figures. Our public has become so accustomed to these data that they have stopped looking at the figures and started looking at the price tags in the markets. Thus, not only does the public not hold politicians directly responsible for inflation, but wages can also be suppressed as much as desired using data that even the politicians themselves do not believe.

Two days ago, TÜİK performed its monthly duty again. According to TÜİK, the monthly inflation in January was 5.03%. However, in December, that is, during the period when wages and salaries were to be determined, by some divine mystery, the inflation figure was about one-fifth of that in January. Astonishing! In January, according to ENAG, the monthly inflation was announced as 8.22%, nearly double the TÜİK figure. If we look at the annual inflation rates, it is given as 81.10% according to ENAG and 42.20% according to TÜİK. The members of the relevant public institution must also believe in this abnormal difference between the data of the two institutions, as they do not drag them into the judicial machinery of the era on grounds such as 'misleading the public and/or inciting rebellion, etc.'! Well, if the data from the private institution does not mislead the public, then how or on what grounds is the public institution trying to lull the public to sleep with dubious data?

Every month, we discuss these absurd statistical data, or rather, distorted data. I think the discussions, which we believe lead to no conclusion, actually do reach a conclusion; the refrain of dubious public data and empty criticisms is exactly the pool of criticism that the political cadre deems suitable for dragging and absorbing the public. Because as we criticize these announced series, our criticisms do not strengthen; instead, without realizing it, we get used to the data. We even move away from seeing the cruel data that sucks our blood as the sole cause of impoverishment, and with a masochistic approach, we internalize and tacitly approve of inflation and the policies implemented by politicians in favor of the upper classes. This is exactly what learned helplessness is!

If this is the case, let us put aside dealing with some data placed before us every month and look at the main structure that shapes the data, whether right or wrong, and focus on the policies related to this structure. The price level and fluctuations in prices are indicators of the functioning of the economy. To explain with slightly more technical concepts, we need to question the process: is the phenomenon of inflation a result related to financial operations or real processes? I must state immediately that data such as budget deficit, current account deficit, inflation, and interest rates are not causes in themselves, but rather indicative results of the functioning of the real economy in the infrastructure. When this is the case, trying to fix the mentioned indicators is a completely meaningless and futile effort.

If this is the situation, where should we look and what kind of measures should we think about? If some data, which are announced every month as if presenting information to our public, are not main causes but results, we should go to the main causes instead of arguing about the results for hours. In other words, the question we should ask should be about real issues such as productivity in production, raw material problems, and the connections between production sites and market venues. Then, why are we dealing with indicators and trying to fix them without going to the main cause? The issue here is this: Turkey had transitioned to a Planning-Programming-Budgeting system with the 1961 Constitution. After the first and second plans were implemented quite successfully, unfortunately, after the third plan, political goals took precedence over the concept and implementation of economic planning.

The planning periods were periods of the real economy. While the global economy was drifting into the financial sphere during the Özal era and beyond, the Turkish economy also helplessly entered the field of financial exploitation due to its chronic current account deficit. The "hot money policy" of the Özal era stuck to the economy like an addiction. The 2000 IMF-Derviş program also reinforced the economy in the field of financial exploitation with a pompous but deceptive program like the "Transition to a Strong Economy Program" and the implementation of the Medium-Term Program (MTP). According to the MTP implementation, budget deficit, current account deficit, inflation, and interest rate issues are determined for the next three-year periods, and the economy is forced to be compatible with these. The goal here is to comply with public sector borrowing requirements, current balance, and employment conditions, especially with interest rates and inflation rates at the top of the list, in order to attract hot money to the country. The translation of these goals is that in order to keep the economy afloat, the economy is condemned to constant hot money at the expense of pushing the public, especially the vast majority, into poverty. It is clear that such an economic goal and program for a country of 85 million cannot be seen as reasonable. In this case, being content with the MTP target at the expense of neglecting the real economic infrastructure means nothing other than connecting a huge economic potential to imperialist suckers to support global capitalism, which is gradually drifting into a deep crisis!