Enough is enough, hear our voice

As we stated in the headline, this is actually a cry, a rebellion, an indignation, an anger... So who are these people? They are all one of us. They are civil servants working in the public sector who have received disciplinary penalties for various reasons and are waiting for a record amnesty, and their numbers exceed hundreds of thousands. These penalties, which stand as a black mark on their records, come to the agenda before every election. Almost every party says it is their first agenda item. Of course, until the election is over. This is the cry, rebellion, and anger of civil servants who have been waiting for a record amnesty for 17 years, directed at political parties.

In fact, this black mark on their records is the biggest obstacle to their professional advancement. If a teacher has a disciplinary penalty, they cannot become a specialist teacher. A police officer, on the other hand, cannot take the commissioner exam.

THE LAST ONE WAS ISSUED IN 2006

Stating that they are deceived every time, the civil servants included the following statements in the email they sent: "We sent this letter to several media outlets before you. However, we did not get any results. We hope and know that you will be our voice. We are civil servants numbering in the hundreds of thousands who have received disciplinary penalties for various reasons. The last record amnesty was issued in 2006. Rumors that a record amnesty would be issued again in 2013 and 2014 created excitement. It was said that it would be included in the omnibus bill. However, there was no progress and it was shelved. The biggest disciplinary penalties were given during the period when FETÖ was strong in the public sector. According to Article 133 of Law No. 657, Disciplinary penalties are recorded in the civil servant's personnel file. If the civil servant has not received a dismissal penalty, a civil servant who has been subjected to other disciplinary penalties may apply to the authorized supervisor to request the deletion of the penalties given, 5 years after the application of warning and reprimand penalties, and 10 years after the application of other penalties. We are trying to express our problems through groups we have established both on social media and various messaging applications. We submitted the petitions we collected in August, immediately after the election, to the Presidency of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) Petition Commission. However, nothing came of this either. Every time the cabinet meets, we wait for a result. When they say 'omnibus bill,' we wonder if our issue is included. When we see a news item, we say 'this time it definitely passed.' We always say it and we hope. Our number has reached hundreds of thousands. Now, I am calling out on behalf of all civil servants waiting for a record amnesty. Enough is enough. Hear our voice. We have been stalled for 17 years."

It is now essential for the records of public personnel, who are going through difficult days in the grip of economic hardships, to be pardoned so that they can breathe.

Thousands of civil servants, who want to continue their lives by turning a clean page in a way that befits the 100th anniversary of our Republic, now have their eyes on the fulfillment of the promises made and the enactment of the record amnesty as soon as possible.