Another reaction to TÜSİAD from Bahçeli: 'Its tutelage mentality has relapsed'

MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli issued a statement regarding TÜSİAD's recent criticisms of the government. In his statement, Bahçeli used the phrase 'TÜSİAD's tutelage mentality has relapsed,' and alleged that the institution is acting as a spokesperson for domestic and foreign interest groups.

TÜSİAD High Advisory Council (YİK) President Ömer Aras made criticisms of the government during his speech at the general assembly. An investigation has been launched against Aras on charges of 'attempting to influence fair trial' and 'publicly disseminating false information.' While TÜSİAD's statements also drew harsh reactions from AKP officials, MHP leader Bahçeli responded to TÜSİAD with a statement he released today.

In his statement, Bahçeli used the following expressions regarding TÜSİAD:

''The dark periods when TÜSİAD, which has followed a strategy based on directing politics and disparaging, insulting, and destroying the national will since its establishment in 1971, challenged governments directly and through newspaper headlines, have not been forgotten. Democratic standards in Turkey are extremely high.

In this context, besides the deep-rooted experience and practices of the democratic system, its institutional and theoretical operability and functionality are also an obvious fact that is widely accepted. At the same time, the Republic of Turkey is a state of law, and the rule of law prevails. Those who shamelessly claim and express the exact opposite are none other than a handful of elites and the upper crust who long for the law of the superior and the privileged. TÜSİAD's effort and aim to create suspicion around the choices and preferences of the Turkish nation by acting as a spokesperson for domestic and foreign interest groups is malicious, commissioned, and planned political engineering.''

TÜSİAD President Orhan Turan and High Advisory Council (YİK) President Ömer Aras

TARGETED THE OPPOSITION

Stating that TÜSİAD is trying to bring the opposition together, Bahçeli called on the opposition to make the TÜSİAD President their presidential candidate. In his statement, Bahçeli also noted that TÜSİAD is trying to participate in the opposition's candidate debates.

Emphasizing that the CHP supports TÜSİAD, Bahçeli stated the following:

''In opposition parties, especially regarding who the presidential candidate will be—who has taken the CHP hostage—hot and tedious debates are gaining a new dimension every day. Furthermore, the 'stalking horse' candidate market has opened, and negotiations and arguments have raised the bar. The support given by the CHP and other opposition parties to the hybrid and baseless statements of the TÜSİAD President is also clear.

The appetite of TÜSİAD, which overflows from its primary fields of work and business to aspire to fifth-column activities against Turkey; which is devoid of presenting a broad vision regarding production, investment, employment, exports, and growth, to participate in presidential candidacy debates by implicitly hiding the subject, is evident to a degree that cannot be overlooked. TÜSİAD is in search of consolidating the opposition front. In that case, it would be consistent with their political and ideological morality for the CHP to identify and evaluate the TÜSİAD President, whom it keeps waiting on the substitutes' bench while keeping 'stalking horse' candidates on the agenda, as a presidential candidate.''

'OPERATION TO PAVE THE WAY FOR THE OPPOSITION'

In his statement, Bahçeli accused TÜSİAD of trying to topple the government and stated that the opposition's presidential candidate has 'begun to become clear.' Claiming that the CHP is developing a 'secret dialogue' with the TÜSİAD President, Bahçeli shared the view that TÜSİAD has turned into an anti-democratic institution.

Stating that the main opposition party is associated with marginal opposition parties, Bahçeli added the following:

''No one should try to achieve something for nothing. TÜSİAD's transformation into an umbrella organization for an operation to topple the government, or at least wear it down; and furthermore, to pave the way for the opposition, is a lawless, anti-democratic, and immoral deviation. Moreover, the presentations of TÜSİAD executives, who describe problems and share so-called solutions inherent to them, are completely devoid of credible and convincing content beyond repeating clichés. The era of doing things behind closed doors is over.

Saying that the system in Turkey has collapsed and resorting to pursuing political goals instead of presenting an economic vision is inconsistency and cunning from top to bottom. Indeed, there is no need for cunning; there will never be a person of conscience who will be deceived or fooled by this. As a final word, I will say this: The profile of the potential presidential candidates of the CHP and the marginal opposition parties nesting around it has begun to become clear, and a composite sketch has been drawn. If the TÜSİAD President trusts himself and has the courage, he will be able to prove how transparent and democratic he is only by announcing and disclosing the secret dialogues and give-and-take processes.''

AKP Spokesperson Ömer Çelik also reacted to the association's statements, saying, 'TÜSİAD must make an effort to leave its bad record on democracy behind'

TÜSİAD'S CRITICISMS OF THE GOVERNMENT

TÜSİAD held its General Assembly meeting in Istanbul. Making the opening speech, TÜSİAD President Orhan Turan and High Advisory Council (YİK) President Ömer Aras shared their views on certain legal practices in the country and the pressure on the press.

TÜSİAD President Orhan Turan stated that there are inconsistencies in judicial processes regarding different crimes, and added the following:

'Lieutenants are being dismissed for the crime of indiscipline, but in events such as earthquakes, fires, harassment, femicide, and work accidents, the perpetrators are either not identified or are released in a short time.'

YİK President Ömer Aras touched upon the issues of appointing trustees to municipalities and the arrest of journalists, and used the following expressions:

'Recent events occurring one after another are causing anxiety in society. The fact that detention has become the rule rather than the exception is a problem that continues even if laws change. We see in acquittal decisions that come years later that decisions that will deprive people of freedom must be taken with meticulousness.'

News Source: 12punto