Erdoğan says 'I am aware': The March 31 elections were the elections where our retirees were most exploited

Highlights from President Erdoğan's statements:

-I express my gratitude to all retirees in your person. We are striving to properly pay our debt of loyalty. In 2002, we had 6.5 million retirees; now we have 16 million. We have never viewed our retirees as a burden on our social security system. With an inclusive social state approach, we have added a new service every day. 

-We resolved a grievance with the savings incentive fund and the housing acquisition assistance fund. We implemented an adjustment study that provided salary increases for 1.8 million of our citizens. We abolished the social security support premium application, ensured the payment of bank promotions, shared in their holiday joy, addressed minimum payment amounts, and increased the lower limit for retiree payments. We made significant improvements to retiree salaries. There has been a real increase in retiree pensions across different statuses. 

"I AM A BROTHER OF YOURS WHO HAS BEEN ON THE POLITICAL STAGE FOR HALF A CENTURY"

-To increase the welfare level of our retirees, we launched the retiree bonus application in 2018. In 2023, we made a one-time payment of 5,000 TL to our eligible beneficiaries. We showed the value we place on them by declaring 2024 the Year of Retirees.

-We have significantly improved the quality of life for our retired citizens. We provided many forms of support to retired citizens, especially in health and transportation. We saw it as a debt of loyalty to our retirees who have worked hard for 22 years. The days when our retirees could not benefit from their basic rights are behind us.

-As Tayyip Erdoğan, I am a brother of yours who has been on the political stage for half a century. We have held various positions to date; we have served as Mayor of Istanbul, Prime Minister, and for the last 10 years, as President. Our goal is to leave behind works and an exemplary political legacy. The positions we hold are not our deeded property; they are all a trust, first from Allah and then from our nation. We are only striving to protect this trust properly and fighting for this. 

-Our compass in politics has always been transparency and honesty; we said that the port of politics is morality. In all the duties we have undertaken, we have tried to act in the light of this principle. Whatever we said in the squares, we have endeavored to fulfill once we received the mandate.

"RETIREES WERE EXPLOITED"

-Over the past 2 years, we have faced many difficulties such as the COVID pandemic and the disaster of the century, the earthquake, but we have made every effort regardless of the circumstances. 

-The March 31 elections were the elections where the expectations of our retirees were most exploited. They organized 'fairs of promises' based on outlandish pledges that had no economic or financial basis. They reintroduced the disease of populism to Turkish politics. We have always spoken with the language of the heart. Instead of entering a race of promises, we explained that the promises made to retirees had no validity.

-On the evening of March 31, the ballot boxes closed and the promises made to retirees were completely forgotten. The money they spent on a single concert is more than the figure they promised to retirees. Now they don't even want to stand side-by-side with retirees; they don't even pay their debts to the Social Security Institution (SGK), and they boast about it as if it were a good thing. They have money when it comes to enriching their cronies through inflated concert fees, but when it comes to paying SGK debts, they make endless excuses. And when we remind them of their debts, they get uncomfortable. They use the same distortion regarding retiree pensions and the minimum wage. 

"I AM AWARE THAT PRICE HIKES ARE STRAINING YOU"

-The minimum wage is equivalent to 590 dollars. Mr. Özel never mentions these figures. Every calculation Mr. Özel makes without presenting the full picture is a deception and a distortion. The harbor of politics is morality, consistency, and honesty. No good will come to the country from those who act one way on the campaign trail and another once they take office. I believe that we will definitely be saved from this exploitation of hope. 

-I am aware that exorbitant price hikes are particularly straining you. We are determined not to let our retirees be crushed by inflation, and we stand behind this promise. We have begun to see the effects of the economic program, and the downward trend in inflation will continue. As inflation declines, purchasing power will increase, and our retiree brothers and sisters will benefit from this the most. We will bring inflation back down to single digits. 

News Source: 12punto