Central Bank Governor Erkan's remarks that 'rents in Istanbul are higher than in Manhattan' spark controversy: 'She showed she is a Kemal Derviş'

Central Bank Governor Hafize Gaye Erkan's statements in an interview with Hürriyet newspaper Editor-in-Chief Ahmet Hakan have sparked controversy.

Journalist Fatih Altaylı commented on Central Bank Governor Hafize Gaye Erkan's statement that they had moved in with her parents because they could not find a house in Istanbul, saying, "It is the perfect definition of trying to be trendy and making a mess of it."

In the interview, she said, "There is a rent increase unique to Turkey. Our President and Vice President are also focusing heavily on this issue. A person should not have 10 houses; 10 people should have one house. Housing and food are very important. Our state has long since solved the issue of healthcare. Can Istanbul be more expensive than Manhattan? We couldn't find a house in Istanbul. It's incredibly expensive. We moved in with my parents; we are staying with them."

"CALL ME HAFIZE"

Evaluating the remarks that became a hot topic, Altaylı wrote the following in his column today:

"Gaye Erkan is a returnee like Derviş

With this interview, Hafize Gaye Erkan has gained favor with many for her 'honesty' on one hand, while also giving very negative signals for the future on the other.

Many people latched onto the sentence, 'Rents in Istanbul are higher than in Manhattan, we had to move in with my parents.'

But I looked at this sentence from a different angle.

Yes, the criticism that if the Central Bank Governor, despite her monthly salary of 160 thousand TL and her personal wealth of tens of millions of dollars, finds rents in Istanbul high, then what should the citizens do, is correct; but for me, hearing a fact we already know from the Central Bank Governor is not that important.

For me, this sentence primarily shows that Gaye Erkan is 'not permanent' in Turkey.

Erkan has shown that she is a kind of new-era 'Kemal Derviş' who thinks, 'My job is done, I'm leaving,' and that she came on a mission and will 'return' once her job is finished. (By the way, rents in Manhattan are still higher than in Istanbul. She exaggerated that too.)

Another reality revealed by Hafize Gaye Erkan is that the Central Bank Governor does not trust TÜİK (Turkish Statistical Institute) data.

Hafize Gaye Erkan has openly admitted that she finds it more accurate and reliable to follow the market through the observations of her apartment superintendent rather than official data.

This attitude is certainly more human, but as a Central Bank Governor, explaining it this way is not very sensible.

It is the perfect definition of trying to be trendy and making a mess of it.

What is sad is that because of the nonsense in this foolish interview, which has no meaning in terms of economics, the best Central Bank governor the government could possibly find is taking a hit.

I hope she does not fall out of favor with the government because of this interview.

In my eyes, while she was 'Gaye' for years, her saying 'Call me Hafize' when she became the AK Party's Central Bank Governor had already done the job."

News Source: 12punto