MHP Provincial Chair's remarks spark controversy

MHP Aydın Provincial Chair Haluk Alıcık visited the Nazilli Journalists Association alongside Nazilli District Chair Hasan Hüseyin Eren. Stating that he has begun his seventh year in the provincial leadership role, Alıcık expressed that they work in direct contact with the public as a provincial organization.

During the visit, discussions regarding pension salaries were brought to the agenda. Alıcık stated that the party is continuing its work on pension salaries and responded to questions. When reminded that Bahçeli had described pension salaries as a "starvation wage" during a group meeting, yet motions to increase pensions in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) were rejected by MHP votes, Alıcık made the following assessment:

“No, there is no contradiction here. First of all, one must look at who is governing the state. One must look at who submitted that motion. Now, are we going to beat the grape-grower or are we going to get the work done? One needs to look at this carefully.

As an opposition party, you submit a motion, fair enough. Look, the CHP comes out and says 'the minimum wage should be this much'.

Well, which one have you implemented? These things don't happen just by talking to the press. You may have submitted a motion in Parliament, but this motion of yours will be processed through the AK Party and the Nationalist Movement Party. They shouldn't take offense, but we are also doing politics. You have no idea where the budget will be adjusted from, you have no idea where the money is coming from.

Whatever our Nationalist Movement Party Chairman says, he does. Our colleagues are currently working on pension salaries. I think you are missing the news. While the motion for the lowest pension for these retirees to be 20,000 liras is coming up, they will raise it as high as they can with a second motion.

As a Turkish society, we need to clear the pollution in our consciences. If I were in an authorized position in our state, to prevent the cost of living, I would first introduce a single standard and a single price for basic necessities, saying 'for one year, meat will be this price, rice will be this price'. For God's sake, when a small price hike is made, don't you see the prices in the market changing when you go there? The producer is not winning.

The consumer is the victim. All the middlemen are doing something one way or another. You might say, 'as the state, you should inspect them'. Fair enough, who does the state consist of? It consists of you and me. It consists of all of us. If we cannot keep our state standing, what are you talking about? One needs to look at this.

I am very bothered by this: first, this nation does not show gratitude for its situation, and second, its expectations regarding money are increasing.

A lack of gratitude will be the end of this country, and that is what I fear. Therefore, we are, of course, looking after our retirees, our civil servants, our state, and the needy; everything is being taken care of. And it will continue to be taken care of. Of course, the salaries are insufficient, granted. We need to increase the power of our money.

We need to increase purchasing power. We need to stop being a society where prices change in a single day. From meat to rice, from dairy to food and clothing, our state needs to work on this issue.

News Source: 12punto