Turkish signage decision in Bursa Metropolitan Council: It had been rejected 3 times years ago

Following the March 31 local elections, the Bursa Metropolitan Council met for the first time under the chairmanship of Mustafa Bozbey. While 105 out of 106 council members attended the meeting, members were elected for the municipal council, zoning commission, planning and budget commission, legal commission, youth, sports and disabled commission, education, culture and service assurance commission, gender equality commission, environment and health commission, as well as full and alternate members for unions.

Bursa Metropolitan Mayor Mustafa Bozbey stated that all 17 district mayors are equal to him. Stating that he would leave his party badge outside the council and provide the best service to the people of Bursa, Bozbey said, “I have full faith that the work we will do in the 2024-2029 term will carry our city to better days. We can achieve this by working together in harmony. We were all elected democratically with the votes of our people. The people of Bursa made such a decision. 

It brought party representatives together under the roof of this council. The appreciation of our nation is above our heads. I have infinite respect for the will of those who voted for us and those who did not. It is our duty to respect the choice of the people and produce services for this city in harmony here. We have a great responsibility in this council where we take part as representatives of the people. We all carry the burden of those who voted for us or did not. Knowing this, we must strive to produce services for us throughout the year by joining hands. All 17 of our district mayors in Bursa are our mayors. For me, all our mayors are of equal value. 

I invite all 17 of our district mayors to cooperate and to experience a term worthy of Bursa together by joining hands. We may have different worldviews. We may also have different political views, but I am sure that the only goal of everyone here is to serve our city and our country. For this reason, I believe that all parties in the council will work in harmony here. We have no doubts about anyone's good intentions. Of course, we will have mistakes; warning each other and ensuring that mistakes are corrected is also our responsibility towards the people of Bursa. 

"WE MUST BE UNITED"

In this brand new term, we will join hands and stand shoulder to shoulder, and we will provide beneficial services to our beautiful Bursa. We will manage our Bursa together with a participatory, fair, and accountable management approach. Our priority is to provide the same service to every point of our Bursa without discriminating against anyone, without marginalizing anyone, and without looking at where or how many votes came from whom. Transparency will be our basic principle. We will manage the process together by producing common solutions with common sense. We must be united for our Bursa. We will leave the party badge outside this building and demonstrate here the understanding of how we will provide the best service to the people of Bursa, not to parties. Our colleagues at the Bursa Metropolitan Municipality will also be with us in this process. 

In the coming period, we will exhibit a management approach that protects the social rights of my colleagues and respects their hard work. Our only condition is that they provide equal and fair service to the people of this city. No one will be able to use the power of bureaucracy as their own personal power. Being fair, just, respectful, polite, and striving to be an example to society must be indispensable elements.

We will never forget our responsibility to the children, youth, women, men, nature, history, culture, spirituality, past, and future of this city. I promise that we will make all of Bursa smile by establishing an understanding that respects everyone's private life. I promise that we will work hard for equal and fair service to our entire city.

I promise that we will be by the side of our citizens. I promise that I will always be by the side of those in difficult situations, disabled individuals, children, women, young people, and our animal friends on the street. I wish our new term council to be auspicious. I hope that our optimistic and beautiful picture today will continue for 5 years,” he said.

"ALTHOUGH WE SUBMITTED A MOTION 3 TIMES IN A ROW YEARS AGO, WE COULD NOT GET IT PASSED BY THE COUNCIL"

After the decision to replace signs in foreign languages with their Turkish versions was accepted, Bozbey said that the motion had not been accepted 3 times in a row, stating, “Of course, we are not against foreign languages. It is quite natural for everyone to know a few different foreign languages.

However, our language and identity are also for the people who come to our country. It is our wish and desire that they learn our language.

Our wish is for signs in foreign languages to appear in Turkish. I thank all our council members. Although we submitted a motion 3 times in a row years ago, we could not get this motion passed by the council. I am the happiest person that it passed today,” he said.

News Source: İHA