Another privilege for MPs! They formed a cooperative for affordable housing

At a time when citizens are struggling to find rental homes and facing a housing crisis, members of parliament, whose expenses—including mobile phone bills—are covered by the state, have formed a cooperative to become homeowners at an affordable price. Details have emerged regarding a project where MPs, whose monthly incomes reach half a million liras, will acquire luxury apartments at prices similar to social housing built for low-income citizens in Istanbul.

MONTHLY INCOMES OF 512 THOUSAND TL!

The eye-watering salary table and early retirement advantages of MPs are back on the agenda. In the current system, the financial breakdown for MPs is as follows:

MP Salary: 310,336 TL

Retired MP Pension: 201,677 TL

Since anyone who serves as an MP for just 2 years becomes eligible for a lifetime pension, 450 of the 600 MPs in the TBMM receive both their MP salary and their pension simultaneously. The total monthly income for MPs in this situation reaches exactly 512 thousand liras.

QUOTA FOR MPS AT LOW-INCOME PRICES

The fact that MPs with millions of liras in income are attempting to become homeowners in Istanbul at prices starting from 1.8 million liras—the same price as social housing built by the state for low-income citizens in the most remote areas—has drawn significant backlash. The "Parliamentarians Gölvadi Bahçeşehir" housing construction cooperative, established under the leadership of AK Party Giresun MP Ali Temür, has set its sights on a portion of a massive 123-decare plot of land in Esenyurt, Istanbul.

CATALOG COMPETITION: 1+1 APARTMENTS FOR 1.8 MILLION TL

According to the report in Sözcü, the price list in the "representative project" catalog sent to all MPs is well below market conditions. The apartment prices envisioned in the draft project are listed as follows:

1+1 Apartments: 1.8 Million TL

2+1 Apartments: 2.8 Million TL

3+1 Apartments: 4.1 Million TL

"IT'S NOT CHEAP OR ANYTHING, ANYONE WHO WANTS CAN COME"

Following the snowballing reactions on social media, AK Party Giresun MP Ali Temür, the head of the project, responded to the criticisms. Stating that he had previously established a similar cooperative in Ankara, Temür expressed that the Istanbul project emerged upon the request of some MPs and bureaucrats.

In his defense, Temür used the following expressions:

"We are currently negotiating with the landowner and trying to drive the price down. Our recruitment of members to the cooperative is ongoing. Anyone who wants can join; it is not exclusive to MPs, our door is open. It is not 'cheap housing' as written, there is no housing built yet. We have expressed interest in one-third of the land. If we reach a full agreement with the owner, we will give it to a contractor in exchange for construction rights."

The fact that MPs are seeking affordable housing through such an organization despite their high salaries has reignited debates in the public eye regarding "equal opportunity."