Former head of TurkStat criticizes 'inflation calculation': 'Don't mock us'
Statements by Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) President Erhan Çetinkaya regarding Consumer Price Index (CPI) calculations have been sharply criticized by former TurkStat President Birol Aydemir.
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Aydemir addressed the changes in TurkStat's disclosure of item prices and the transparency issues in inflation calculations, stating, "Do not mock our intelligence."
Birol Aydemir rejected Çetinkaya's claim that the gap between perceived inflation and actual inflation is low in Turkey, noting that the vast majority of citizens do not believe the inflation data released by TurkStat.
'ON WHAT BASIS ARE YOU SAYING THIS?'
Speaking on Çetinkaya's assertion that the gap between perceived and actual inflation is low in Turkey, former TurkStat head Aydemir asked, 'On what basis are you saying this? I claim the exact opposite.
80 percent of our citizens do not believe the inflation data you announce. What do you have to say to this?' he asked.
Emphasizing that there were no issues when he was in office while disclosing average item prices, Aydemir posed the question, 'Why did a problem arise afterwards?'
'DON'T MOCK OUR INTELLIGENCE!'
In a statement on his X account, Aydemir noted the following:
"The TurkStat President says that the gap between perceived inflation and actual inflation is low in Turkey! I have a few questions for him.
On what basis are you saying this? I claim the exact opposite. 80% of our citizens, including AKP voters, do not believe the inflation data you announce. What do you have to say to this?
When I was in office, there was no problem while disclosing average item prices. Why did a problem arise afterwards?
This process was quite simple and the workload was never too much; do not mock our intelligence. Explain why the gap between ENAG and ITO price indices and TurkStat widened after you stopped disclosing average item prices, and we will be convinced.
Furthermore, it is not just the average prices you removed; you also removed regional prices. Do not worry, there are many people in this country with the intelligence to understand and interpret the data you published before. You and I both know that you are manipulating the figures. This situation started before you, and you have the opportunity to fix it. Do not defend the wrong!"