MHP mayor targets civil servants: 'They lean on the state'
MHP Vezirhan Mayor Hüseyin Ocak sparked controversy with his remarks about civil servants during a council meeting. Defining himself as a merchant, Ocak drew backlash with his words: “We have produced and worked for years, and made something of our lives. Civil servants cannot understand what this is. They leaned on the state, became civil servants, and are living off the taxes we pay.”
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The December council meeting of the Vezirhan Town Municipality in Bilecik's central district saw MHP Mayor Hüseyin Ocak draw backlash for his remarks regarding civil servants.
According to a report in Sözcü, Hüseyin Ocak took the floor during the meeting to express his reaction to criticisms regarding the municipality's work.
HE TARGETED CIVIL SERVANTS: THEY LEAN ON THE STATE
Continuing his speech, Ocak, who defined himself more as a “merchant” than by his identity as a mayor, drew attention with his statements about civil servants. He included the following remarks in his statement:
“I have another duty besides being mayor. I am a merchant. If it bothered some people when I was a candidate in 2019, today in 2024, this merchant identity of ours is being brought up. We are quite happy to be merchants. For years, we struggled with our own efforts without leaning on anyone. Those who are civil servants cannot understand this. We have civil servant friends with us, I apologize, but I am speaking to explain the issue. We have produced and worked for years, and made something of our lives. Civil servants cannot understand what this is. But if they criticize, we have an answer to give: We didn't have things handed to us on a silver platter. We worked, we produced, we paid taxes, and they leaned on the state, became civil servants, and are living off the taxes we pay. Naturally, we don't like this being brought up every now and then. I wanted to say this in parentheses.”