CHP Muğla Metropolitan Municipality Mayoral Candidate Prof. Dr. Nurettin Demir: “We will produce efficient services with harmony and common sense”

Prof. Dr. Nurettin Demir, who was elected as a member of parliament after successfully emerging from the primaries—one of the most important tests in the Republican People's Party (CHP)—three times, has now rolled up his sleeves to govern Muğla, which he represented in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM).

CHP's Prof. Dr. Nurettin Demir wants to shape the next five years of Muğla, a city he served as the Founding Dean of the Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University Faculty of Medicine and as a three-term member of parliament. Noting that he will contribute to the development of his hometown with the experience he has gained in his professional, civil society, and political life, Prof. Dr. Demir gave the following answers to our questions regarding what he would do if nominated and elected mayor:

“LEADERSHIP IS THE ART OF MANAGEMENT”

Why did you set out with a focus on management style rather than promises?

Mayoral office requires management skills before the services to be produced and the investments to be made. Municipalism is an institution that must be intertwined with its citizens at every moment and in every area of life, from the process extending from before birth to after death, providing services, solutions from transportation to the fruit left on the branch for the farmer, protection from history to nature, preventing possible disasters from earthquakes to floods, and managing crises. Such a broad area of authority and responsibility cannot be managed by the mind of a single person. We are all experiencing the negative results of processes that are attempted to be managed by a single mind. This is where the importance of management skills emerges. Work needs to be done in many professional and scientific fields. The mayor should exhibit artistic leadership like an orchestra conductor, blending information and requests coming from different places, making them applicable with common sense, and ensuring they are brought to life.

“360-DEGREE HARMONY”

What do you mean by the emphasis on harmonious and efficient service?

Harmony always provides efficiency under all conditions. A machine made with incompatible parts will not work, or even if it does, you will not get efficiency. It remains slow, and there is a risk of breakdown at any moment. Even the bag of a vacuum cleaner at home has to be compatible. We want to implement municipalism by working in harmony with every relevant actor. These actors will primarily be our district municipalities. We will seek harmony with City Councils, professional chambers, associations, foundations, cooperatives, unions, the press, and every institution that has a say in the relevant field, and of course, with the people of Muğla. We will listen to and take into account everyone who has a say regarding an investment or service, or more accurately, regarding Muğla, within the framework shown by science and common sense. We will exhibit a participatory, democratic management. It would not be wrong to call this “360-degree harmony” in every respect. We have already started to visit our professional chambers, unions, and NGOs to exchange views.

“IMPARTIAL, EQUAL, AND FAIR SERVICE”

How will your relations with district municipalities be?

I am speaking as a candidate right now, but if I am nominated and elected, I would like to work in harmony as I said. We will approach every district and municipal administration equally and more warmly, just as we will with every resident of Muğla. We will not look at which party the municipalities belong to. We will act equally and fairly without looking at which party our citizens belong to. We will be respectful of the projects and goals of our district municipalities. We will provide support. We will provide guidance for them to be better or for things we think are wrong. We will lend a hand to make the work to be done the best it can be. To the extent that we achieve harmony with our district municipalities, we will produce fast, effective, and high-quality services.

“REFERENDUMS AND SURVEYS”

How will you ensure the participation of citizens in management?

Thank you for this question because it reveals the importance of an organized society. It is not very possible to influence decision-making processes as an individual. This operation is more effective with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as an indicator of the development of democracy. Each NGO can discuss the issue within itself, reach clarity, and convey it to the public and relevant institutions. When necessary, it can exert public pressure and be more effective. For this reason, I first invite every citizen and the people of Muğla to organize in the areas they are interested in and where they want to express themselves.

There will be two effective methods we can use to ensure the participation of the people of Muğla as individuals. One is surveys, and the other is referendums. We will apply these two tools across the province or on a neighborhood basis depending on the scope of the issue. We will definitely take the results into account.

TASKS FULL OF FIRSTS

Returning to your statement that “leadership is the art of management,” what is your experience as a manager?

Let me try to summarize as much as I can. My first most important management role was as the chief physician of the hospital in İzmir, which now serves as the Ege (Tepecik) Maternity and Women's Diseases Training and Research Hospital and was affiliated with the Social Security Institution (SSK) in those years. When I was appointed, there was one bed for every three patients. An annex building had been built but could not be put into service due to many bureaucratic obstacles. I opened the annex building by somewhat forcing the issue, equipped it, and we started providing more comfortable service to patients. We also became the first public hospital to use information processing technology, which was beginning to develop in those years.

During my private practice period, I led the establishment of the İrenbe Medical Center, which now has an important place in its field in İzmir. I served as the chairman of the board and chief physician of the center for many years. During this period, we signed another first and put İzmir's first private in vitro fertilization (IVF) center into service under the İrenbe umbrella, and it continues to serve as one of Turkey's leading centers today. Thanks to the center, hundreds of couples are experiencing the happiness of becoming parents.

I worked as a faculty member, Head of the Surgical Department, and Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Şanlıurfa Harran University Faculty of Medicine. At the same time, I was the Chief Physician of the Faculty of Medicine Hospital. During this period, I opened units such as the hospital's emergency service and cardiovascular surgery clinic.

Today, I served as the Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Founding Dean at the Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University Faculty of Medicine, which is the pride of our province.

“I WANT TO PAY MY DEBT TO THE REPUBLIC”

Why are you a candidate?

I was born in Göcek, Fethiye. I completed primary school in a school where many grades were taught at the same time. My late father and my family wanted me to advance my education. At that time, the equality of opportunity provided by the Republic of Turkey, founded by Atatürk and his friends, appeared before us. I completed middle school as a boarding student in Buca, İzmir, and high school at the Heybeliada Naval High School in Istanbul. Later, I entered the Ege University Faculty of Medicine. It may sound exaggerated today, but this is the truth; I am one of the countless Anatolian children who benefited from the opportunity offered by the Republic. I feel indebted to the Republic. I want to pay this debt by serving my people.

As someone who has signed many firsts and overcome complex tasks, I believe that I will successfully fulfill the Muğla Metropolitan Mayoral office with my experience and management skills.

THANKS TO MAYOR GÜRÜN

On the other hand, I would like to acknowledge the rights of the Metropolitan Mayor, Mr. Dr. Osman Gürün, who is not a candidate this term. He crowned his successful services of a quarter-century by successfully ensuring Muğla's transformation into a metropolitan municipality. I thank our Mayor Osman for this successful transformation and, of course, for all his other services.

CHP Muğla Metropolitan Municipality Mayoral Candidate Prof. Dr. Demir visited many non-governmental organizations, from professional chambers to unions, on the path he set out with the slogan “Harmonious work, efficient service.”