Vice President Yılmaz's response to the opposition on corruption: 'It exists in every country'
Speaking on behalf of the government during the general debate on the 2024 budget at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM), Yılmaz responded to criticisms made by some deputies regarding corruption indices.
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Vice President Yılmaz spoke at the TBMM on the final day of the 2024 budget negotiations. Yılmaz stated, "A country where corruption and irregularities are rampant everywhere cannot transition from the lower-middle-income group to the upper-middle-income group.
In such a country, tens of thousands of kilometers of roads would not be built, universities would not be established in every province, major transformations and reforms in healthcare would not occur, and rural areas would not receive this much service," he said.
Reminding that some deputies had made criticisms based on corruption indices, Yılmaz said the following:
"Corruption exists in every country; of course, it must be fought, and of course, sensitivity must be shown. We thank you for your sensitivity, but please also examine the institutions that conduct those perception-based studies.
I recommend that you carefully examine which power centers they are connected to and where they fit within the international power system. You should also examine how objective and scientific these organizations, which rank countries based on certain perceptions, really are.
A country where corruption is knee-deep and where, as the opposition tries to describe, there is corruption and irregularity everywhere, cannot transition from the lower-middle-income group to the upper-middle-income group.
In such a country, tens of thousands of kilometers of roads would not be built, universities would not be established in every province, major transformations and reforms in healthcare would not occur, and rural areas would not receive this much service.
Our citizens see these facts. If resources had been squandered and there were corruption and irregularities everywhere, Turkey would likely not have this national income, this per capita income, or this level of service today. Let us fight against corruption, but let us also appreciate the development that has taken place and the great increase in prosperity that has been achieved."