CHP's Genç reacts to 'spending': Diyanet spends the equivalent of 90 retirees' bonuses in one minute

In his speech at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM), Genç drew attention to the gap between the expenditures of the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) and the 4,000 lira holiday bonus given to retirees. Stating that Turkey paid 4.4 billion dollars in interest on foreign debt in the first two months of the year, Genç said, "The problem is not a lack of money, but where the money is spent."

Touching on Turkey's foreign debt interest burden, Genç emphasized that the economy is being kept in balance not through production, but by paying interest, and said the following:

"The clearest indicator of the Turkish economy is no longer production, investment, or employment; it is the interest burden. In just the first two months of the year, this country paid 4.4 billion dollars in interest for its foreign debts. I underline this: not the principal, not investment, just interest. Moreover, when you look at how this burden is shared, the picture becomes even more striking. 1.8 billion dollars of this payment is covered by the public sector and the Central Bank, while 2.6 billion dollars is covered by banks and the real sector. In other words, this cost is not just an item sitting in the budget; it is the cost for those who produce, invest, and use credit. In the end, it turns into a burden that reflects on the citizen's pocket. This picture is not sustainable. This picture is one of saving the day, not of growth."

"Retirees can barely afford 4 kilos of ground meat anymore"

Stating that the 4,000 lira holiday bonus to be given to over 17 million retirees before the upcoming Eid al-Adha is far from current economic realities, Genç compared the bonuses with the sacrificial animal slaughter prices announced by Diyanet:

"The Presidency of Religious Affairs announced the 2026 sacrificial slaughter fee by proxy as 18,000 lira domestically and 7,000 lira abroad. When the holiday bonus for retirees began in 2018, the amount was 1,000 lira. In the same year, the sacrificial slaughter fee by proxy was 850 lira. In other words, the retiree was in a position to afford a sacrifice with the bonus they received. At the point reached today, the retiree receives 4,000 lira, while the sacrifice price has risen to 18,000 lira. In other words; while the sacrifice price has increased exponentially over the years, the retiree's holiday bonus has not increased at the same rate, and the distance between them has widened every year. Retirees can no longer afford to sacrifice an animal with their holiday bonus, let alone buy 4 kilos of ground meat."

"Diyanet spent 46.4 billion lira in the first three months of the year"

Pointing out that the Presidency of Religious Affairs spent 46 billion 436 million lira in just the first three months of 2026, the CHP's Genç concluded his criticisms regarding budget preferences with these words:

"The bonus given to a retiree for a holiday is 4,000 lira. Diyanet's spending in just one minute is equivalent to the holiday bonus of approximately 90 retirees. This is a clear indicator of how public spending priorities are shaped. And then they come out and deem 4,000 lira appropriate for the retiree. The issue that emerges is very clear; the problem is not a lack of money, but where the money is spent. A mindset that finds billions for interest but deems 4,000 lira appropriate when it comes to the retiree is incompatible with the concept of a social state. What Turkey needs is an economic understanding that reduces the resources going to interest, supports production, and most importantly, treats its citizens fairly."

News Source: 12punto