CHP's Karabat: 'I invite Mehmet Şimşek to an iftar at a City Restaurant'

CHP Deputy Chairman Özgür Karabat reacted to Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek's statements that ‘national income has increased and the public has become wealthier,’ saying, “I invite Mr. Mehmet Şimşek to an iftar at a City Restaurant. Let him tell our people there himself that their income has exceeded 15 thousand dollars. Let's see what kind of response he will get.”

Sharing via his social media account, Karabat stated the following: 

“Mehmet Şimşek had deleted a tweet he wrote in 2011 during Ramadan about a ‘poor family visit.’ 14 years later, we are in another month of Ramadan and nothing has changed. Our families are struggling with poverty, and Mehmet Şimşek is trying to hide the facts with his lies. AKP officials and Mehmet Şimşek are saying in unison that national income has increased and the public has become wealthier. Come, let us calculate together how much income everyone has and expose these lies.

Per capita national income was calculated as 15 thousand 463 US Dollars. At an exchange rate of 36,50 TL, 15 thousand 463 US Dollars equals approximately 564 thousand 400 TL. Go to the bazaar, the market, the city restaurants, and in front of schools and ask, ‘Does your annual income reach 564 thousand TL?’

The lowest civil servant salary is 43 thousand 726 TL (525 thousand TL annually), the lowest civil servant pension is 19 thousand 617 TL (236 thousand TL annually), the lowest pension is 14 thousand 469 TL (173 thousand TL annually), and the minimum wage is 22 thousand 104 TL (265 thousand TL).

Half of the national income goes to 20 percent of the population. That means 17 million people are living comfortably. Income inequality in society has reached its peak. The middle class has been finished off by the AKP. Wealth transfer is continuing at full speed.

When calculating per capita national income, the total income is divided by a population of 85 million. However, it is known that there is an additional population of at least 10 million in Turkey when refugees, illegal workers, and those living off the books are taken into account. This is one of the games the AKP plays to make the per capita national income appear higher.

The balance between the Turkish Lira and the dollar exchange rate has also broken. The AKP, which cannot lower inflation through production and value-added, is trying to fight inflation by holding down foreign exchange rates. When this happens, the GDP in TL appears much higher due to the dollar exchange rate.

Social engineering is being carried out under Erdoğan's leadership, and financial engineering is being carried out under Mehmet Şimşek's leadership. Şimşek is building the economy on lies with TÜİK's data manipulation. However, this system, built with a faulty foundation, carries the risk of collapsing at the slightest tremor.

I invite Mr. Mehmet Şimşek to an iftar at a City Restaurant. Let him tell our people there himself that their income has exceeded 15 thousand dollars. Let's see what kind of response he will get?”

News Source: 12punto