Will AKP's IMM candidate Murat Kurum mention Erdoğan's 'crazy project'? 'What would Minister Şimşek say?'

Journalist Murat Yetkin recalled that President and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan first promised Kanal İstanbul in 2011, and that Murat Kurum later took charge of it as minister. Pointing out that Kurum has not mentioned the project since his candidacy for Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor began, Yetkin asked, "What would Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Şimşek say to this? One of the conditions for exiting the crisis is to put the brakes on mega projects." 

Murat Yetkin wrote the following in his column:

"President Tayyip Erdoğan first promised Kanal İstanbul during the 2011 election campaign. A parallel waterway would be opened from the Black Sea to the Marmara, not forcing trade to rely on the Bosphorus, and a new Istanbul would be built on its two banks. It was Erdoğan's 'Crazy Project', his 'Dream Project'."

"Murat Kurum, who was appointed Minister of Environment and Urbanization (later Climate Change was added) following Erdoğan's 2018 election victory, took charge of the 'Crazy Project'."

"The fact that the CHP won the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality after 25 years with Ekrem İmamoğlu in the 2019 local elections caused that part of the plans to fall through."

WHAT WOULD MEHMET ŞİMŞEK SAY TO THIS?

Five years later, not only has the 'Crazy Project' not started, but it is also not among the promises of Murat Kurum, who is now the AK Party (and MHP's) IMM mayoral candidate against İmamoğlu, as of today. As of today, Kurum has not said that if elected, the IMM would cooperate with the government for the construction of Kanal İstanbul again.

What would Şimşek say to Kanal İstanbul? Let us do the math. When Erdoğan promised Kanal İstanbul before the June 12, 2011 elections, the US dollar exchange rate was 1 lira 56 kuruş. The cost of the project (despite calculations that it would be several times higher with the construction of ring roads, bridges, etc.) was calculated at 15 billion dollars in official documents. This amounted to 24 billion lira.

When Kurum announced the EIA report, the US dollar had risen to 5.94. Since the 2019 dollar average was assumed to be 5 lira while the report was being prepared, it appeared as 75 billion lira, but the TL cost at that time had jumped to 89 billion lira. Yesterday, on January 9, 2024, the US dollar was 29 lira 93; if we round it to 30, it makes 450 billion lira, and if we don't round it, it makes 489 billion lira.

The 2024 Ministry of Transport budget was accepted by the TBMM as 661 billion lira. 348 billion lira of this is for investments. You might say that if Erdoğan takes Istanbul, he will mobilize all resources, including IMM resources, if necessary.

But what would Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Şimşek, whom Erdoğan tasked with pulling the country out of the economic crisis, say to this? One of the conditions for exiting the crisis is to put the brakes on mega projects.

Could this be why Kurum has not yet mentioned the Kanal İstanbul project, in your opinion? Perhaps it is also because they have concluded that this project has no electoral value in the eyes of the people of Istanbul."

News Source: 12punto