As Turkey succumbs to wildfires, the professions of deputy ministers are revealed: Lawyer, veterinarian, gynecologist...

As forest fires continue across Turkey, the management staff of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has sparked controversy.

The intensity of the fires has raised questions about meritocracy within the ministry.

According to a report by Deniz Ayhan from Sözcü; Minister İbrahim Yumaklı graduated from the Faculty of Economics at Uludağ University. He managed a paint company and the Aljazeera TV channel. In 2016, he became the International Operations Director of Anadolu Agency. Later, he worked at Gübre Fabrikaları A.Ş. He became a Deputy Minister on April 7, 2022, and Minister on June 3, 2023.

(Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı: Manager at a paint factory and executive at an Arab TV channel)

The 4 Deputy Ministers and their areas of expertise are as follows:

Ebubekir Gizligider graduated from the Faculty of Law at Gazi University and worked as a lawyer. He served in the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) as an AKP Nevşehir Deputy for two terms. He has been a Deputy Minister since April 7, 2022.

Ahmet Balcı is a graduate of Economics from Gazi University. He served as a faculty member at the Police Academy. He worked at the Court of Accounts and the Presidential Secretariat. He served as General Manager at Tarım Kredi and Gübre Fabrikaları A.Ş. He became a Deputy Minister on June 22, 2023.

GÜMEN: VETERINARIAN AND GYNECOLOGIST

Prof. Dr. Ahmet Gümen graduated from the Ankara Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. He worked as a freelance veterinarian. In 1996, he completed postgraduate studies in obstetrics and gynecology in the USA. He served as the Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Uludağ University. He has been in the Deputy Minister seat since June 22, 2023.

Abdülkadir Polat is a graduate of the Faculty of Political Sciences at Ankara University. He held management positions at the Ministry of Treasury and Finance, the Prime Ministry High Board of Audit, and the Court of Accounts. He became a member of the State Supervisory Council. He has been serving as a Deputy Minister since January 5, 2024.

While the top management of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, which includes no agricultural or forest engineers, is distant from the subject of forestry, the management of the General Directorate of Forestry consists of qualified individuals. General Manager Bekir Karacabey and his deputies Mustafa Özkaya, İbrahim Yüzer, Kenan Akduman, and Salih Çetiner are all graduates of the Faculty of Forestry.

News Source: 12punto