Interesting proposal to the Turkish Parliament Petition Commission: Two capitals suggestion

Among the applications made to the Turkish Parliament (TBMM) Petition Commission in July, there were several notable requests. In the petitions submitted by citizens to Parliament, numerous different proposals were brought to the agenda, ranging from the electoral system to public space regulations, and from the use of names to public personnel recruitment.

According to the commission's monthly activity report, a total of 1,610 applications were made in July. Of these applications, 207 came from women. While the highest number of applications were made on issues related to labor and social security and justice, the provinces that sent the most applications to the Commission were Istanbul, Ankara, and İzmir, respectively.

One of the most striking among the petitions was the request to make Istanbul the "winter" capital and Ankara the "summer" capital. In another application, it was requested that citizens be given the right to cast as many votes as the number of parliamentary seats in the province where they reside during elections.

Other requests submitted to the Commission included banning the use of mobile phone loudspeakers in public spaces, prohibiting the use of the name "Aegean" (Ege) and changing existing names to "Efe," closing shopping malls on Sundays, and switching to a card-based attendance control system in all state institutions.

Some applications requested the banning of the production of sharp-pointed knives, the abolition of the "bride price" (başlık parası) practice in some regions of the country, providing a minimum wage to mothers, providing assistance at the level of the minimum wage per child, and organizing the weekly working hours for public officials as 4 days.

Adding an expertise module on optional unmanned aerial systems and FPV drone usage to the basic training provided within the scope of paid military service was also among the proposals submitted to the Commission. One citizen requested that the use of social media by public institutions be restricted and that announcements and information be made through official websites and domestic platforms.

The Commission not only records the requests but also contributes to the solution process by contacting relevant institutions regarding some applications. In an application regarding manufacturing defects and deficiencies in a residence delivered by TOKİ in the Karaköprü district of Şanlıurfa, the request was met by establishing contact with the relevant institution.

Sunay Karamık, Chair of the TBMM Petition Commission and AK Party Adana Deputy, stated that the right to petition is important in terms of citizens' participation in governance. Karamık expressed that the applications reaching the Commission reflect the problems and expectations coming from different segments of society.

News Source: 12punto