TURKEY: Resignation or Dismissal? & more – 6th Feb 2024

Merhaba from Keswick Village! This is the Rorshok Turkey Update from the 6th of February twenty twenty-four A quick summary of what's going down in Turkey.

On Friday the 2nd of February, President Erdoğan announced in the Official Gazette that he dismissed Hafize Gaye Erkan from her post as the Governor of the Central Bank and appointed Fatih Karahan, her former vice president, as the governor. Earlier that day, Erkan said on Twitter that she “requested to be pardoned from her post by the President”, which is an obedient way of saying she was resigning. The way she resigned was called into question, as it looked like she was asking permission from the President to leave her post. The phrase has become a part of the governmental jargon for resigning. However, it expresses a certain level of obedience to the president, removing the governmental personnel's free will. Some criticized that many citizens have normalized and accepted this. Others criticized how the Presidential Decree stated that Erdğan himself removed her from her post. This called the Bank’s independence and autonomy as an individual institution into question, as the President shouldn’t have the power to dismiss the head of the governor of the bank.

In her tweet, she cited the recent drama surrounding her and her family at the Bank as her reason to step down, calling it a "defamation campaign."

On Wednesday the 31st of January, an unnamed attacker fatally stabbed Ramazan Pişkin, a religious figure recognized for his religious speeches and social media presence, while praying in his teahouse in Istanbul’s Fatih district. The police detained the murder suspect on Thursday the 1st. Pişkin recently stated that he had received threats for criticizing religious cults in Turkey, saying that many were filled with superstitions and heresy. The attacker is reportedly a supporter of a religious cult. Apart from that, he also received a lot of backlash from secular groups for his support of the Sharia law, the Islamic law, as well.

On Thursday the 1st, during a graduation ceremony at the Religious Affairs Academy, President Erdoğan defended the Sharia law, saying that opposing it was an attack against Islam. Many believed that he was trying to tie Pişkin’s murder to those against Sharia. He argued that the Turkish and Muslim identities couldn’t be separated, and also called imams, religious leaders, the leaders of Turkish society. This caused backlash, as his words disregarded the secular Turkish ideology.

Over his remarks, Özgür Özel, the head of the Republican People’s Party or CHP, the main opposition, said that if the Sharia law ran Turkey, Erdoğan wouldn’t have a limb to go by, as the Sharia law commands that liars and thieves have their tongues and arms cut off, implying that he is a liar and a thief.

On Thursday the 1st, in the city of Kocaeli, the police detained an armed man who took seven staff members hostage at a Procter & Gamble (P&G) factory, a US-based production company to protest Israel's military campaign in Gaza. The police managed to save the hostages unharmed. In fact, in the middle of the attack, the hostages arranged a birthday celebration for one hostage with the perpetrator’s permission. The attacker reportedly took a video of the celebration and posted it online. Despite the tense, hostage situation, he expressed hope for peace and the "opening of the doors of peace," referring to the war in Gaza.

The chair of the Ankara Pita and Simit Sellers Chamber announced on Thursday the 1st that they had postponed the 50% price hike for simit, Turkish sesame-seed bagels, in the city until after local elections, upon the Trade Ministry’s instructions. He stated that the Ankara governorate initially approved the increase but the Deputy Trade Minister hopped in after it announced the hike and requested the chamber implement it after the elections. The ministry, led by the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, probably wanted to make a good impression in the public eye before the mayoral elections, but many thought the party’s move was pathetic.

Initially raised to fifteen liras or fifty US cents, the chamber now sells simits at a loss for eleven liras, or thirty-six cents. However, they plan to raise it to twelve liras, forty cents, so that it at least covers costs.

Speaking of the elections, the New Welfare Party, or YRP, the ruling AKP’s Islamist ally, announced on Saturday the 3rd that it would shield its own mayoral candidates in Istanbul, Ankara, and İzmir provinces instead of supporting the AKP’s candidate. Fatih Erbakan, the leader of the party, said that his party was disappointed with its alliance with the AKP in the general elections last year, citing constituents' demands, lack of support from local branches, and dissatisfaction with the AKP's negotiation propositions. The YRP previously participated in the ruling alliance during the general elections, running a campaign criticized for its misogyny and anti-LGBTI+ stance, securing almost three percent of the votes and five parliamentary seats.

Tuesday the 6th marked the one-year anniversary of the devastating earthquakes that hit Turkey's south, resulting in the death of over fifty thousand people and leaving millions homeless.

On Saturday the 3rd, in a ceremony, President Erdoğan handed over keys to over seven thousand newly completed homes in Hatay, the province most severely affected. The ceremony reportedly marked the beginning of a gradual delivery of forty thousand houses throughout the region. However, this number is barely one-fifth of the demolished houses in Hatay, totaling over 200 thousand. The Urbanization Minister pledged to provide the 200 thousand houses within this year but President Erdoğan had initially promised to deliver over 300 thousand houses by February this year, and a total of 680 thousand houses by the end of the year.

Despite falling short of his promise, Erdoğan urged those living in the Hatay province to vote for his party, the AKP, in the mayoral elections “if they desired government services.” He stated that without cooperation between central and local governments, Hatay would not receive the necessary assistance. Opposition figures criticized Erdoğan's speech, accusing him of using government aid as a threat to secure votes. The CHP’s Hatay deputy commented that Erdoğan's statement acknowledged twenty-one years of neglect toward the province, which had been led by the opposition in that time. He added that despite being the seventh-highest tax-collecting province at forty-three billion Turkish liras, around a billion US Dollars; it received only twelve billion liras, or 400 million US Dollars in public spending.

Still on the topic, ahead of the one-year anniversary of the earthquake, the Malatya governorate banned press statements, demonstrations, rallies, and open-air activities for three days from Monday the 5th to Wednesday the 7th.

The decision was called into question as Malatya, one of the cities heavily affected by the quake, deserves the right to mourn their lost lives freely.

The Education Workers’ Union revealed that, in the first month of twenty twenty-four, two Vocational Training Center, or MESEM, students died in work-related accidents. MESEM offers middle school graduates practical vocational training, with students spending four days apprenticing every week. The Union further highlighted that these centers didn’t have regulations, and it caused child labor exploitation. The children earn minimal money in exchange for their labor as it’s seen as a part of their education rather than an actual job. Because of the low cost, they stand out as cheap labor to employers.

More on education… On Saturday the 3rd, the education minister revealed that the ministry has been working on updating the national curriculum to reflect the country’s values and be guided by its moral principles. Many believe that with this move, the government is trying to introduce a more religious-centered curriculum. This would be a huge blow to the secular education system Turkey is currently practicing.

Aand that is for this week.

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