The Turkish economy has long been experiencing a deep gap between numbers and reality. Growth on paper; contraction on the street. There is an increase in TÜİK tables; there is a fire in the market, in the market, in the rent. Today, the main issue for citizens is not ideological, but a matter of survival.
The government has been repeating the rhetoric of “stability” for years. However, stability does not mean that a country's currency loses value every month. Stability is not young people looking abroad for hope for the future. Stability does not mean that pensioners cannot make ends meet. If a country's teachers are forced to do extra work, doctors are looking for ways to go to other countries, small shopkeepers are closing their shutters, there is not stability but fragility.
The Reality of Inflation: Life Speaks, Not Numbers
No matter what the official inflation rates say, the real inflation is felt in the kitchen.
Imagine a pensioner whose salary goes to rent, bills and kitchen expenses in the first week of the month. In the middle of the month, he has to load up on his credit card.
A minimum wage earner's salary is melting before it even hits his or her pocket. Grocery shopping has doubled compared to last year.
A young university student is on the verge of dropping out due to housing costs.
Rent prices are out of control in big cities. Food prices are relabeled every month. Electricity and natural gas bills swallow up a significant portion of household budgets. It is not possible to explain this picture only with the “global crisis” discourse. There are many countries in the world that are experiencing inflation, but chronic high inflation and income erosion like in Turkey is the result of wrong economic policies.
The Cost of Wrong Policies
For years, the economy was managed with the thesis “interest is the cause, inflation is the effect”. The nation paid the price for this experiment conducted contrary to science and market realities.
The Turkish Lira suffered a serious depreciation.
The industrialists, who are dependent on foreign currency, faced cost pressure.
Citizens' purchasing power has fallen sharply.
Today, there is talk of a “return to rational policies”. However, the cost of the lost years and the deteriorating economic balances is borne by the laborers and the low-income earners.
Tax Injustice and Income Distribution
It is an undeniable fact that the tax system in Turkey is not fair. Most of the tax revenues are made up of indirect taxes. In other words, both the rich and the poor pay the same VAT. This system oppresses those with low incomes even more.
On the other hand, tax breaks granted to big companies and guarantees given in public-private partnership projects put a serious burden on the budget. The fact that even citizens who do not cross the bridge pay the toll with their taxes creates a deep wound in the public conscience.
Youth Unemployment and Brain Drain
Young university graduates cannot find a job. Those who do are forced to work for low wages and precarious conditions. In a system based on loyalty instead of merit, young people's hopes are dashed.
Today, young engineers, doctors and software developers are looking for ways to go to Europe and Canada. The biggest loss of a country is the loss of its trained manpower. This trend is not only an economic but also a social alarm.
Farmers and Production Crisis
Farmers are withdrawing from production due to unplanned agricultural policies. Diesel is expensive, fertilizer is expensive, feed is expensive. Supports are inadequate and announced late.
What is the result?
The farmer cannot earn.
The consumer buys at a high price.
The chain in between is profiting.
While Turkey used to be a self-sufficient agricultural country, today it has become dependent on imports for many products. This is a serious problem for the national economy.
Solution: Strong State, Strong Democracy, Strong Production
Economy grows with trust. And trust can only be ensured by a strong rule of law. Independent institutions, transparent public administration, accountability and merit-based appointments strengthen the investment climate.
A production-oriented model is essential. High value-added technology investments, green transformation, digital economy, agricultural planning and cooperatives should be supported. Inequality in income distribution should be reduced by strengthening the principle of social state.
It is possible for Turkey to get out of this bottleneck. At this point, the economic understanding put forward by the Republican People's Party is important.
Republican People's Party;
Establishing the independence of institutions through a strengthened parliamentary system,
Ensure the full independence of the Central Bank,
Implementing tax justice,
Strengthening the social state through family support insurance,
Increasing planned production and farmer support in agriculture,
It aims to create qualified employment opportunities for young people.
Examples of social municipalism implemented in local governments are concrete indicators of this. Student dormitories, city restaurants, social support projects, public milk and public bread practices show that a public and populist understanding of economy is possible.
Turkey needs an economic model that builds the future, not saves the day. An understanding based on production not rent, justice not privilege, science not instruction...
The wheels may be turning. But the question is whether the people get a share from that wheel. If the worker does not share in the growth, if the farmer does not share in the growth, if the pensioner does not share in the growth, then that growth is just statistics.
Turkey will reach the prosperity it deserves through democracy, justice and production. Our struggle is for a Turkey where labor gets its due, where young people live with hope, and where no one goes to bed hungry.