Turkey faces unprecedented poverty and hunger due to government mismanagement, Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit, Group Deputy Chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, claimed on Monday during a press conference in Ankara.
“Turkey is experiencing the greatest poverty and hunger in its history,” Koçyiğit stated, criticising the current government’s economic policies. She later went onto condemn a proposed law that would allow the killing of stray animals.
Koçyiğit linked the nation’s economic woes to government mismanagement, asserting that despite collecting 3 trillion dollars in taxes over 22 years, the government has failed to address public needs.
“What did you do with this money?” she asked, accusing the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) of misusing public funds. She noted the stark decrease in retirees’ purchasing power and highlighted that Turkey ranks fifth in global inflation and first in food inflation.
She expressed concern over the plight of retirees and minimum wage earners, stating, “Retirees and workers are condemned to wages below the poverty line.” Koçyiğit illustrated the erosion of purchasing power by comparing the value of retirees’ pensions in 2002 and 2024, noting that the current pensions can buy significantly less.
Regarding the legislation permitting the killing of stray animals, Koçyiğit positioned the DEM Party in direct opposition. She called it inhumane and a diversion from more pressing issues.
Addressing social justice, Koçyiğit criticised the government’s treatment of Kurdish women, citing the arrest and mistreatment of three mothers in Kurdish-majority southeastern Batman (Elih) as an example of systemic discrimination. She also called for collective action to combat child abuse, highlighting a troubling increase in cases and criticising the lack of effective legal responses.
