Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party has proposed a law to transfer the substantial debts left by government-appointed trustees in 15 Kurdish municipalities to the Treasury, and hold the same trustees accountable for financial mismanagement.
DEM Party Group Deputy Chairpersons Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit and Sezai Temelli presented the proposal, which addresses the financial burden imposed by trustees, on Monday. “Trustees have rendered municipalities unable to function by accruing massive debts, making it impossible to serve the public,” the proposal stated. The legislators argued that the appointments and the subsequent spending by trustees, without the input of municipal councils, had resulted in corruption and mismanagement.
The proposal emphasises the need for the Treasury to assume these debts, citing past instances where municipal debts have been forgiven or resolved through settlement. “The enormous debts left by trustees cannot be separated from the actions of central government” the proposal added. The DEM Party insists that new administrations should not bear the responsibility for these debts, as it would hinder their ability to provide proper public services.
Koçyiğit organised a press conference at which she described the state of the municipalities inherited from the trustees. “The debts left by trustees have almost paralysed basic services. We have submitted a proposal to eliminate these debts. Those who have misappropriated public funds must be held accountable,” she stated. She called for public awareness and support regarding the debts run up by the trustees.
The municipality of Sur in Diyarbakır, currently managed by the DEM Party, announced that it had inherited a debt of 143 million TL from the period it was subjected to trustee control. The debts include 38.8 million TL in bank loans, 10.2 million TL in social security debts and various other liabilities. The municipality’s May revenue of 14.1 million TL was significantly lower than its expenditure of 26.5 million TL, with personnel salaries alone amounting to 22.8 million TL.
Sur Municipality stressed its determination to resolve the financial issues caused by the trustees. “Our community should know that we are committed and capable of overcoming these challenges. We will persist in addressing these problems and deficiencies caused by the trustee administration,” the statement concluded.
