The Turkish government’s new budget has come under fire for funding security measures at the cost of crucial social services. In a Saturday parliamentary session, Labour Party MP Sevda Karaca accused the government of neglecting essential services like free school meals and initiatives to counter violence against women.
Sevda Karaca, MP with Turkey’s Labour Party, has criticised the latest government budget brought to Parliament, claiming it favours capitalist interests.#Turkey | #capitalism | #LabourParty https://t.co/sGPVy5AZMr pic.twitter.com/B5qbnO4j01
— MedyaNews (@1MedyaNews) December 24, 2023
Karaca condemned the budget for seemingly prioritising capitalist interests over the needs of the general public. This approach leads to a stark contrast in resource allocation, funding internal security measures over citizens’ welfare, she added. This, according to Karaca, is a clear indication of the government’s intent to suppress dissent through coercive means rather than respecting democratic process.
The Turkish MP also highlighted economic consequences of the government’s policies, such as high interest rates, soaring inflation, and increasing unemployment rates. “This budget is a clear manifestation of the government’s hostility towards the people,” she asserted, linking the economic challenges to a more general atmosphere of suppression and state control.
In addition, Karaca pointed out social issues arising under the current government, including corruption, inefficiency in the judiciary, and the exploitation of religious and nationalist sentiment for political gain. Karaca highlighted a significant increase in funding for the Presidency’s Directorate of Communications, headed by Fahrettin Altun, questioning the allocation of such a significant cut of funds for what she described as government propaganda in light of these challenges. She noted a 1097% increase compared to 2019, in a move seeming to defy a recent cost-saving presidential directive.
Additionally, she criticised what she represented as the Press Advertisement Agency’s biased allocation of official advertisement space, a move reflecting broader suppression of the media. “The [budget] allocation to the ruling class’s clerics and propaganda machines therefore exceeds even [the allocation to] the [government] ministries,” she explained.
Concluding her address, Karaca called the working class to action, urging them to challenge the “oppressive” financial system, rather than remaining silent or submitting. “Without an organised working class, this will be the situation of the budget, wages, income distribution, tax burden, democracy, parliament, and the country,” the MP said.
