Ankara, TURKEY, March 30, 2003 - Pointing out that Turkey’s biggest problem was “social maintenance” rather than maintaining loans, Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy from Istanbul Kemal Dervis said: “We have reached the limit. We need to join hands and try to protect Turkey from a social outburst.”
This was Dervis’s first appearance in Parliament in the capacity of an elected official. Taking the rostrum to convey his party’s position during the final discussions of the 2003 budget bill, Dervis warned against a “social outburst.” He said that the government should avoid partisanship in public administration and added that structural reforms were necessary for a solution to the country’s economic problems. Beginning his speech by stating that Turkey’s resources were adequate, Dervis reminded his audience that he had served as the minister for the economy “at a difficult time for the country” in March of 2001. “The economy had stopped, we had problems finding credit and the state was afraid to pay salaries. The mission of politicians is to join hands and prevent the country from falling into such a position,” he said.
Mehmet Acikalin, another deputy from Istanbul for the Justice and Development Party (AKP), expressed his party’s opinion, saying, “With this budget, brave steps are being taken in terms of accounting and transparency.”
Suleyman Kurt / Ankara / TURKEY
http://www.zaman.org/default.php?kn=1389