‘The 2022 budget must be drawn up with farmers, laborers, unemployed’

* Photo: Mezopotamya Agency (MA)

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The Economy Commission of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) made a press statement in front of the Parliament today (October 20).

The press statement of the party came ahead of the talks on the 2022 Central Administration Budget Proposal to be held at the commission.

Garo Paylan, the HDP Diyarbakır MP and the HDP Vice Co-Chair responsible for the Economy Commission, said, "I am sorry to say that people's demands are not included in this budget." Referring to the Presidential complex of ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as the "Palace", Paylan said, "This is the budget of the Palace, war and pro-government [groups]."

"We think that budgets must be drawn up not at palaces but with the people," said Paylan, adding: "We have been faced with the budget of war for five-six years. Resources are allocated to policies of war. They are transferred to pro-government [groups] and spent in luxury and extravagance. In fact, workers are now faced with wages lower than the starvation line."

Reiterating that the demands of the people are not reflected in the budget, Paylan said, "This budget has been drawn up at the Palace and it has been drafted to protect only the interests of the one percent."

The MP raised concerns that "neither a livable minimum wage nor a possible exemption of the minimum wage has been included in the draft."

Paylan expressed the HDP's determination to "wage a struggle to make sure that these demands are reflected in the budget."

Petition to the Parliament

HDP Diyarbakır MP Garo Paylan also announced that they, as the HDP, submitted a Petition to the Parliamentary Speaker's Office and to the Parliament's Planning and Budgetary Commission and demanded that the 2022 budget talks be opened to the public.

Noting that "the AKP is once again planning to close the budget talks to people, as was the case in the previous periods," Paylan said:

We think that this budget must be drawn up with farmers, laborers, workers and unemployed people. We also want unions and civil society organizations to be a party [to the talks] and their demands to be listened to. Our people need to see who is on the side of pro-government [groups] and who is on the side of the people during the budget talks.

Accordingly, Paylan said that they requested that the budget talks of this year be broadcast live from the Parliament.

Following the press statement, the HDP MPs, with banners in their hands, walked to the Planning and Budgetary Commission inside the Parliament, chanting the slogans, "Budget for women, not for war" and "Budget for people, not for the palace".

2022 Merkezi Yönetim Bütçe Kanun Teklifi ve 2020 Yılı Merkezi Yönetim Kesin Hesap Kanunu Teklifinin Yürütme Tarafından Komisyona Sunuluşu gerçekleşecek.

HDP olarak bütçe hakkının halktan kaçırılmasını protesto ediyoruz.

TBMM'de sloganlarla Bütçe Komisyonu salonuna yürüyoruz. pic.twitter.com/r5paT6u69m

— Serpil Kemalbay (@SerpilKemalbay) October 20, 2021

After this protest, the HDP MPs went to the hall where the budget was to be discussed at the Parliamentary Commission. (DŞ/SD)