CHP leader slams government over draft budget for 2023

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Speaking in the Parliament yesterday (December 5) on the 2023 budget on behalf of his party, the Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu took the opportunity to voice harsh criticism to the current political structure in Türkiye under the presidential government system.

Kılıçdaroğlu said that the parliament majority had surrendered to a "single person domination," and that this caused the parliament of Türkiye (TBMM) to lose its constituent qualities.

He said that the Justice and Development Party (AKP) MPs undermined the dignity of TBMM by approving all kinds of unlawfulness and fraud.

Interrupted many times by AKP MPs, Kılıçdaroğlu talked for nearly one hour responding to Fuat Oktay, Secretary to the President, who spoke before him on the 2023 budget.

Where is the government?

Kılıçdaroğlu said, "What we call a budget is the most important law for the treasury of a country, for the economy. So there is a special procedure in the Constitution for its approval.

"In the past, the Board of Ministers used to send the budget to the parliament, and the Prime Minister, who is the head of the government would come and talk on the budget with confidence, and defend the budget against all kinds of criticism. Now the Speaker of the Parliament is asking, "Where is the Commission?" The Commission is here. But the Government is not. Why? What is the reason that the Government is not here?"

Single-person government

Referring to a book by Mehmet Uçum, a consultant to the President and AKP Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan saying "This is a single-person government," Kılıçdaroğlu said, "If it is a single-person government, then he is going to come here. He is going to come here to the parliament and defend his budget."

Kılıçdaroğlu added, "It is nonsense that an appointed person, someone who the people have not voted for should speak here and ask for our approval of the budget. There isn't any government behind this budget."

"No Minister can even lift a finger without instruction, they do not have the authority. They are going to put out a fire. They say, 'We started to put out the fire with the instruction of our President.' Will you not put out the fire if you are not instructed? You can be assured they cannot."

The parliament, and the MPs do not know where the money is spent, argued Kılıçdaroğlu. He asked the general assembly, "The authority spending the money is not coming here, then which budget will we talk about?"

"If you are an elected President, if the people elected you, and given you the money, you will come and defend your budget  You will stand behind it and answer the criticism, and give an answer for each question."

Arguing that TBMM was also left without any audit mandate on money spent, Kılıçdaroğlu criticized that the new Presidential institutions were spending money arbitrarily since they were not subject to any given law, but only a regulation. Kılıçdaroğlu said, "A dual structure has emerged in Türkiye. Those living in the palace and those living outside of it."

Drug lords

Kılıçdaroğlu accused the parliament majority of enacting 7 laws that resulted in drug traffickers bringing their money to Türkiye, since these laws gave them immunity in the face of any tax inspection, investigation, prosecution, tax penalty, or administrative fine.

Describing drug lords as the "dirtiest people on earth" Kılıçdaroğlu said, "When the 'palace' and his associates brought the country to ruins, and when the current deficit grew so large, they ran after money. When no decent funds made any investments, they gave permission to the dirtiest"

"They made Türkiye a center of illicit money laundering." Kılıçdaroğlu said reminding that Türkiye was put on the 'grey list' by the International Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and addressed questions to Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu on the recent drugs operations. (PE/VK)