“This concerns us all directly”
Speaking at the opening of the meeting, OSTİM Board Chairman Orhan Aydın said, “We are currently experiencing a referendum process in our country. This process concerns all of us closely. We are in a decision-making process that touches the future of all of us and concerns future generations. Therefore, we are keeping our doors open to our political parties and to everyone who wants to share their opinions with us on this matter.”
"Mr. Cemil Çiçek has always been by our side as a friend of OSTİM. He has always been a part of our meetings. We are very happy that our esteemed President, who closely follows both the region and the problems of the region and Ankara, has honored us with his presence. We thank him very much," he said.
“It was our industrialists who stepped up to the plate for the good of the country.”
AK Party Yenimahalle District Chairman Süleyman Alper İnceöz also said: “Your support is always very important to us. It has always been our industrialists who have stepped up to the plate for the development of this country. You have always stepped up to the plate for the growth, prosperity, and development of our country.”
“The decision you make will bind us all”
Former Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly and AK Party Ankara MP Cemil Çiçek, at the beginning of his speech, pointed out that Turkey was on the eve of an important decision, saying, "It is your right to know everything. In the end, you will make a decision based on the information you have gathered. This decision will bind the State, the Government, and all of us."
Cemil Çiçek continued his remarks as follows: “The Republic of Turkey is the last state we established in this geography, and God willing, we will continue to live our lives in peace and tranquility as citizens of this state forever. This geography is our last homeland. The Republic of Turkey has certain problems, regardless of who is in power. Whether it's a right-wing party or a left-wing party; whether together or alone. These are the problems of the Republic of Turkey. Governments in power want to eliminate these problems entirely if possible, or to relegate them to the background or reduce their impact if possible.”
“There is no other constitution that has been complained about so much yet remains in effect!”
During a period of disruption to public order, the September 12th coup was followed by the 1982 Constitution. However, it's important to note that there is no other constitution anywhere in the world that has received so many complaints yet remained in effect! From the very next day after its adoption, complaints began that "this garment is too tight for us." And successive partial amendments were made. To date, there have been more than 20 amendments to the Constitution.
“Constitutional amendments have been brought up every 14-15 months”
This Constitution has been in effect for 34 years, with more than 20 amendments. This means that in this country, a constitutional debate or amendment has come up every 14-15 months. Over these 34 years, with more than 20 amendments, this constitution has become a significant problem for Turkey, and all political parties and civil society organizations have expressed the need for its change. We attend the general assemblies of professional chambers. If you look at the speeches there, alongside the problems discussed, the phrase, "This constitution must be changed!" is present in the TOBB (Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey) speeches, in the speeches of trade unions and chambers of commerce, and at the opening ceremonies of universities. It's discussed everywhere. But we have never been able to create a unified constitution. We have tried to change a part of this car whenever the need arose. But Turkey can't seem to move forward with this car. Problems arise from time to time. First of all, the way this constitution was drafted is problematic.
“The foundation of democracy is built upon the constitution.”
It's in the parties' election manifestos. We made an attempt in 2001. The political establishment came together, thinking we could create a constitution from scratch. I was the Speaker of the Parliament at the time. There were four political parties in Parliament. We worked on it for 25 months, traveling all over Turkey. We tried to get opinions from everyone, but unfortunately, we could only agree on 60 articles. Yet there are over 180 articles here. The important parts are still pending. Turkey's constitutional problem continues to exist.
May God bless those who secured our independence, those who founded our Republic, and those who made democracy a way of life for us and this country. We remember our martyrs, veterans, and heroes with mercy and respect. These are our most important achievements in the last 100 years. Regardless of our political opinions, thoughts, or religious interpretations, we must always show sensitivity towards these three concepts and values: our independence, our Republic, and our democracy. The foundation of democracy is built upon the constitution.
“Coups have set the country back”
A country that faces a coup attempt every seven years cannot achieve the desired development, progress, or prosperity. Because no one sits under a wall that is about to collapse. Every coup or coup attempt has set this country back at least 10, 15, or 20 years. Therefore, in the current constitution, politicians are portrayed as someone who does everything wrong and needs a guardian appointed. Unfortunately, because politicians are always considered a group that needs to be guided and whose actions need to be monitored in this constitution, there are arrangements in the constitution that are detrimental to the political institution in terms of the balance of power between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. This has created serious difficulties in governing Turkey.
**** “Both the Nation and the State must be strong”
This country's people and its state must be strong. Because this geography is the most volatile in the world. Eleven of the thirteen troubled regions that disrupt world peace are around Turkey, and when we look at history in this geography, only strong societies have been able to survive; when they weaken, the strong ones come and crush them. Dig three or five meters into the soil here, and you will find artifacts belonging to past civilizations and societies. This means that we are the last inhabitants of this geography. God willing, it is our eternal homeland. The state we have established is also the last state in this geography. We have no chance, no luxury, to remain weak or powerless. We have nowhere else to go from here. How can a society, a state, become strong? The government is like the engine of a car. If we liken the state to a car, it is the engine of the car. There is a huge trailer behind it, but the engine in front is not strong enough to pull it. Therefore, first of all, this engine needs to be strengthened. In order to cover distance; to be able to go wherever needed, whenever needed.
"We are a G20 country; we're in the top league, but we're ranked 17th. There are 16 countries ahead of us. The way to catch up with them, to compete with them, to work together with them on a specific program and goal, is for Turkey to be strong. If the government isn't strong, problems arise."
“We must not allow division and polarization.”
A constitutional amendment is coming. You're hearing about it on television. Some will speak in favor, some against. We will listen to all of them with respect. This constitutional amendment absolutely must not allow us to hurt each other, to offend each other, to become divided, or to be polarized. Some of you may say yes, some may say no. They are all citizens of this country. We must not break each other down because of this amendment.
A democratic, secular, social state governed by the rule of law is a shared value for all of us. Our state's capital is Ankara; there's no problem with that. Our language is Turkish, and our national anthem is the İstiklal March. So what's changing now that attempts are being made to create speculation based on this?
“This nation has a certain wisdom.”
April 16th; whatever the nation decides, so be it. This nation has a wisdom, an esoteric knowledge stemming from a thousand-year tradition. We believe in that, and every politician should believe in it too. Moreover, since everyone is emphasizing this these days, we have made significant progress in democracy.
A decision will be made on April 16th. What is being voted on here is not a political party; parties are not entering the election. Nor are governments. On the morning of April 17th, the President, the Government, and the Parliament will remain in office until 2019. We have held 18 general elections since 1950, and 6 referendums. We have a more deeply rooted culture regarding general elections. However, we haven't yet built up enough experience regarding referendums. I consider referendums important. I consider them as important as elections, or even more important. Because instead of debating an issue for 50 years, debating it for a certain period and then taking it to the people for their decision will save Turkey time. We need to adopt this method. If we had taken some of the things we've debated for the last 30 years to the people, the people would have solved them.”
In the final part of his program, Cemil Çiçek visited companies in OSTİM and received information about their operations.
