President Erdogan lambasts TUSIAD as political dispute further escalates

An ongoing spat between the Turkish Industry and Business Association (TUSIAD) and the Turkish government following the formers’ comments criticizing and condemning the government last week continues to grow, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan commenting on the matter for the first time on Wednesday.

The head of TUSIAD Orhan Turan had commented, “We can not build a future without trust in law in Türkiye” and underlined a return to the “rule of law.” Meanwhile, comments made by the Chairman of the High Advisory Council of TUSIAD Omer Arif Aras are currently being investigated by the Ministry of Justice.

TUSIAD’s comments have revolved around a number of sensitive issues such as femicides and removal of elected officials over terrorism links, among other topics.

Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc commented, “We do not accept any pressure on judicial processes, and we are opposed to any attempt to influence the judiciary. While expressing opinions is a democratic right for civil society organizations, attempts to direct the judiciary and politics are contrary to the spirit of democracy and the rule of law.”

Pro-government papers were quick to point to TUSIAD’s past support of military coups and downplaying major events where the government was undermined.

New statement from TUSIAD

A new statement came from the association on Tuesday, “It is our responsibility toward our country to contribute with our knowledge, experience and suggestions to our common goals that will carry our country forward.”

In his speech at the general assembly, Omer Aras, chairman of the high advisory council of TUSIAD, said that the recent arrests, the appointment of trustees and the disasters for which no responsibility was taken had “shaken the trust” of the society.

Speaking afterward, Turan criticized the authority given to the State Supervisory Board (DDK), saying that “everything is not in order” in the economy. Drawing attention to the rule of law, Orhan also said, “Corruption, fraud and black market news do not stop one after another. I think it is easier to establish an organization for the purpose of committing a crime than to establish a company.”

The government authorities had “reported the incident” to TUSIAD, and the Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office launched an investigation against Aras on the grounds of “attempting to influence a fair trial” and “publicly disseminating false information”.

As TUSIAD, in line with the objectives of our statute, we always share our findings and suggestions that we believe to be correct, with the aim of the development of our country and the benefit of the whole society, with transparency within the framework of the principle of participatory democracy and respect for democratic institutions and rules.

TUSIAD statement

‘Smell of provocation’: President Erdogan

President Erdogan had withheld making any comments on the matter while traveling in Southeast Asia and later hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Ankara on Tuesday.

However, speaking today at the ruling AK Party parliamentary group meeting, Erdogan commented: “… You will not provoke the nation or attempt to suppress the judiciary. If you are keen on politics, you either form a party or choose one of the opposition parties.”

While noting the growth of the Turkish economy, he underlined ” If you want Türkiye to abandon domestic and national production and turn into a weak market of global trade again, know that we will never allow such a thing.”

“TUSIAD is in a crisis of confidence. TUSIAD is demoralized since it cannot share the state treasury as they wish. Where was TUSIAD after the earthquake?”

“The system in which they enriched themselves has collapsed. The system in which they set politics with newspaper headlines has collapsed.”