Reform for capital is a bitter pill for people

For the last few days, we have been sleeping and waking up with President Erdogan's "reform" statements.

Abdulkadir Selvi, one of the media spokespersons of the palace, portrays Erdogan's reforms as good news. The President has emphasized the rule of law and reform more so in the last 4 days than a year.

Well, what happened? Erdogan, who always said "Nobody can teach our country about democracy, human rights and freedoms", has started talking about a new reform era in the field of economy and law?

More importantly, are the reforms mentioned by Erdogan really aiming to improve the living standards of the people, as the media outlets that turned into semi-official bulletins of the Palace claim?

To answer these questions, we first need to look back at what Erdogan is actually talking about when he says "reform".

What does the President say about economic reform?          

"In accordance with the spirit of the new era in the economy, we will include many additional provisions, from the protection of fundamental rights to the development of property rights, in this action plan, in consultation with all relevant parties."

Now our question is this: Which parties will Erdogan consult with and include in his action plan for the protection of fundamental rights and the development of property rights?

Workers who work with minimum wage or are on unpaid leave, who cannot even pay their rent or utility bills?

With hundreds of thousands of small tradesmen or small producers who cannot pay their loans and are on the brink of bankruptcy?

Of course not.

What will the working people, who cannot afford to buy winter clothes and shoes for their children and who are brooding on how to keep warm in winter, do to improve the property rights?

So, Erdogan is talking about the consultation on property rights, talking with domestic and foreign capital organizations and talking about the development of this right, giving new incentives and new concessions to the capital and bosses.

Because the one-man government, stuck due to the economic crisis and political dilemmas, wants to get the support of domestic and foreign capital by granting new incentives and privileges to overcome these challenges.

Just like it did during the state of emergency, which was declared after the coup attempt in 2016.

After the coup attempt and the State of Emergency declared immediately afterwards, Erdogan addressed the meeting of 200 representatives of investment groups by the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey  (TOBB) and the International Investors Association (YASED):

"In 14 years, no international investor moving forward with us has lost in this country. On the contrary, they have always gained, and will continue to do so… We do not attempt anything that will harm or upset the investors. First of all, we don't allow it. You have no worries in this sense."

He is doing the same thing now, saying "reform" and wanting to give new guarantees to these capital groups.

That is why, when the President says "legal regulations", "judicial reform", he is not talking about "judicial independence" or "fair trial". On the contrary, he speaks of administrative arrangements to give new guarantees to the capital.

How do we know?

We understand this from what the President said about the "human rights action plan". "We give particular importance to the human rights action plan, it has already reached a certain stage in the action plan."

Let's go back to the stage reached in the human rights action plan:

We are at such a stage that the Speaker of the Parliament can order an investigation report about the parliamentarians on the instructions of the President, and the public prosecutors can justify the reopening of the closed files and the arrest of the politicians on the instructions of the President.

Later, even the murder of villagers by soldiers in Van (a town in eastern Turkey) can be defended by the Minister of the Interior with the words "They were helping the terrorist organization" and the governors now routinely ban all kinds of democratic rights and actions every month in many cities.

On the other hand, labour and professional organizations, such as the bar associations and Turkish Medical Association (TTB), are targeted, strikes of glass workers are banned, and the miners marching to get their rights can be blocked by the gendarmerie.

As you can see, the progress made on the human rights action plan does not end!

Now let's come to what falls to the share of the people from the one-man rule's promise of reform to capital.

President Erdogan, once again answers this question: "We will not hesitate to make sacrifices, if necessary, as a state and as a nation, in accordance with the spirit of the critical period we are living in, and to apply the right prescriptions even if painful."

In other words, what falls to the share of the people from the guarantees given to the capital is the bitter pill.

What is this bitter prescription?

More unemployment, harsher working conditions, lower wages, increased prices and taxes.

However, there is something that the President has forgotten: The working class and the working masses have already paid for the painful bill for the economic crisis and pro-capital policies for years.

As a result, President Erdogan not only assures monopoly capital by promising reform, but also vouches for more profit and exploitation. He also wants to make the people pay the painful bill of these economic policies. The reform on the capital and the bitter prescription for the workers and labourers reveal clearly which class the one-man rule defends.