Parliament Discusses Ministry of Internal Affairs Budget and Population/Citizenship
The General Assembly of the Republic Assembly continues to discuss the budget of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
In the General Assembly, MPs make evaluations and express their criticisms and suggestions regarding the 2 billion 384 million 355 thousand 400 TL budget of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Independent Deputy Ayşegül Baybars, who spoke about the budget of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, argued that many business areas in the country were affected because the government did not understand exactly what the population policy was, and noted that business areas needed data and that the institution that would provide accurate data was the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Saying that there has been no progress in the country regarding registration for years, Baybars shared the opinion that a solution could be found by introducing a legal address notification obligation until the spatial address registration system is established.
Baybars said that saying “I do not know the population” is not a statement befitting a Minister of Internal Affairs.
Pointing out the importance of knowing the population under the age of 18, Deputy Baybars noted that according to the provisions of the Residence and Visas Regulation, children should be registered by their families, even if permission is not required.
Baybars pointed out that, according to the 2022 data of the Statistical Institute, the working age population increased by 17 percent compared to the previous 10 years, and stated that there are people to work in the country and that the high number of people coming from other countries to work and the tendency of young people to migrate is the biggest problem of the country.
Baybars, who also made some criticisms about the criteria for granting citizenship, said, “You obtain citizenship by delivery to your address. “There is no criterion for the people you make citizens of,” he said, adding that while people who have lived and grown up in the country for years cannot obtain citizenship, citizenship can be granted to people who have been in the country for a short time. “What is your criterion for citizenship in the Council of Ministers?” He claimed that there was no answer to the question because it was an “arbitrary practice”. Baybars said that there are allegations that citizenship was granted by instruction, and noted that in order to prevent this, the criteria and justifications for the citizenships granted should be clearly shared with the public.
Baybars, who requested clear information from the Minister of Internal Affairs Dursun Oğuz about the Center for Combating Irregular Immigration and the e-visa project, criticized the sales made to foreigners and emphasized the importance of protecting agricultural lands; He called on the Ministry of Economy to make a law regarding foreign investments.
Emphasizing the demand for accelerating the work on the Births and Deaths Registration Law and the Real Estate Agents Registration Law, Baybars stated that the law on real estate agents should be worked on with the understanding of preventing unfair competition, especially considering the local people.
Baybars also expressed the problems regarding caravan areas; Reminding that they sent the relevant law to the Parliament in 2019, he noted that it was a “serious and brutal use”. Stating that many people in the country understand caravans as “building a house”, Baybars pointed out the necessity of the law for enforcement.
Sharing his criticisms and suggestions regarding the ITEM Law, the budget allocated to District Governorships and strengthening district governorships, the situation in prisons, and efforts to reintegrate prisoners into society, Baybars also touched upon social housing projects and reminded him of the work of his time; “Social housing is a need and needs to be built,” he said.
Regarding the Güngör Dumpster, Baybars noted that the dump should be removed from the responsibility of the Ministry of Internal Affairs as soon as possible, and shared his opinion that the Ministry does not have such competence, and said that the current short-term solutions produced by the Ministry will not be sufficient.
Deputy Baybars noted that many people enter and leave the Ministry of Internal Affairs during the day and many services are waiting for service from the Ministry, and stated that when the budget is looked at, it is seen that big things cannot be achieved this year.
Speaking after Deputy Baybars, CTP Deputy Asım Akansoy noted that the Ministry of Internal Affairs is a ministry that plays a role in all stages of human life and whose actions directly touch the public, and said that the government should be generous and provide the necessary support for the Ministry to realize its planned projects.
Arguing that citizenship practices are not sustainable, Akansoy pointed out that this issue is a sensitive issue in the society and that, as CTP, they constantly share the sensitivity of the society; He noted that regulations should be made in citizenships granted with the approval of the Ministry and the Council of Ministers.
Stating that their priority as a party will be to change the Citizenship Law and update it with modern norms, Akansoy argued that some decisions taken regarding the granting of citizenship are “illegitimate” and gave information about the criteria and justifications.
Akansoy, who also criticized the granting of citizenship to a large number of people, said, “Hold on tight, at least until we come to the government.”
Akansoy said, “We have determined that there was discrimination in the context of the security report,” and argued that citizenship was not given to a Filipino family that had consecutive work permits for 15 years, but only to those coming from Turkey. He said, “This approach is not correct, it is against human rights.” He asked for the necessary sensitivity to be shown.
D.Drawing attention to the need for social housing, especially in rural areas, but saying that an analysis should be made regarding the need for social housing before a project, Akansoy argued that the discourse on current social housing projects points to a “lack of analysis” and called for the society to be informed correctly.
Akansoy said that village culture and rural culture are deteriorating day by day and that steps should be taken to sustain life in the countryside.
Akansoy said that the Council of Ministers and the Minister of Internal Affairs are responsible for the destruction caused by the sale of real estate to foreigners and also asked for information about the work done on “build-sell”.
