President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made statements at the 162nd anniversary of the establishment of the Court of Accounts. President Erdoğan also reacted against Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu over his trip to Rome. Erdoğan said, “Let no one forgive me, but there can be no justification for making members of the press take a private plane to Rome at the expense of the nation.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made statements at the program organized for the 162nd anniversary of the Court of Accounts.
The highlights of Erdoğan’s statements are as follows:
In the anniversary programs of our institutions, we remember again how strong Turkey is and how deep-rooted its state tradition is. Last week we celebrated the 156th anniversary of the Presidency of the Council of State. Before that, on April 10, we celebrated the 179th anniversary of the Turkish Police Organization. A month later, on June 28, we will celebrate the 2233rd anniversary of our Land Forces. Today, we are experiencing together with you the pride and excitement of the establishment of our Court of Accounts, which was established as Divanı muhasebat and has been serving our country and nation for 162 years.
On this occasion, I would like to once again pay tribute to all those who have served under the roof of our institution since the Court of Accounts and who have worked sacrificially for Turkey and our nation with a sense of responsibility. I remember with mercy the members of the Court of Accounts who have passed away. I sincerely congratulate you, my brothers and sisters, who have successfully fulfilled a duty that is of great responsibility and critical importance for our state.
I would like to reiterate a point that I often remind to my close colleagues here due to its importance. Public duty is a really heavy duty, the source of which is the taxes raised by the nation from their teeth and fingernails, the right of the orphans, and the burden of which is really heavy. Without any discrimination, all our public servants perform one of the most difficult duties to be held accountable in this world and the hereafter. Having legal and constitutional guarantees is not a reason for relaxation, on the contrary, it requires more meticulous behavior and more sensitivity. There is no need for complacency on the road to serving the country.
We saw bureaucratic tutelage as a source of threat for our country. We are aware that the complaints of our citizens have increased in some public services. We will not allow old habits that are disconnected from the people and lack a sense of duty to emerge again. We do not close our ears to the complaints of our people. We will increase our efforts to increase the satisfaction of our citizens with public services.
Rome reaction to Imamoglu
On the way to serve the public, we must develop our understanding of inspection as well as our understanding of management. Inspection has always been important in our state tradition. The Court of Accounts plays a very important role. The audits of the Court of Accounts have become even more important in these days when savings in the public sector are at the forefront. No institution can be wasteful. We cannot welcome the transformation of the scarce resources of the nation into someone’s advertising budget. We see personal use of municipal resources through appointments of friends and relatives. There can be no justification for giving press members a tour of Rome from the people’s pockets. In this regard, all office holders, whether appointed or elected, should be more sensitive and take care of public property.
We attach importance to popularizing the culture of saving in our society. We are a country that survives by working and producing. We cannot see saving in the public sector only as restricting expenditures. We aim to provide better services with fewer resources. We further strengthened the position of the Court of Accounts with the laws we enacted. We included every organization within the scope of the Court of Accounts. We have brought the Court of Accounts to the position it deserves.”
