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Exporters to back changes in referendum
In an interview with Today’s Zaman, TİM president Mehmet Büyükekşi said TİM believes the right thing to do on the day of the upcoming popular vote is to approve the changes.
Büyükekşi elaborated on TİM’s reasons for backing the proposed package of 26 amendments to the current Constitution, which was drafted under military rule established following Turkey’s violent 1980 military coup. He first denounced the fruitless tug-of-war between the “yes” and “no” camps debating the referendum and said the primary question for TİM was whether the changes will take Turkey’s democracy forward. “With an objective evaluation, this draft that will be submitted to a popular vote is far more advanced than the current Constitution,” he noted.
Once approved, the European Union-backed package of Constitutional amendments will improve democratic representation in the judiciary, limit the jurisdiction of military courts solely to disciplinary affairs, open the decisions of the Supreme Military Council to judicial review, and also pave the way for the trial of coup perpetrators |
Once approved, the reform package will improve democratic representation in the higher judiciary through changes to the structure of the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK), limiting the jurisdiction of military courts solely to disciplinary affairs, opening the decisions of the Supreme Military Council (YAŞ) to judicial review and paving the way for the trial of coup perpetrators.
Büyükekşi said the changes will expand the horizon for the business world and will also strengthen Turkey’s hand in its EU accession process.
“If these changes are approved, we believe the economy’s way will be opened. We are a supra-political institution, and we will never neglect this status, but we are not an institution above the Constitution and we cannot let a matter regarding the Constitution be polarized and make us neutral. As TİM, we have no right to force our members’ will. May the result be beneficial for our country whether ‘yes’ or ‘no’ comes out of the ballot box. But we support the Constitutional changes and believe this is the right thing to do. And this is not a personal view. We discussed the matter at our council as representatives from 24 different sectors,” Büyükekşi said.
In the meantime, another pro-change voice from the business world has risen in the southeastern province of Adıyaman.
Adıyaman Chamber of Trade and Industry (ATSO) President Mustafa Uslu said on Saturday that the current Constitution falls short of responding to the needs of a rapidly growing Turkey. “The more a country takes steps in the direction of democratization, the higher its prestige becomes. And the reflections of such changes will be seen in every field. We believe there will be profound benefits for our economy,” he argued, adding, “Everyone knows there is no way forward with the current Constitution.”
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