Of the view that the referendum will be a step forward and allow a much more advanced constitution, a large of group of NGOs, including the Southeastern Industrialists and Businessmen Association, the All Industrialists and Businessmen Association, the Free Industrialists and Businessmen Association, the Gaziantep Sharer Young Businessmen Association, the Mother-Child Training Foundation and the Berk Education Volunteers Association, have said they endorse the changes to be made in the upcoming public referendum.
They elaborated on the reasons that drove them to take a pro-change decision in a statement they released. “When we look at the package of constitutional amendments to be voted on this Sept. 12 in a referendum, we say we wish it could be more extensive. But we still believe that this is an important step forward to meet our country’s needs,” they said, adding that one of the most problematic institutions in Turkey is the judiciary and that the package is very significant in that it will make major changes to the structure of the higher judiciary and the area of its jurisdiction.
The Gaziantep NGOs also criticized the way the two largest opposition parties formulate anti-change arguments over the referendum while uttering no words about the content of the reform package. The statement the business groups released allots major space to the business world’s possible benefits in the post-referendum era if the result is in favor of the proposed constitutional amendments. The judiciary has obstructed Turkey’s economic leaps for a long time, it said, adding that the proposed changes will open the horizon to businessmen and remove obstacles set before the country’s rapid economic development.
