President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hosted on Monday a ceremony for the signing of a protocol by the government’s agencies for the training of ethics educators and ethics education in the public sector. Speaking at the ceremony at the Presidential Complex, Erdoğan vowed that they would never tolerate abuse of power in the public sector.
“We did not tolerate anyone who failed to meet the expectations of the public, who became part of the problem, not the solution, those who stained the reputation of the state, squandered public resources and attempted to steal from those resources,” Erdoğan said.
May 25 is observed as Ethics Day in Türkiye, which created the Public Officials Ethics Board in 2004 for effective oversight of the public sector in terms of violations of vocational ethics, for accountability. It is currently chaired by Zerrin Güngör, former head of the Court of Accounts, which is the highest authority to inspect public administrators, including mayors and governors. Erdoğan said the protocol signed on Monday would boost awareness of ethics in the public sector.
“We have a state tradition of more than 2,000 years. Even in the most desperate times, our ancestors established new states. Our nation is skilled in recovering. Another tradition is the human-oriented approach,” Erdoğan said, referring to a famous saying of Şeyh Edebali, father-in-law and mentor of Osman I, founder of the Ottoman Empire: “Let the people thrive so that the state thrives.” “Importance attached to wisdom, experience and merit played a major role in preserving the stability in the state’s administration, public administration,” Erdoğan said.
“No matter their position, status or title, I want to remind every one of my brothers and sisters serving in public office: These positions are temporary. These offices are entrusted to us by the people. What truly matters is earning the prayers and goodwill of the nation,” the president added.
“The state represents order and discipline. It is a mechanism that exists to serve its people. Just because an action is legal does not mean it is ethical or legitimate. We will not allow even a single citizen to be deprived of their rightful due. We expect all public employees to show the utmost sensitivity on this issue. Every brother and sister who acts in accordance with the law and ethical principles will always be held in the highest regard by this nation,” he said.
“Ethical standards are not merely a set of rules that public officials must follow – they also foster a consciousness of service to the state and the people. We have taken every necessary step to ensure the government provides higher-quality services to our citizens. Over the past 20 years, we have built a substantial body of knowledge and made significant progress in this regard. I am pleased to report the strides we have made and appreciate the work done so far,” Erdoğan added.
The president said Türkiye suffered from a “bureaucratic oligarchy” in the past, saying that arrogant officials viewing themselves as untouchable “made people’s lives miserable.”
“During our time in power, we have worked tirelessly to raise service standards. We improved efficiency in the public sector through reforms in the Constitution, laws and regulations,” he added.
Erdoğan hailed CIMER, or the Presidential Communication Center, as one great reform to connect the public with the state. He reminded that it was an expansion of the White Desk he set up while he was mayor of Istanbul in the 1990s, to offer a platform for citizens to air their grievances and suggestions about public services. “In 2024 alone, CIMER received 4.59 million applications,” Erdoğan said.
