Provincial heads across Türkiye on Tuesday delivered the demands, wishes and woes of the public to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party).
During an extended get-together of provincial party heads, which was closed to the press, provincial and district heads informed the president about public opinion in the field.
The president, as well as ministers and deputy ministers, answered all kinds of questions in the meeting, in which everyone’s voice was heard. The meeting is part of continuing the AK Party’s culture of consultation to make progress.
“You will not make excuses; you will solve the citizens' demands for service. There are no excuses in the AK Party. There is no ‘no’ for the citizens. You will not turn them away. You will not resort to savings in urgent matters,” the president told the provincial administrators.
Moreover, he emphasized that services must be delivered whether the municipality is under the AK Party or the opposition.
“Even if the citizens have used their political preferences in a different direction, the promises made before the election will be fulfilled,” he added.
One demand was that the number of flights be increased. Transport Minister Abdülkadir Uraloğlu said that the trips will be increased again as soon as possible.
Erdoğan also said that the Youth and Sports minister will address with the Erzurum stadium request after returning to the country.
On the other hand, the AK Party Bitlis office voiced that the locals wish for a hospital in the Mutki district, while problems regarding natural gas are also encountered. When the deputy energy minister said that the distance is too long for the district to carry gas, Erdoğan said: “Don't make excuses to citizens; solve the problems. Don't make excuses for me, either. There are no excuses in the AK Party, if there is a problem, you will solve it, that is your duty.”
Since the population of Mutki is too low for a full-fledged hospital, Erdoğan dwelled upon alternative formulas.
The Bitlis office also invited Erdoğan to the Ahlat district for the anniversary of the Battle of Manzikert (Malazgirt), in which the Seljuk Turks claimed victory over the Byzantine Empire in 1071 allowing the Turkish conquest of Asia Minor, or Anatolia, over the following centuries.
Erdoğan said he would attend with Devlet Bahçeli, the chairperson of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).
Another major issue at the meeting was the problems encountered by milk producers.
Producers conveyed to Erdoğan, through provincial heads, that milk consumption has decreased, companies are no longer purchasing milk from producers, and there is a risk of slaughtering dairy cows due to decreasing demand.
Agriculture Minister Ibrahim Yumaklı acknowledged the problem, saying: “Big companies and markets tread on the producer. If there is something based on a contract and the merchant who buys it says, ‘I am sorry, I cannot sell it, so I am not buying it,’ we will intervene in that, otherwise, we cannot intervene in the free market.”
Erdoğan has mobilized the party and vowed meticulous insight behind the factors that led to less-than-stellar results of the March 31 municipal elections, in which the party took a hit in the hands of the opposition. The AK Party lost some major municipal seats for the first time in years, failing to retake the mayoralty in the capital Ankara and Istanbul, which it governed for years. Since then, Erdoğan increased the number of meetings with party members for a future strategy and delving into the causes of the losses. He promised a change within the party earlier and has already replaced several heads of the party’s provincial branches. The meetings are also part of preparations for a major party convention in September.
