Is It Not Time to Throw the Broken-Down and Outdated Capitalist System into the Dump of History?

News:

President Erdoğan announced that the new minimum wage is increased by 30 percent to 5,500 liras, being effective from July 1. (News Agencies)

Comment:

In the light of these data, the new minimum wage has remained below 6391 TL, which TÜRK-İŞ (Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions) recently announced as the hunger limit for a family of 4.

In addition, TurkStat announced the consumer inflation for the period of June 2022. According to this, the consumer prices increased by 4.95 percent in June. The annual inflation became 78,6 percent. According to the Inflation Research Group (ENAG), inflation rose to 8,31 percent on a monthly basis and 175,55 percent on an annual basis in June.

It is obvious that the inflation rates announced by TurkStat no longer reflect the reality. It is also known by everyone that the real inflation in market, grocery and bazaar prices is close to 200 percent. People witness that sticker prices change almost daily. They sleep with new price hikes and wake up with new price hikes as days pass.

Even while the official inflation rates announced by TurkStat is 78.6 percent, the so-called increase in the minimum wage has remained far below the announced inflation rates. The government, that says “we prevented the citizens from being overpowered by inflation” at every turn, continues to play on the mind of the people. The government has not surprised as usual and condemned millions of workers who are struggling to survive on the minimum wage to hunger and misery. With this rate, the government continued to say to the workers, so to speak, “You are poor, stay poor.”

While the people are besieged with price hikes day by day, while the increase in the prices of basic products is expressed with 300 percent, 400 percent, while the price of everything has increased 4-5 times, while the purchasing power is decreasing day by day, wages have not increased at the same level. This crooked understanding and injustice has impoverished, pauperized the people each passing day. For example, the minimum wage in 2012 corresponded to 406 dollars. And in June 2022, the minimum wage became 287 dollars.

On the other hand, while the government gives the minimum wage earners with spoons, it distributes to the deputies with plenty of scoops. The deputy salary, which was around 40 thousand liras, increased by about 17 thousand liras to 56 thousand liras. And the deputy pensions increased from 18 thousand liras to 25 thousand 380 liras. Actually, the government lets the workers and pensioners overpowered by inflation, and goes to the expense so that the deputies are not overpowered by inflation. Such that the hand of the government, which does not shiver while paying billions of liras to interest and the holders of currency linked deposit from the additional budget, is shaking while setting the minimum wage. Unbelievable how the government, which sets the minimum wage at 1.000 TL below the starvation line, can confront the people without any shame!

Nevertheless, it is a complete carelessness that Demirbağ from the AK Party, who said “If necessary, we will eat half a kilo of meat” after the meat price hike a long time ago, bemoaned on the screens that he could not live on a salary of 40 thousand TL by saying “I am ashamed, I owe money to my consultants.” While workers are struggling to survive and meet their basic needs with 5.500 TL, it is an impudence, shamelessness to put it mildly for a person who receives 40 thousand TL to say I cannot make both ends meet.

In addition to all these, the Ministry of Treasury and Finance announced that a total of 90,6 billion TL in taxes were waived with the latest minimum wage increase. The Ministry of Treasury and Finance said in glowing terms that it made a great sacrifice, as if it came from its own pocket. Isn’t this amount which is announced to be waived, the taxes received from the people? Whose money are you waiving? Is it not the own money of the people? Hasn’t this people made sacrifices for years? Are you not those who have made the taxes collected from the people available for a handful of capitalist companies, financial institutions and banks? And explain those figures so we can find out. Now you are making such a statement without any shame or restraint.

Since 1950, Turkey has had sixty-six governments. However, none of these were able to solve the society’s problems. The people have always borne the brunt of their wrong and false policies. They always have billed the people for it. At all times, the people have made sacrifices. While the rulers, who took advantage of the government’s blessings, have lived on the fat of the land, they condemned the people to hunger and poverty at every turn. While they made a handful minority happy and rich, the people have lived a tough life in pauperism and poverty. The change of governments and faces, never has solved the problems. These changes haven’t gone beyond makeup and bewitching the eyes.

Then, O Muslims; until when will you agree with this miserable life?

Until when will you let these rulers exploit you?

Until when will you wait to bring back the system of Islam, that will properly solve all the troubles in life, economic woes being in the first place?

Is it not time to throw the secular, democratic capitalist system, which is broken-down and outdated and the source of all crises, into the dump of history?

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
YILMAZ ÇELİK