45 years of depredation by Turkey's wealthiest capitalists' organization

Almost half-century history of TÜSİAD that supported and shared the same interests with the putschists, privatizations and the AKP government
The TÜSİAD board of directors meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the Presidential Complex / File photo
Friday, 13 January 2017 02:15

Turkish Industry and Business Association (TÜSİAD) has come to the fore with its new president Erol Bilecik and his speech on secularity. The new president of TÜSİAD has become Erol Bilecik, 1962, the CEO of an IT company. Bilecik’s speech ‘defending’ Republican values brings to mind the mutual relation between the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the ‘secular’ bourgeoisie of Turkey, which benefited the most from the policies of the AKP, such as privatizations and attacks to labor, along with religionization of Turkey.

Bilecik has put emphasis on ‘republican values’ in his first speech after being elected, putting aside the anti-labor nature of his organization and its prominent role in liquidation of the Republic and its values, which served to the interests of the capitalists of Turkey.

TÜSİAD SINCE 1970’S

Founded on 2 April 1971, one year after the working class uprising of June 1970 and 20 days after the 12 March Military Notice, by the primary components of the bourgeoisie of Turkey, TÜSİAD is an organization that serves to capital.

TÜSİAD was founded following the period of 1960’s, during which rose the demands for equality and liberty, the value of public-spiritedness and the consciousness against dictatorship of bourgeoisie. TÜSİAD came to life as a result of the class consciousness of the bourgeoisie of Turkey against those values. The capitalists of Turkey gathered under this umbrella against the workers who organized and resisted them.


WHO IS EROL BİLECİK?

The new president of TÜSİAD has become Erol Bilecik (1962), the CEO of Index group, which operates in the IT sector since 1989. Bilecik also took in charge as the chairman of Turkish Information Technology Industrialists & Businessmen Association (TÜBİSAD). Bilecik is married and has two children. 


PARTY OF CAPITALISTS ABOVE AND BEYOND PARTY POLITICS: PROFITS, RENTIER, LOOT…

TÜSİAD was the ‘party’ that sent the highest number of deputies that were sent to the Parliament despite being above and beyond party politics. It was TÜSİAD who determined the governments and governed the political parties, prime ministers, ministers.

When not satisfied with the political atmosphere of the 1970’s, it was TÜSİAD who published full pages of announcements in national newspapers against the Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit, of the then-central-left Republican People’s Party (CHP), between April and June 1979.

It was TÜSİAD who supported the Nationalist Front (MC) government of the Prime Minister Süleyman Demirel after Ecevit. It was an ‘association’ that supported the neoliberal policies dictated to this government by the World Bank and the IMF. It was TÜSİAD who supported the fascist military junta of 12 September 1980.

TÜSİAD AND MILITARY COUP OF 1980

The bourgeoisie of Turkey was highly contented with coming to power of the military junta, which destroyed the left and communist organizations and paved the way for the implementation of neoliberal policies.

TÜSİAD was one of the rare organizations that were not banned by the putschists.  One of the prominent figures of the organization, Vitali Hakko, in his memories, states that he ‘took a deep breath in his bed’ when he woke up in the morning of 12th September 1980.

TÜSİAD, POST-1980 AND AKP GOVERNMENT

The country in the dreams of TÜSİAD was built step by step after 1980’s. The neoliberalism, anti-labor policies, class compromise, destruction of public-spirited minds, privatizations, policies of rent and loot, and the indispensable component of all these: Religionisation!

TÜSİAD supported all the governments that governed the country after 1980’s and the coming to power of the AKP opened in a new page in the history of the Republic of Turkey.

Despite the contrary claims, the interests of TÜSİAD and the AKP were not in conflict but they had mutual interests. The member companies of the TÜSİAD recorded the highest profits in their history during the rule of the AKP governments. They benefited the most from the waves of unprecedented privatizations, through which almost all the public enterprises were sold out at the end, and the still continuing attacks against labor during the AKP rule. The oppression and the exploitation of the working class have become easier for the bourgeoisie since 1980’s.

The Republic of Turkey founded in 1923 was liquidated by its ruling class, the bourgeoisie and its representative TÜSİAD, since the Republic had no more served to its interests. At the political sphere, it was the AKP who realized this liquidation with the support of the TÜSİAD.

TÜSİAD AND SECULARISM

Liquidation of secularity, destruction of public areas and public culture had already started before the AKP rule. However, the unlimited religionisation and unlimited capital mobility that came with the AKP rule destructed secularism and the labor class. There is a strong mutual relation between TÜSİAD and the AKP rule.

The Turkish bourgeoisie might, time to time, criticize President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the AKP government, however this is not because they are enemies. The bourgeoisie of Turkey does so since they are not suitable for their interests as they were before.