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MHP Konak District Chairman Ahmet Yeniçırak made a statement regarding the price increases implemented by Konak Municipality. In his statement, Yeniçırak said:
Local governments, namely municipalities, play the most significant role in the development of cities.
For nearly 30 years, the Konak municipality administration has been unable to find solutions to problems such as urban planning, infrastructure, unhealthy construction, slum areas, and administrative weaknesses. Instead of addressing the transportation, licensing, and bureaucratic issues faced by local businesses, the administration has effectively become a partner in their finances through its 2025 fee schedule regulation.
Upon careful examination, it will be seen that the revised tariff is above the Turkish average. While inflation in Turkey is 38%, increases exceeding 1000% are placing a heavy burden on businesses.
Our merchants, who are the backbone of the city’s economy, play an important role not only in commercial life but also in social life. They make significant contributions to professional and moral development. If you notice, our merchants, who embody values such as honesty, justice, mutual aid, and service to society, will be severely disadvantaged by the latest application, instead of receiving support from the local administration, as they strive to provide for their families, produce, invest, and create employment.
Instead of implementing projects that will make the municipality an attractive center and generate resources, it is targeting the livelihoods of tradesmen.
Konak is one of the ancient cities with thousands of years of history. However, the historical beauties of the city have been destroyed or damaged by erosion due to the indifference of the local administration.
Instead of undertaking projects that would make the city an attraction and generate resources, the municipality has set its sights on the livelihoods of local businesses.
Konak is one of the ancient cities that bears traces of thousands of years of history. However, the city’s historical beauties have been lost or damaged by erosion due to the indifference of the local administration.
If the CHP administration, which has been governing the city for decades, had carried out projects such as street revitalization, infrastructure development, and restoration in these areas that carry the city’s ancient beauty, turning them into tourist attractions, millions of tourists would have visited the city, and the city’s merchants would have been able to sustain their livelihoods comfortably. This would have made a significant contribution to both the regional and national economies.
Projects that would turn the city into a tourist attraction could be implemented, providing resources for the municipality. For example, if the city had been transformed into a tourist destination decades ago, it might now be a popular destination for millions of people, and the city and its administration would be thriving.
Unfortunately, instead of implementing projects that would turn the city into a center of attraction, the administration has focused on the pockets of the merchants, which will cause great harm.
This regulation, which will prevent new businesses from being established in the city, must be abandoned immediately. Projects that would turn Konak into a tourist city should be implemented to generate resources for the municipality.
As the MHP district chairman of Konak, my advice to the current administration is to focus on ongoing issues such as urban planning, infrastructure, commercial corridors, pollution, and unplanned urbanization to improve the city’s quality of life. The rest will follow.
