Government using TÜRGEV to form religious community alternative to Hizmet

The Foundation of Youth and Education in Turkey (TÜRGEV), on whose executive board Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's son Bilal sits and which was involved in a corruption scandal that became public on Dec. 17, is going to be used as a means to create an alternative religious community to the faith-based Hizmet movement, some politicians and analysts have argued.

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Ankara deputy İzzet Çetin told Sunday's Zaman that the amendment to Municipal Law No. 5393 that was recently approved by the Planning and Budget Commission in Parliament is aimed at smoothing the way for municipalities across Turkey to make large donations to TÜRGEV and added: “Many plots of land and other immovable property will be transferred to TÜRGEV for free if this omnibus bill is passed in Parliament. I wonder how the government could be so unconcerned about proposing such an amendment to the municipal law.”

If the amendment is passed by Parliament, it will allow municipalities to easily donate plots of land and facilities to any foundation or association they wish, either for free or at a very low cost, by amending Municipal Law.

Regarding the government's intention to create a new community as an alternative to the Hizmet movement with TÜRGEV, Çetin said, “The Justice and Development Party [AK Party] government is pushing its former companions off a cliff [in reference to the members of the Hizmet movement] attempting to replace it with one formed by the ruling party.

When the graft allegations first surfaced on Dec. 17 of last year, the government and its media did everything to undermine the reputation of Hizmet movement. Even AK Party deputies who resigned because of increasingly anti-democratic practices were turned into targets to be attacked. The power-intoxicated government's psychological operation to finish off the Hizmet movement is still continuing, as Erdoğan has pledged to eliminate the movement.

“The amendment to the law aims to wipe away the smear of corruption that has stained the reputation of the government. There have been huge donations to TÜRGEV totaling $99 million. They are attempting to legitimize this with the change in the law. If the amendment is approved its current form, valuable, important, state-owned lands in İstanbul districts such as Sarıyer, Kilyos and Liva may be handed over to TÜRGEV.”

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