Anti-gov’t ‘MÜSİAD report’ creates strife

ISTANBUL

MÜSİAD Chairman Nail Olpak pose with Deputy Prime Minister Emrullah İşler. CİHAN photo

The re-release of a conservative business organization’s report dismissing the government’s plans for 2023 as a “dream” created controversy March 28.

Prominent intellectual property lawyer Cahir Suluk issued a press release in the early hours of March 28 about a report titled “Turkish Industrial Property in the Light of the 2023 Vision” that he penned for the Independent Industrialists and Businessmen’s Association (MÜSİAD). Suluk said he re-sent the report that was issued in February because it did not previously attract widespread media coverage, daily Hürriyet reported.

The press summary circulated by Suluk dubs the government’s 2023 targets a “dream” and calls its goal of $500 billion in exports unrealistic.

“Turkey’s $500 billion-export target is not realistic as long as it [tries to] compete in a world market [without] developing high-value added and innovative products,” the report shared by Suluk read.

“This time MÜSİAD warned the government, not TÜSİAD,” he said, referring to the Turkish Industry and Business Association (TÜSİAD), which has especially strained relations with the prime minister because of its critical stance toward government policies.

Claiming to be uninformed about the press statement, MÜSİAD lashed out at the press release in a statement that claimed the phrases in the report were pulled out of context to look like the group was slamming the government.

“A press statement that doesn’t belong to MÜSİAD has been disclosed today,” the MÜSAİD statement said.

“Some points detected in a report prepared as an academic study … have been released to the press after being manipulated by changing their meaning and context,” MÜSİAD said, vowing to take necessary action on the issue.