PM targets intellectuals

Family issues were once again at the core of the agenda of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He criticized intellectuals for leaving their families to live alone.

Erdoğan was addressing the family congress in Ankara, where he touched on the possible problems faced by families in the country. He reiterated his calls for families to have at least three children and criticized Turkish intellectuals with money for leaving their mothers and fathers alone to be looked after by a care worker.

His remarks drew strong reactions from the different segments of society.

Yıldız Ecevit, a sociologist at the Middle East Technical University and also the head of the Gender and Women's Studies Program, criticized the remarks by Erdoğan, saying his remarks were ideological and reflected the traditional family model.

"Erdoğan has a traditional family and woman image in mind. Women will not work outside the house, instead, they will take care of their children and the elderly in the family. Social policies and government support already play quite a small role in supporting families with elderly care," she told the Hurriyet Daily News

"The government can't say we cannot allocate a proper budget for the care of the elderly but instead put all the burden on the family's shoulders, also abusing their feelings on such issues sensitive to Turkish society," she said.

Government avoids social responsibility
Ecevit also said Erdoğan repeatedly and purposely made such statements, especially on children, in line with his party's ideology, as he thought the numerical majority would strengthen the ruling party's hand ideologically to overcome some of the social and political problems in the country. The government was already generous to financially support those who were affiliated with the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP.

Journalist İpek Çalışlar said a prime minister could not suggest recommendations to families on behalf of the government, as the family was not a state-run institution. "There is a significant mistake in his understanding of government management. He intervenes in people's private life.

It is the citizens that should have demands from the government but in this situation the prime minister is making demands from its citizens," she said. It is the duty of the government to serve its citizens on the issues of elderly care and children, and the government should develop new policies based on human rights in this respect, according to Çalışlar. "What is the prime minister doing inside our homes?" she asked.

Gencay Gürsoy, the head of the Turkish Medical Association, said the remarks indicated an intention for the government to turnover its "social state" responsibilities to the solidarity within the family and charitable institutions.

"The prime minister of this country recommends families have three children to solve the care problem of their poor mothers and fathers within the family, in a country where the minimum wage is below the hunger line. Does it make sense?" he said, adding, "These all reflect populist policies."