Development, but without diversity
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Sadi Özdemir - Hurriyet
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Ocak 06, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - Development agencies, aiming to foster regional growth, are generating conflict due to a lack of diversity in executive committees. Turkey’s top business body remains excluded from the board of Istanbul Development Agency.
Development agencies, founded in an attempt to increase regional growth, are drawing criticism for including too many official representatives and not enough nongovernmental organizations.
The absence of the Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association, or TÜSİAD, and the Turkish Enterprise and Business Confederation, or TÜRKONFED, in the management of Istanbul’s development agency only adds insult to injury.
As development agencies continue to choose their boards, however, they are being blamed for blocking political diversity by excluding NGOs from their executive committees.
"Three NGOs were elected for the management of the Istanbul Development Agency," said Celal Beysel, TÜRKONFED’s chairman. "These are the Independent Industrialists & Businessmen's Association, or MÜSİAD, the Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists of Turkey, or TUSKON, and the Turkish Exporters’ Assembly, or TİM. We do not want to create a polemic, but this does not seem fair in a democratic sense. Everyone should realize that this is a mistake. We may still hold discussions with TUSKON and MÜSİAD to express our thoughts."
TÜSİAD or TÜRKONFED should be a part of the Istanbul Development Agency, Beysel said. "However, TÜSİAD was excluded in elections held at the first meeting. Seven public institutions and three NGOs were selected to join management."
Political diversity ignored
Claiming the situation would create a lack of representation of opinions, Beysel said fairness in representation should have been secured. "The three NGOs should have been selected considering the need to represent different opinions."
There is no other agency in the world that resembles Turkey’s development agencies, he said. "In some countries, there are agencies that mainly consist of official representatives. However, here even the chairmen of the agencies are governors. How can a development agency led by a governor reach its target? Governors have too many things to do," he said. At the least, secretaries-general of the agencies should be from the private sector, Beysel said.
"The 100 members of the development agency are nominated by the governor; therefore, a majority of this committee consists of the representatives of public institutions. Hence the management is formed with NGOs that do not have political opinions that conflict with the government. The Istanbul Development Agency is the most concrete example. It is what we have always feared," Beysel said.
TUSKON is the umbrella organization for seven regional business federations and represents 12,000 entrepreneurs and 150 business associations in 80 cities, said Rızanur Meral, TUSKON chairman. Regarding the board elections of the Istanbul Development Agency, he said, "Everyone had the chance to become a candidate, and we did. Ceren Aydın, who is responsible for regional development at TÜSİAD, as we learned later, was also a candidate. We had just three votes. The committee that made the choice consisted of 100 members."
TÜRKONFED has no right to speak on the election, because it did not participate in it and did not have a candidate for the election, Meral said. "I believe that was a case of neglect on their behalf," he said. "Also, if TÜSİAD Chairwoman Arzuhan Doğan Yalçındağ had participated in the election, she would have certainly been elected. All associations came and lobbied with their chairs and deputy chairs. It was a democratic election," he said.
Expressing the determination to talk with TÜSİAD or TÜRKONFED on any platform and express their opinions, Meral said: "We have never said anything negative about these organizations to date, and we will continue on that path. TÜSİAD is a very special organization providing significant contributions both at home and abroad."
The absence of the Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association, or TÜSİAD, and the Turkish Enterprise and Business Confederation, or TÜRKONFED, in the management of Istanbul’s development agency only adds insult to injury.
As development agencies continue to choose their boards, however, they are being blamed for blocking political diversity by excluding NGOs from their executive committees.
"Three NGOs were elected for the management of the Istanbul Development Agency," said Celal Beysel, TÜRKONFED’s chairman. "These are the Independent Industrialists & Businessmen's Association, or MÜSİAD, the Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists of Turkey, or TUSKON, and the Turkish Exporters’ Assembly, or TİM. We do not want to create a polemic, but this does not seem fair in a democratic sense. Everyone should realize that this is a mistake. We may still hold discussions with TUSKON and MÜSİAD to express our thoughts."
TÜSİAD or TÜRKONFED should be a part of the Istanbul Development Agency, Beysel said. "However, TÜSİAD was excluded in elections held at the first meeting. Seven public institutions and three NGOs were selected to join management."
Political diversity ignored
Claiming the situation would create a lack of representation of opinions, Beysel said fairness in representation should have been secured. "The three NGOs should have been selected considering the need to represent different opinions."
There is no other agency in the world that resembles Turkey’s development agencies, he said. "In some countries, there are agencies that mainly consist of official representatives. However, here even the chairmen of the agencies are governors. How can a development agency led by a governor reach its target? Governors have too many things to do," he said. At the least, secretaries-general of the agencies should be from the private sector, Beysel said.
"The 100 members of the development agency are nominated by the governor; therefore, a majority of this committee consists of the representatives of public institutions. Hence the management is formed with NGOs that do not have political opinions that conflict with the government. The Istanbul Development Agency is the most concrete example. It is what we have always feared," Beysel said.
TUSKON is the umbrella organization for seven regional business federations and represents 12,000 entrepreneurs and 150 business associations in 80 cities, said Rızanur Meral, TUSKON chairman. Regarding the board elections of the Istanbul Development Agency, he said, "Everyone had the chance to become a candidate, and we did. Ceren Aydın, who is responsible for regional development at TÜSİAD, as we learned later, was also a candidate. We had just three votes. The committee that made the choice consisted of 100 members."
TÜRKONFED has no right to speak on the election, because it did not participate in it and did not have a candidate for the election, Meral said. "I believe that was a case of neglect on their behalf," he said. "Also, if TÜSİAD Chairwoman Arzuhan Doğan Yalçındağ had participated in the election, she would have certainly been elected. All associations came and lobbied with their chairs and deputy chairs. It was a democratic election," he said.
Expressing the determination to talk with TÜSİAD or TÜRKONFED on any platform and express their opinions, Meral said: "We have never said anything negative about these organizations to date, and we will continue on that path. TÜSİAD is a very special organization providing significant contributions both at home and abroad."