President Erdogan: We will not tolerate disconnected administrators! Your door will be open 24/7
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made remarks at the 109th District Governorship Course Lottery Ceremony. He stated, “You will keep your door open 24 hours for the demands and complaints of citizens.” President Erdogan emphasized, “We have no tolerance for administrators who are disconnected from the people, the streets, the tradesmen, or the management profile. There will be times when you will load wood, coal, or whatever is needed onto a truck and deliver it to those in need. You will find them, reach out to them, and deliver. We will not tolerate administrators who crush the personnel under their responsibility.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed the audience at the 109th District Governorship Course Lottery Ceremony. Here are some key points from President Erdogan’s remarks:
In this esteemed place, I am delighted to share the graduation pride of our 109th district governorship candidates with you all. On this auspicious occasion that brings us together, I thank our Minister of Interior and his esteemed team. I wholeheartedly congratulate each of you, our young brothers and sisters, who have successfully completed the District Governorship Course. I see that each one of you is excited to embark on the journey of serving Turkey and our dear nation. We will soon conduct your lottery ceremony to determine the duty stations of a total of 97 young district governorship candidates, including 14 women.
“EVERY INDIVIDUAL OF OUR NATION IS AN EQUAL CITIZEN OF OUR STATE”
First and foremost, I would like to say this: All 922 districts attached to our 81 provinces in our country are valuable in our eyes, important, and deserving of first-class service. I especially request that you do not make any distinctions between the districts you will serve in terms of distance, size, development, or backwardness. Additionally, regardless of origin, creed, identity, belief, or opinion, every individual of our nation is an equal citizen of our state. As the members of a nation that has stood by the oppressed and with the oppressed for centuries regardless of identity, it is our duty to fulfill our brotherhood duty to those who seek refuge in our country. It is not fitting for the Turkish nation and the Republic of Turkey to oppress the fallen, to oppress the oppressed, or to turn a deaf ear to the cries of the victims. As the district governors representing our President and the state in their districts, I expect you to act with particular sensitivity and dedication in this regard.
During your educational life, you have witnessed firsthand the fact that our state has made every effort to equip you with qualifications suitable for your title. Along with the foreign internship, you have completed a comprehensive, intense, and multidimensional training program lasting a total of 42 months with flying colors today. During this time, you have received top-level education on every subject you will need while carrying out your duties, from experience sharing to work visits, from legal knowledge to inspection trips, from communication to protocol rules. Because serving the citizens properly, providing solutions to their problems, supporting the development of our cities is a great mission for a civil administrative officer, a duty with an extremely heavy moral responsibility.
“IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO SHARE THE PEOPLE’S TROUBLES”
The way to transform the state into a system that produces services for the people is to empathize with the people’s troubles, to win the hearts of the people. Sitting in a chair, riding in official vehicles does not make an administrator, a civil administrative officer, a dignified statesman. Without being a man of the people, without winning the hearts of the people, without winning the approval, affection, and prayers of the people, one cannot truly be a statesman. District governors who represent the President and the state in their districts are the state’s reaching hand, listening ear, and observing eye towards the people. Empathizing with each citizen’s troubles is your greatest responsibility. In this respect, I expect you, our district governors, to act with sincerity and zeal to run towards serving the people in every place you will work. I wish each of you superior success from God in your duty areas and throughout your professional life.
Today, once again, together with our Derik District Governor Muhammed Fatih Safitürk, I remember with mercy all the administrators, all our martyrs who fell for the country and the nation on the path of service. I see that each of our young brothers here has the will and dedication to make the same sacrifice for the sake of the country, the nation, the state, the flag, and the call to prayer, which is a symbol of our independence. I believe with all my heart that you will move forward patiently on the path opened by your elders, and you will write your name in the hearts of our people wherever you serve. I have no doubt about it; I believe wholeheartedly that you will not embarrass us, you will not embarrass your families, and you will not embarrass the teachers who raised you.
“TURKEY IS A RULE OF LAW”
I believe it is necessary to underline a point here. Throughout history, we have established many great states as a nation. We shook millions of square kilometers of land from the steppes of Asia to the scorching deserts of Africa, from one end of the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean with the sound of our horse’s hooves. In our states that once stretched from Africa to the far corners of Europe and Asia, we managed millions of people of different beliefs who lived under our protection in peace, tranquility, and well-being. The two main pillars of the states we established in history were the justice that is “the foundation of the rule” and mercy. The same situation applies today. Turkey is a rule of law; our civilization is a civilization of mercy. As we elevate justice, we elevate the state; as we treat with mercy, we strengthen the bond between our people and our state. If the distance between the state and the people widens, then the services we provide as a public will have no meaning.
“MILLIONS OF OUR CITIZENS WERE EXCLUDED”
As a nation, we have experienced both of these experiences in recent history. Look, the elitist mindset that built walls between the state and the people, that placed the state and the people in different positions, has caused great harm to our country. During periods when national will was suspended, the state saw some of its citizens as a threat; they dealt with people based on their appearance, clothing, women’s headscarves, men’s hair, and beards. Our people were tried to be divided by terms like reactionary, traditionalist, sectarian, religious community member, secular-anti-secular, progressive-reactionary. Unfortunately, millions of our citizens were excluded, marginalized, and subjected to injustice and lawlessness simply because they wanted to live their faith freely, simply because they spoke their mother’s tongue. Our democracy, our state, and our nation paid the price for this.
“THE STATE IS AT THE SERVICE OF ITS PEOPLE”
I want to remind you of a fact here. There is no place in our state conception for the bureaucratic oligarchy that looks down on its citizens, sees some of its citizens as a threat. The state is at the service of its people, and the public servant is the servant of the people. Our guiding principle and compass in state administration is the principle of “Keep the people alive so that the state may live.” This is the basic principle that kept the Ottoman Empire standing for six centuries. We cannot allow the slightest concession, the slightest deviation from this principle, which is the supporting pillar of our state. Despite all our efforts over the past 22 years, if there are still practices contrary to this in the places you will serve, changing them, bringing the state and the people closer, embracing, and uniting them will be your primary duty.
“YOU WILL NEVER MAKE THE PEOPLE ASK ‘WHERE IS THE STATE'”
I want to remind you that the position you are in requires you not only to show the authority and power of the state but also to show the attribute of “generosity.” Therefore, wherever you are appointed, I especially expect you to be the compassionate, merciful, just, smiling face, and gentle hand of the state. You will never make my citizens ask, “Where is the state?” You will not wait for the needy citizen to come and find you. On the contrary, you will take the initiative, find the needy, the oppressed, the victim, the poor, and become a companion in their troubles, a sympathizer.
WE HAVE NO TOLERANCE FOR DISCONNECTED ADMINISTRATORS
In the place you serve, you will coordinate social, cultural, and economic development and keep your door open 24/7 for the demands and complaints of the citizens. You will approach with zero tolerance to developments that will alienate or cool our people from the state.
At this point, I specifically request your attention. We have no tolerance for administrators who are disconnected from the people, the streets; disconnected from the tradesmen, businessmen, villagers, and farmers in their districts. Similarly, we will not tolerate the tolerant attitude towards arrogant administrators who use their power to oppress the personnel under their responsibility. We cannot turn a blind eye to those who derive power from their position in our state system rather than enhancing their chair’s power and who resort to illegal, unethical, and disrespectful methods. In this regard, I believe that you will act with a very high level of sensitivity.
“MAINTAINING THE STATUS QUO MEANS REGRESSING”
All the successes we have achieved in our half-century political life, 22 years of state administration, we have achieved by listening to our people and trusting the common sense of our people. I also expect you to always keep your strong connections, contacts, and affection with our people. According to our management approach, preserving the status quo means regressing. The rapid development and dizzying transformation happening in the world require us to be much faster than before, to work harder, to make up for the lost decades. The greatest support to Turkey’s breakthrough process in all fields will come from the success of local visionary projects that you will present. Knowing the economic, social, cultural, and historical fabric and depth of the place you will serve will assist you in this process. By considering the residents in your area as your family, planning the future of your family with the same care and sacrifice, you will take firm care of the trust.
Remember, you are civil administrative officers. You have undertaken the honorable responsibility of representing the state. Your working style, your colleagues, and your relations with the citizens will adjust themselves according to you. You will be an example to your colleagues. Not only that, you will motivate them, solve their problems, and ensure that services are provided to the citizens in complete harmony and enthusiasm. I wholeheartedly believe that with the projects and services you will put forth, we will reach the Turkey Century goals much more quickly. I request you never to forget the bitter memories that Yavuz Bülent Bakiler Bey, one of Anatolia’s clear pens, has expressed.
In conclusion, it is imperative that as district governors, you embrace an inclusive approach that prioritizes the needs and concerns of the people. Your dedication, empathy, and commitment to serving the citizens will not only strengthen the bond between the state and the people but also contribute to the overall development and progress of our nation. As you embark on this important role, remember that your responsibility is not just to govern but to serve with compassion, justice, and humility. President Erdogan’s message of zero tolerance for disconnected administrators underscores the importance of staying connected and responsive to the needs of the people. By upholding these values, you can truly make a difference in the lives of those you serve.
