ISTANBUL
Turkey deserves more realistic election promises, Independent Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association, or MUSIAD, has said.
The group issued a statement published in national dailies Sunday, criticizing exaggerated political vows and bureaucratic red tape that it said hampers business activity.
"As a country which has paid a very high price in the past in many areas such as social security and economics due to populist political promises, Turkey deserves more realistic promises, and much more than what is promised in election rallies today," the statement said.
It comes as nearly 56 million voters in Turkey are heading to polls on June 7 for the country’s 25th general election to elect 550 deputies into the parliament.
Turkey deserves to know how to create a sustainable and stable growth model, as well as how to strengthen production, industry and export, and what will be done to ensure a secure environment for investment, the MUSIAD said in the statement.
It added that the election outcome must be welcomed in a mature and democratic manner, however it may turn out to be.
The business association also called for an end to bureaucratic red tape, which "put shackles on the business world in the past", it said.
It urged the government to "clear the way for [the success of] foresighted businessmen".
The group also took issue with the discourse of the political parties at rallies.
"Turkey deserves a more respectful and mature political discourse which is aimed at finding solutions instead of a blaming game," it said.
The MUSIAD also underlined the necessity of continuing the "solution process" at all costs, referring to the government initiative launched in early 2013 to settle the Kurdish issue and secure an end to the decades-old conflict with the terrorist organization PKK which has so far claimed the lives of more than 40,000 people.
"Turkey deserves to be reassured that the Solution Process, which aims for national unity and fraternity, shall continue, at whatever cost," the statement said.
Turkey is worthy of being a country where everybody lives in peace, regardless of their language, religion, or ethnic identity, it added.
