Kudret Özersay: First Vegetables, Then Bread, Now a Fiasco with Meat

In a written statement, Özersay claimed that the government initially said, "We determine the price" regarding vegetable and fruit prices, but it turned out to be "recommended prices" and had no effect in practice. He further argued that the announcements regarding bread prices, such as "we have set the maximum price," did not reflect the realities as they were not consulted with bakers and costs were not taken into account.

"Now a price has been set for lamb meat and a maximum price has been determined, but how was this price determined?" Özersay questioned, adding:

"This is not an ordinary market. It is a complex market where factors such as smuggling meat and buying from the South are included, and there are various elements that determine the price and costs. According to the law, you have to accurately calculate the costs of all actors in the production process and reasonable profit margins. Moreover, how possible is it to do this in this century in economics? How realistic is it? If you cannot do this properly, the price you set will be illegal according to the law and will not be feasible because it is unrealistic."

Özersay claimed that within a few days, it was seen that the maximum price set for lamb meat was not sufficient and did not work in practice, resulting in lamb meat disappearing from the market, some butchers giving up selling, and others increasing prices by adding a "service fee."

Özersay concluded by stating that all of the government's initiatives where they claimed "I determine the price" ended in failure. He ended his remarks as follows:

"Gentlemen, even if it's not real, they keep the agenda busy, manage but fail to govern, even mess it up, just to boast and show off, saying 'we made it cheaper, we didn't let it be oppressed' for the sake of populism. The only thing some politicians are good at is corruption. Neither a village nor a town can be made from an illegitimate government."