ANKARA - DEM Party's proposal to provide Kurdish language service on aeroplanes and free internet to homes was rejected by AKP-MHP votes.

 

The 2025 Central Government Budget Law Proposal, which was submitted to the Parliament with the signature of AKP Chair and President Tayyip Erdoğan, continues to be discussed at the Parliament's Planning and Budget Commission. The budget negotiations of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure continued until late at night. During the negotiations, 4 motions submitted by the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) were rejected with AKP-MHP votes.

 

REJECTION TO THE PROPOSAL FOR SERVICES IN KURDISH

 

DEM Party proposed that airline companies should provide services to passengers in Kurdish and employ Kurdish-speaking personnel. In the proposal, it was underlined that especially those who do not speak Turkish have problems during airline travel and cannot benefit from the services. In the motion, it was demanded that Kurdish-speaking personnel be employed for the use of Kurdish in flights and services, in-flight announcements and in communication with passengers to eliminate these problems. The motion demanded that the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure raise 2 billion liras and use it for this service. However, the proposal was rejected by AKP-MHP votes.

 

FREE INTERNET DEMAND

 

DEM Party also submitted a motion to provide free internet to households. In the motion, it was emphasised that millions of households ara deprived of the internet due to the high cost of internet, and it was also pointed out that those who use the internet are faced with high bills. In the motion, it was stated that internet is a basic need and should be provided free of charge. The motion requested that the budget of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure be increased by 120 billion liras to provide this service. The motion was rejected with AKP-MHP votes.

 

REFUSAL TO RECRUIT PTT WORKERS AS STAFF

 

DEM Party submitted a motion for the staffing of the unstaffed workers working at Post and Telegraph Agency (PTT). In the motion, it was emphasised that there are staffed and unstaffed workers in PTT, and that 32 thousand unstaffed workers in PTT do the same job as staffed civil servants, but they do not have equal rights, especially wages. The proposal to allocate 20 billion liras from the Ministry's budget for the recruitment of these workers was rejected by the same duo.

 

'PROJECTS WITH GUARANTEED PAYMENTS MUST BE STOPPED'

 

DEM Party demanded that the payments made to the companies for the tunnel and road projects constructed with Public Private Sector Cooperation (KÖİ) be stopped. In the motion, it was emphasised that the companies building bridges, tunnels and roads are given a guaranteed number of vehicle crossings and if the number falls below this number, the companies are paid. In the motion, it is stated that this payment is met from public resources and goes out of the pockets of citizens, "Citizens are forced to pay for the road they do not pass, the bridge and tunnel they do not use. Due to KÖİ, huge amounts are transferred from public resources so that companies make losses. Only in 2025, an amount of approximately 100 billion liras has been allocated for the guarantee payments of bridges, tunnels and road projects built with KÖİ. This huge resource should be used for the basic needs of the people. For this reason, the payments made to these projects, which are the black hole of the budget, where the resources of the people are transferred to a handful of companies, should be stopped."

 

The motion was also rejected with AKP-MHP votes.

 

After the discussions, the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure's budget for 2025, amounting to 479 billion 273 million 718 thousand TL, was approved by the Commission.