AKP AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
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AKP AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE After every election we hear the same determinations: they cheated, they stole votes, etc. This may happen, but it is not possible that this is the case in a decisive proportion in every election. What is important is not rigging, but rigging big enough to affect the result, and big rigging is very difficult due to the tight control of the ballot boxes by the opposition parties. Wouldn't it be more accurate to analyse the characteristics of the AKP mass instead of making the same determinations after every election? During its 20 years in power, AKP has made significant innovations in the country. One of the most important innovations that no one pays attention to is social assistance. There are many types of social assistance. I will not list them, but you can see them if you Google "social assistance". In addition to the aids for low-income earners, there are aids especially for housewives. For example, 1100 TL per month for housewives who do not have social insurance. A survey conducted after the parliamentary elections five years ago showed that more women than men voted for the AKP. It may seem strange, but AKP is a women's party. Home visits and neighbourhood work are carried out especially by women. One may ask how this can happen in a country with a president who says "Women and men are not equal". When we look at the social aid list, it will be seen that women are especially helped. There are types of assistance such as salaries for housewives, holiday allowance, salary. According to 2021 figures, the number of people receiving social assistance is 14 million 624 thousand, 17 per cent of the total population. It should be noted that this figure is misleading because it is referred to as the "total population". The total population includes infants and children. The proportion of people receiving social assistance is therefore at least 25 per cent. The highest amount of social assistance is paid to the elderly. These official figures are available on the Internet. In this situation, it should come as no surprise that housewives and the elderly who receive inadequate pensions have largely voted for AKP. These people fear that their pensions will be cut if the government changes. Social assistance (including food and fuel assistance) has always been underestimated. In reality, Turkey is a latecomer when it comes to social assistance. In most European countries social assistance has existed for many years. The difference of social assistance in our country is that the government gives this assistance especially to its own supporters. In European countries, this aid is institutionalised. It is given to everyone who fulfils the necessary conditions. Although this is legally the case in our country, the aid, which is also the right of dissidents, can be cut off on various grounds. It must be realised that an economy without social assistance is not possible. The period when unemployment was low and everyone had a job remained in the 1970s. As a result of the rapid development of technology, the use of less and less labour in production and the relocation of production units to countries where labour is cheaper, the number of unemployed people increased. These people first receive unemployment benefit and then social assistance. In European countries, social assistance means living at a minimum level. What the opposition parties should do in our country is to deal with the issue of social assistance and to institutionalise it. People who deserve social assistance should be able to receive it regardless of their political views. The fear of "how will I live if the government changes?" in at least a quarter of the population should be eliminated. Social assistance is a right for people living in a society, not a handout. Socialists should first realise why social assistance is necessary instead of belittling it. Then they should demand that this aid be determined according to the minimum living conditions and should be increased according to inflation. Why do you think the AKP's share of the vote has not fallen below 30-35 per cent for years? There is every reason for it to go down, but it does not. Social assistance plays a bigger role here than nationalist and religious discourse. Isn't there a correlation between the fact that women are more likely to vote for AKP and the fact that housewives are paid salaries? It is true that the assistance provided is insufficient, but even this was not the case in the past. It should not be surprising that people who are afraid of being deprived of aid, even if it is inadequate, consistently vote for AKP.
