Speaker of the Grand National Assembly Cemil Çiçek at the School of Politics

In the 11th week of the School of Politics, the opening speech of the session organized by the School of Government and Leadership and the Press Council was delivered by Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye Cemil Çiçek.

Beginning his speech by saying that past prohibitions had been lifted thanks to those who fought against them, Speaker Çiçek said, "Today there are still some prohibitions. They need to be lifted." Noting that most of the speeches they make as politicians consist of criticism, he said, "In politics, we criticize those who do not think like us. That is true. What is lacking in Türkiye is self-criticism." Stating that the cause of today's problems is disregarding the law, he continued: "We are experiencing problems arising from ignoring the law or applying it incorrectly. Politics has no rules. But when it comes to taking action, let us act according to the law rather than political views, so that society can be a little more at peace. Both those who make the rules and those who apply them do not comply with the law sufficiently."

Following the speech of Press Council Chair Pınar Türenç, who emphasized the understanding and principles of a free press, the first session on "Press Ethics and Politics" began with the participation of journalist and author Balçiçek İlter,, E. Tufan Aytav,, Prof. Dr. Haluk Şahin and, Tuncay Özkan. Speaking first, Tuncay Özkan emphasized that hope is the cure for decay and corruption, and stated that self-criticism should be made by bringing hope and love together. He said he did not believe that any prohibition or oppression over people's freedoms could be valid. Balçiçek İlter noted that politics is human-centered and that people can no longer tolerate one another, emphasizing that people are forced to choose a side. Continuing the session, Prof. Dr. Haluk Şahin stated that governments are the ones who need press freedom the most, and emphasized that the press should be free in every country. Finally, E. Tufan Aytav discussed the media's dependence on governments and stated that press freedom is indispensable in democratic societies.

 "Lobbying in America and the Activities of the Turkish Community" was assessed in the second session with the participation of the US Representative of the Presidency for Turks Abroad, Ali Çınar. Explaining the concept of lobbying, Çınar stated that it has gained importance in Türkiye over the last 15 years. He noted that lobbies hold meetings with educational institutions, foundations and political parties, and emphasized that financial support and votes are important in lobbying activities.

In the third session, BİLGESAM Chair Assoc. Prof. Dr. Atilla Sandıklı assessed "Soft Power Politics" . He stated that the concept of security is no longer evaluated at the international level but in terms of society and the individual, and emphasized that today the security of society and the individual is being sacrificed for the security of the state. Noting that the concept of power appears in different forms today, he said these are hard power, soft power and smart power.

In the final session, "Immunity of Members of the Legislature" was assessed by DSP Secretary General and former Member of Parliament of the Republic of Türkiye Hasan Erçelebi . He stated that legislative immunity means that a member of parliament is protected from criminal proceedings during their term of office, adding that this immunity protects against criminal matters but not against matters requiring compensation.