Local Governments Academy IV Begins

The Local Governments Academy, organized for the 4th time this year by the School of Government and Leadership, has begun.

The first session of the opening week began with Bahçeşehir University UYGAR Director Prof. Dr. Mustafa Ilıcalı, who assessed "Comparative Local Governments: Examples from the World and Türkiye." Beginning his speech by referring to the local elections on Türkiye's agenda, Ilıcalı said that to understand local government, one must know what management means; not everyone can be a manager, and this can only be achieved through the 3C rule of Coordination, Capital and Cadre. Also discussing different forms of government, he explained the principles of how unitary, regional and federal states function and the duties of local governments in these systems. Accordingly, he emphasized that in unitary state systems every function is carried out from a single center and according to a basic constitution. He said that Türkiye is a unitary state and that in unitary state systems local government derives its powers from the central government and is limited within these powers. Ilıcalı noted that, in terms of the definition of local government, the polis was the Greek city and Medina is an expression of civilization, emphasizing that the better local government is in a country, the better its democracy functions, and that autonomy, participation and efficiency are the foundations of local governments. Pointing out that the financial share of local governments in Türkiye is 16.1 percent, while the highest rate in European countries is 50.6 percent, he emphasized that, as in European countries, local governments in Türkiye should also be effective in areas such as security and education.

The second session took place with former Mayor of İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality Ali Müfit Gürtuna's speech on "Local Governments and Leadership." Beginning his speech by stating that the concept called consciousness shapes knowledge, Gürtuna discussed the process of how cities are formed. He said that the human being is a social phenomenon and that this social phenomenon is a way of life, and stated that cities are the places where people's inclinations are reflected; in this context, cities are not merely storehouses of people. Noting that the place where the first human communities formed is called a "site" in the West and a "nucleus" in our culture, and pointing out that we have great civilizations, he stated that the first concept of the city took shape at Çatalhöyük in Konya, where people first began to live, and that this process evolved into a mature structure that formed civilizations; he noted that the concept of the city has different tendencies in every sense. Referring to the development and transformation of cities such as Paris, Washington, London and Dubai, Gürtuna stated that İstanbul had undergone many changes in the past and suffered much damage due to mistakes made. He said that as a result of this damage, shanty houses became sacrosanct and our values were turned upside down. He continued by discussing urban planning, saying, "Living in a city does not mean being of that city." He emphasized that urban planning is not a technical matter and is a job that must be carried out not only by architects and engineers but together with sensitive people, economists and historians.

The third session was held with the participation of former Mayor of Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Celal Doğan to assess "The Importance of Local Governments on the EU Path." Beginning his speech by stating that the concept of local government refers to a crowd of people and the needs of this crowd, Doğan noted that the concept comes from the Greek city-states, but its real meaning emerged with the industrial revolution. Drawing attention to three types of municipal approaches, he said these are the unitary, federal and socialist approaches to municipal governance. Discussing the municipal approach in Türkiye, he listed them as metropolitan municipality mayorship, provincial municipality mayorship, district municipality mayorship and town mayorship. Referring to the local elections to be held in 2014, Doğan stated that 30 metropolitan municipalities would take part in the elections and the total number of municipalities would decrease. Continuing his speech by referring to the importance of local governments on the EU path, Doğan emphasized that Türkiye has been on this path since 1959, and that even during the reign of Mahmud II we were facing the West, yet we have never managed to join the EU. Noting that there are many reasons for this, he pointed out that the most important problems are the Kurdish issue and the Alevi issue, and that we cannot join the EU without resolving them. Finally, Doğan said, "We must know well that if we can ensure peace within our country's borders, it means we hold promise."

The final session took place with Democratic Left Party Chair and former Minister of State Dr. Masum Türker's speech on "The Social and Economic Effects of Local Governments." Beginning his speech by referring to the difference between local government and municipality, Türker stated that the root of the word "belediye" (municipality) is Arabic and means city. He emphasized that local governments are concerned with many issues such as education and health. Stating that ensuring social democracy and justice is the most important function of the municipality, Türker gave an example: "What happens if too much construction is done in wealthy areas of İstanbul? Wealth becomes concentrated in only one place. But if you spread it, if you do it through culture, there is no concentration. A happier, more comfortable course is achieved, and humane living conditions are attained." He continued by assessing the social and economic effects of local governments, pointing out that municipalities can enrich regions through their work, and stating that injustices committed in such cases affect people economically to a great extent.