A lawmaker from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has directed questions at Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu on why the government banned charity group Kimse Yok Mu from collecting donations. In a formal parliamentary question, CHP Deputy Chairman Sezgin Tanrıkulu asked Davutoğlu to explain the legal grounds for the government decision dated Sept. 22 to rescind Kimse Yok Mu’s permission to collect charitable donations
Various segments of the society, including politicians, volunteers and legal experts, continue to express frustration at a recent government decision to remove the status of public interest of Kimse Yok Mu, the largest volunteer and global aid organization based in Turkey.
Pink Floyd says the following in their song Comfortably Numb: “There is no pain you are receding. A distant ship, smoke on the horizon. You are only coming through in waves.” I think these words reveal what is going on in the “new Turkey” under the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government.
Turkey’s leading charity, Kimse Yok Mu (Is Anybody There), had its right to collect charitable donations abruptly rescinded on Tuesday, in what seems to be an arbitrary decision made during a Cabinet meeting, prompting harsh reactions from volunteers, lawmakers of the opposition parties and representatives of other civil society groups.
The Taraf daily ran a story arguing that the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government planned to remove Kimse Yok Mu’s public interest status, which would prevent it from collecting donations. The report argued that the proposal was pending with the Cabinet, expecting it to take effect before the Eid al-Adha holiday.
After the recent controversial Cabinet decision to rescind the Kimse Yok Mu (Is Anybody There) charity organization’s right to collect charitable donations, some irregularity claims have been raised by observers who say this decision was taken arbitrarily with no basis.
A report prepared by inspectors assigned by the Interior Ministry earlier this year clearly states that not a single irregularity was discovered in the activities of the charity organization Kimse Yok Mu at the end of an audit carried out by the ministry’s inspectors.
İsmail Cingöz, president of the Turkish charity Kimse Yok Mu (Is Anybody There), which is affiliated with the Hizmet movement inspired by prominent scholar Fethullah Gülen, explained to Today’s Zaman that the organization has contributed to social and international peace since the day of its foundation.
Amid growing examples of discrimination against the Hizmet movement, the İstanbul Transportation Authority (İETT) canceled one bus line to Fatih University, which is considered to be affiliated with the Hizmet movement. An official from İETT, İsmihan Şimşek talked to Today’s Zaman and admitted that the 76F bus line had been canceled, but dismissed the idea that the decision deliberately targeted Fatih University. According to her, following analysis of demand for bus services in the region, the 76F bus line was discontinued while two other lines, HT18 and 418, continue to run with stops at Fatih University.