“Our Republic is 100 Years Old” Panel has come to an end
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The events organized in memory of the 100th anniversary of the Republic continue at Istanbul Ticaret University. Lastly, in the widely attended “Our Republic is 100 Years Old” panel, the first century of the Republic was evaluated in terms of economy, health, business world, constitutional processes and science and technology.
In the panel moderated by the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Mustafa Said Yazıcıoğlu, Economics Department Faculty Member Prof. Dr. Nazım Ekren, Mechatronics Engineering Department Head Prof. Dr. Abdulkerim Kar, Public Law Department Head Prof. Dr. Ayhan Ceylan, Political Science and International Relations Department Faculty Member Prof. Dr. Oya Dağlar Macar and Economics Department Faculty Member Assoc. Prof. Dr. Muhittin Adıgüzel each made a presentation.
“THE THREATS CONTINUE, CHANGING IN SIZE”
Rector Prof. Dr. Abdulhamit Avşar made the opening speech of the panel. Underlining that there were many enemies and threats when Türkiye was founded 100 years ago, Prof. Dr. Avşar said that there are different threats today. Prof. Dr. Avşar noted that it is very important to understand and evaluate 100 years of the Republic and to convey these evaluations to the new generation. Rector Prof. Dr. Avşar emphasized that the Republic can only be carried forward in this way and stated that universities have a serious responsibility in this regard and that Istanbul Ticaret University will always fulfill this duty properly.
Emphasizing that the Republic is an important value, Prof. Dr. Avşar said that many problems have been overcome in 100 years and that the necessary conditions and grounds have now been created to take steps towards the future in line with our past. Stating that Türkiye has become a great power at the current stage, Prof. Dr. Avşar underlined that much more efforts should be made to move the Republic forward.
Finally, Prof. Dr. Avşar commemorated those who contributed to the establishment and development of the Republic and said that he believes that the panel would bring an important perspective to the second century of the Republic.
Then, the moderator of the panel, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Said Yazıcıoğlu, stated that 100 years are important and underlined that the Republic, which started with a resistance movement, is important in terms of giving governance of the people to the people and ensuring and protecting the rights and freedoms of individuals. Emphasizing that at this point, significant progress has been made in every field, especially in education, health, technology and economy, Prof. Dr. Said Yazıcıoğlu emphasized that there will be more important breakthroughs in the second century of the Republic, and then he invited the panelists to the stage.
“AN ECONOMIC PROGRAM FOCUSED ON QUALITATIVE OBJECTIVES”
Prof. Dr. Nazım Ekren, who made the first speech, talked about the economic parameters of the first quarter of the 21st century and drew a perspective on the development to be recorded in the second century of the Republic. Stating that global trends also affect Türkiye, Prof. Dr. Nazım Ekren underlined that analyses that focus on interests and objective evaluations indicate the necessity of a strong preparation. Prof. Dr. Ekren underlined that the economic program to be prepared should include crisis response models, foreign exchange earning activities and necessary restructuring processes.
Prof. Dr. Nazım Ekren said that the main components of the national transformation plan that needs to be prepared should comprise a national economic security and defense system, a national structure and relations system and an economic program focused on qualitative objectives.
“QUALITY IS THE PRIORITY IN SCIENCE”
Prof. Dr. Abdulkerim Kar, who took the floor afterwards, stated that there have been important developments in the field of science and technology and said that they are hopeful in this field considering the cooperation of universities with the industry and business world.
Underlining that scientists should make more efforts to transform science into technology, Prof. Dr. Kar warned that giving importance to quantity rather than quality could sometimes have negative consequences.
“CONSTITUTION IS NOT A MAGIC WAND”
Prof. Dr. Ayhan Ceylan reminded that Türkiye has nearly 200 years of constitutional experience and said that the first constitutional texts were a product of social and political developments that took place in the Western World. Prof. Dr. Ceylan emphasized the reform process of the Ottoman Empire, and summarized Türkiye’s constitutional process.
Stating that discussions on the new constitution have started again today, Prof. Dr. Ceylan noted that constitutional texts are not a magic wand that will put everything in order in one day. Prof. Dr. Ceylan stated that these are just political and legal texts and that a compromise between the administration and politics on this issue is inevitable. Prof. Dr. Ceylan has said, “We constantly complain about the constitutions created by the coup administrations, but a significant consensus is needed to create a new constitution”. Prof. Dr. Ceylan underlined that there is a need for a constitution that stays away from political conflicts and will draw a future perspective for Türkiye and noted that a long-term constitution will only be possible in this way.
“HEALTH IS A MATTER OF THE SURVIVAL OF THE STATE”
Prof. Dr. Oya Dağlar Macar, who then took the floor, focused on Türkiye’s health policies. Emphasizing that the foundations of today’s health policies were laid in the period 1925 – 1945, Prof. Dr. Dağlar Macar said that the fight against epidemic diseases started before the Republic, during the period of War of Independence.
Prof. Dr. Dağlar Macar said that the issue of health is handled by the Republican cadres not only as a medical issue but also with a broader perspective, and stated that health is a multi-dimensional and important field. Prof. Dr. Dağlar Macar emphasized that while there was no ministry in the field of health in the Ottoman Empire, the Ministry of Health was established immediately after the opening of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye.
Noting that health problems cannot be solved only with medical solutions and that this is a long process, Prof. Dr. Dağlar Macar said that the Republican cadres are aware of this and that they are also aware that the problem is a multidimensional one. Prof. Dr. Dağlar Macar stated that the issue of health is a tool in nation-building, a prerequisite for economic development, an indicator of modernization and a matter of survival of the state.
“DEVELOPMENTALIST STATE”
The last speaker of the panel was Assoc. Prof. Dr. Muhittin Adıgüzel started his speech by reminding that while there were 264 industrial establishments in 1915, today there are nearly 170 thousand factories operating in Türkiye.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Adıgüzel compared the development of the business world in Türkiye to a half-full, half-empty glass and underlined that there are missing elements as well as important developments. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Adıgüzel said that in order for the business world to develop in Türkiye, competitiveness should increase and the developmentalist state approach should prevail, and emphasized that development through economic policies will always only happen to a certain extent.
The panel ended after awarding the speakers with certificates and taking a group photo.
