PM Erdogan Declares His New Cabinet Plan
Prime Minister Erdogan’s statement about a new cabinet plan is described as a presidential system rehearsal. One of the eye catching details is that the Ministry of Forestry is intended to be merged with the Ministry of Public Works and changed into Ministry of Environment, Forestry & Urbanization. According to this new plan, the Ministry of Women and Family Affairs will be annulled.
4 days before general elections Prime Minister Erdogan arranged a press conference at the AKP headquarters giving information on the new Council of Ministers. The changes to the cabinet, which are regarded as a rehearsal for the “presidential system”, will be implemented after the June 12 elections, consisting of 25 members including the Prime Minister. 6 of these will be made up of new ministries.
Increasing the number of deputy prime ministers to 4, the number of civilian members at the national security council will increase from 8 to 9, the number of the military will remain at 7.
According to the decree law, approved by President Abdullah Gul, the Council of Ministers, which will be established after the general elections, will not include existent 8 ministries of state. Instead the new arrangement envisages 4 deputy prime ministers and 20 executing ministries. The Prime Minister will be able to give public mandates to all units connected to the deputy prime ministries.
A ‘transfer aid’ to every minister
With the new arrangement the position of “ministerial aid” will be established for the first time. Thus, there will be a ministerial aid between every minister and the undersecretary. There will be a ministerial aid appointed to every executing ministry. The ministerial aids will be appointed from outside of the parliamentarians. These aids will come with the government and leave with the government. It will be possible to make appointments to these offices from the private sector.
Erdogan, who stated that education will be not be a prerequisite for appointment, said that not the level of education but success would be essential. Erdogan said “Think of late Sakip Aga, think of Vehbi Koc. Both were not university graduates but were Turkey’s number one and number two”.
6 new ministries:
Ministry of Economy
Ministry of European Union
Ministry of Development
Ministry of Customs & Trade
Ministry of Family & Social Policies
Ministry of Youth & Sports
Restructurings:
Ministry of Science, Industry & Technology instead of Ministry of Industry & Trade Ministry of Food, Agriculture & Stockbreeding instead of Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Affairs Ministry of Forestry will be merged with Ministry of Public Works and changed into Ministry of Environment, Forestry & Urbanization.
9 June 2011
SOURCE: CUMHURIYET
