rule of law based on individual rights and freedoms as well as pluralist and participa-
tory democracy....
A New Economic Programme To Be Implemented
Taking into account the deficient and problematic aspects of the current economic
program, the Government will implement a new economic programme, which would
receive the support of the people, [in] order to reach a high and stable growth per-
formance to decrease public debt stock and to reduce [the] inflation rate.
It is evident that a growth model based on foreign loans and public deficits can
no longer be sustained. Therefore, the finance policy of our Government will aim to
reduce the debt stock and ensure non-interest surplus which would protect macro sta-
bility. The scale of non-interest surplus would be formed by taking its composition,
economic feasibility as well as the growth and social policies into consideration. The
public debt stock would be reduced to a sustainable level.
The public sector will be restructured, privatization will be speeded up, and an
encouraging atmosphere will be created for domestic and foreign investors. We will also
see to it that the productivity in the agriculture sector would be restructured as well.
The Government will continue the floating exchange rate policy but [the] Cen-
tral Bank would intervene in a more sensitive way in case of speculative floatings which
have no macro economic bases.
The Government will implement the economic development policies in a balanced
way together with social policies.
We believe that it is necessary to put individuals at the centre of economic devel-
opment in order to have successful policies to fight... poverty and to improve the
distribution of income.
The basic priority in removing poverty will be to clean the politics and public
administration [of] corruption. On the other hand, the tax burden on employees will
be lessened gradually....
Education and Secularism
The government will make the principle of secularism as well as the freedom of reli-
gion and conscience defined in the Constitution more tangible and functional. We
will attach importance to a religious education and teaching which will prevent manip-
ulation of religion, religious feelings, and things considered “holy” by the religion for
political and individual interests. Thus, the expectations of the citizens in the field of
religious education and teaching will be met and also manipulations in this field will
be over.
The government will lift the impediments in front of exercising the right to edu-
cation and [to] be educated. Universities will turn into free forums where there are no
prohibitions and restrictions....
Despite the most difficult economic problems, we have managed to survive. This
is mainly due to our strong family structure. The Government will support efforts
which aim to protect the family.
The women will have the equal status which would [allow] them to have social
responsibility in every field with that of men. Violence against women will be prevented.
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