OSTİM Chairman Orhan Aydın made assessments regarding the results of the Constitutional Amendment Referendum held on April 16, 2017. Stating that the people demonstrated democratic maturity with a high turnout at the polls, Aydın said, “I hope the referendum results will be beneficial for our country, our nation, and our region.”
Expressing his expectation that the decision reached after the peaceful referendum will contribute to Turkey's development, industrialization, and increased prosperity in the new era, Orhan Aydın said the following:
“I hope that the constitutional amendment will be beneficial to our country, our region, and all of humanity, and that it will lead to beneficial services. Because although this amendment seems to be for our own country, given Turkey's history and geography, it has become a decision that concerns not only us but our entire civilization's geographical region. The importance of the referendum should be seen in this way.”
Following this change, everyone's responsibilities have also increased. We must turn this into an opportunity for the development and progress of our country. By embracing our responsibilities together, we must focus our efforts on the development of our country and our region, and on creating a new world based on justice, fairness, equality, and production.
To make this a reality, everyone has tasks to fulfill, starting in their own sphere, for their region, their country, and the world. We believe that every effort we make with this intention is an act of worship. We also believe that our leaders share this intention; that the changes and transformations are being made with this intention in mind.
We are entering a period where our responsibilities and duties are increasing. We are aware of this; we have always pursued this for many years. We have strived to ensure that these feelings and thoughts prevail in life. We will continue to do so, and even increase our efforts.
Without production, none of what we say comes to fruition. We cannot be free and independent unless we improve the quality, standard, and technology of our production. A new civilization cannot be built by simply buying foreign products. We created a civilization that served as an example to the world in science, technology, and social fields, but we were stopped. It is our country's duty to accelerate again, to take action, and to help oppressed countries. This can only be achieved through effort, hard work, and production.
We especially need to solve the issue of knowledge-based production. If we use the technology of others, if we use knowledge and technology that isn't our own and that we don't produce, we will always be 'following,' trailing behind others. We must move past this stage quickly. We have taken too many vacations in our history. We must compensate for these vacations by working hard, working three shifts. Together, in a state of mobilization, we must join hands for the future of our country.”
