“Hello,

I spent three hours on the phone today and got this information below. You can use my name. It is alright with me because I gave my real name and surname to the entire municipality and governor’s units anyway.

I’ve started to do my best.

Here’s my question: Why was Kadiköy-Beşiktaş boat ring cancelled at 7 PM last night (16th of June 2013)?

In what follows, I write what I got as response from the relevant authorities:

1-      Istanbul governorship’s planning office: It was canceled because the boats were carrying people to the Kazlıçeşme mass meeting (organized by the AKP).

Me: But the meeting started at 6 PM. Isn’t it a bit odd to cancel the boat ring after that time?

Istanbul governorship’s planning office: Yes. I’ll put you through to the principle clerk.

2-      The Principle Clerk: I don’t have information on this issue, either.

Me: You mean your office wasn’t informed?

The Principle Clerk: If you wish you can call the Istanbul police department. There is a new unit there and they decide these things in collaboration with the Istanbul governorship. (The person I talked to was a man).

3-      Operations headquarters is apparently a duty unit. And they don’t know anything about the issue. They told me to call 155. And I said, “They hang up on my face when I ask this question.” They gave me another number and I called there.

Here’s our conversation (this time they didn’t hang up)

155: As you know we have our own problems right now.

Me: And I have a question for you. As a citizen, I am in a difficult situation here.

155: We don’t have any information to give you.

Me: Okay, then. Good luck.

4-      Then I called again the office of the principle clerk at the Istanbul governorship. This time a woman answered.

Me: I just talked with a gentleman about an issue from your office.

Woman: There aren’t any men working here in our office.

Me: Then, they put me through some other office a while ago.

Woman:  Did you ask the name of the person?

Me: No, I didn’t. (Until then I asked everybody’s name but I forgot to ask his).

Anyway, I told the woman the reason of my call and she gave me the number of the assistant governor Emin Çolak. I called and got his secretary.

5-      Me: I’d like to talk with Emin Çolak, please.

Assistant Governor’s Secretary: What about?

Me: About the reason why the Kadiköy-Beşiktaş ring was cancelled at 7 PM last night.

Assistant Governor’s Secretary: It was the governor who gave that order; it has nothing to do with us.

Me: You mean the assistant governor didn’t know about this decision?

Assistant Governor’s Secretary: No, of course he knew.

Me: Then, can I talk with him?

He tried to give me another number but I insisted. Then, he said that neither the governor nor the assistant governor was in. And he told me to call in half an hour. And I did.

6-      I finally talked with Emin Çolak. He said he didn’t know anything about this issue. Apparently, he is responsible only for the Karaköy port. I asked him if there was another person who was in charge of the Kadıköy port. He said, no. Then I asked him to give me the number of the governor. He said he didn’t know it but his secretary did. When I asked him if I could call his secretary to take the number he hung up on my nose. Then I called his secretary and got the number of the governor.

7-      I called the number but somehow I got the woman from the principle clerk at the other end of the phone.  She suggested that I should call the operator. I said I didn’t trust the operator because they put me through the wrong office earlier. Finally, she gave me the number of another assistant governor, Günay Özdemir.

8-      I called the number. It turned out that this was an office you should call only during the natural disasters. I said, “Your office is in fact responsible also for public transport and communication.” He replied dryly: “No, your problem doesn’t concern us!”

9-      I called again the principle clerk’s office at the governorship and told them my experience and a series of telephone calls that I made and insisted that I should talk with the governor. I added that as a citizen I had the right to get information from the governor. They said, “You are right, but the governor is too busy right now. He doesn’t have time to deal with these kinds of issues.” Then I said, “I would like to have an appointment to see the governor in person when he is available.” They said they’d call me if the governor accepts my demand. I am still waiting.
Should it be so hard for a citizen to talk to their governor and get information from him? I couldn’t get any information from anyone. Nobody knows anything. They talk about the Kazlıçeşme meeting or the security reasons or other excuses. But I think none of these are realistic. Or did the Prime Minister himself give the order of cancelling Kadiköy-Beşiktaş boat ring last night? So that he wouldn’t be harassed by the noise of the other 50 % of the population (who didn’t vote for the AKP) while he’s sipping his tea on the balcony of the Dolmabahçe Palace after the meeting? You know, we, the other 50 %, have overstrained him these days…”

From a follower.

Source: The Facebook page called Ötekilerin Postası.

https://www.facebook.com/OtekilerinPostasi/posts/492934847446320

17 June 2013

 

This post is also available in: Turkish