Khalda MAJEED MBA - 1 MBA 6111 - Social Responsibility, Good Governance, Business Ethics and Leadership Final Exam: As the newly elected or appointed president of the country that you have chosen, what will be your first state of the nation address? State of the Nation Address – Republic of Turkey (Türkiye) Ladies and gentleman, a very pleasant morning to you all. As the newly appointed president of the Republic of Turkey, I must come before the country and address you today. We are living in tough times brought on by elements that we can control and those that we cannot, such as the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite this, we have found ways to solve the crises and will continue to do so. Some of them I will be discussing with you today. My address will break down into specific categories focusing on the economy, public finance policy, revenue policy, energy, employment, education, export, defense, healthcare, tourism, transport, and technology. 2023 will be a big year for Turkey. Not only because it will be the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Turkish Republic but also because we have set some very ambitious goals which we will start reaching by then. Vision 2023 is not just a long list of projects to be completed in six years but a reflection of the country's ambitions to rank itself among the top 10 economies of the world. In terms of the economy, we have already been boosting the economy over the last ten years, and we will not settle for anything less than being one of the top ten performing countries by 2023. Our target is to boost GDP from $1 trillion to $2 trillion by 2023, lowering unemployment to 5%, increasing yearly exports to $500 billion, and making Istanbul one of the ten world's leading financial centers. During the observation period from 1960 to 2021, the average inflation rate was 32.0% per year. Therefore, Turkey's fight against inflation will continue until it reaches single-digit levels. In the matter of Public Finance Policy, we aim to improve fiscal transparency and accountability, strengthen the private sector's pioneering role and firmly continue privatization. As for the revenue policy, we intend to change the tax policy to encourage economic growth, investment, and employment and reduce the unregistered economy. The less the economy is unregistered, the lower the tax rates. The new tax system will be predictable and proactive, encouraging investors to produce more, use their resources more efficiently, and pay their taxes frequently. Therefore, generating more jobs and expanding the economy. Regarding energy, Turkey is putting all of its efforts into wind energy, which is clear from the fact that large wind farms have been built in many central districts along the Aegean coast. We want to get a total of 20,000 Megawatts from wind power, and in a few places, we have also started building geothermal energy plants. Turks and foreigners who have lived in Turkey for a long time will have already noticed an efficiency improvement aimed at reducing consumption, and there are also plans on the table for nuclear plants. Moving on to employment, in 2021, the unemployment rate in Turkey was at about 13.39 percent. Our objective is to decrease the unemployment rate to 5%. Each year, 400,000 unemployed individuals will receive training to acquire the necessary skills. The local labor force will be analyzed in order to meet the need for required labor force skills. There will be an adoption of international standards for professional competence. In our efforts to turn our nation’s dreams into goals and its goals into reality, we rely heavily on the younger generation to be equipped with skills, high self-confidence, and national and spiritual values. A high-quality education system is a key to our country's capacity to reach its goals. We represent a rich civilizational heritage, boast a young and dynamic population, and have significant expectations for the future. To provide high-quality education, we must facilitate the mental development of students, strengthen their spiritual sides and provide them with vision. It is time to cap our nation's success story with our initiatives in education across all sectors, including the political and economic. The number of classrooms built, teachers hired, students enrolled, and digital infrastructure established has increased in prior years. Accessibility and other measurable issues in the Turkish education system are now a thing of the past, and the 2023 Education Vision demonstrates our resolve to bring about a qualitative revolution. I hope the 2023 Education Vision will serve our country, starting with our nation's teachers and students and including all our citizens. We have great expectations in the area of education. Next, to reach our target of $500 billion in exports yearly, we will focus on exportbased production, increasing the number of exporters from 50,000 to 100,000 and making at least ten national brands that are recognized all over the world. Also, we will focus our support on key industries like machinery, iron and steel, cars, textiles, electronics, and chemicals. Turkey will see many important milestones in defense production on the 100th anniversary of the Republic. In 2021, Turkey's defense and aerospace sector sales reached $10.1 billion, exports totaled $3.2 billion, exceeding $2.6 billion in imports, and our defense budget is expected to reach $15.8 billion in 2023. In regard to our healthcare, previously, Turkey's healthcare system was in financial trouble, and its employers had a lot of freedom when it came to paying their staff's healthcare premiums. However, by 2023, Turkey hopes that every citizen will be actively enrolled in the insurance system and that there will be 210 doctors for every 100,000 people. The primary goal of Turkish health care policy is to protect, promote, and restore the physical and mental well-being of Turkish citizens and to enable adequate access to health services free of financial and other constraints. In terms of our tourism, with the adoption of a sustainable tourism approach, the travel industry will be brought to a leading position for leveraging employment rates and regional development, and it will be ensured that Turkey becomes a global brand in tourism and a major destination among the top five countries with the highest number of tourists and highest tourism revenues by 2023. Tourism shall be used as a sound planning and implementation tool for efforts dedicated to eliminating regional inequalities, alleviating poverty, and developing employment opportunities, also during the coming years. Transport is another big area we are setting our sights on. We aim to build 11,000 kilometers of new rails and make the high-speed train network the second largest in the world after China. Undoubtedly, 15 million kilometers of roads and better infrastructure will make it easier to move goods, which will boost the economy. Our country's transportation habits and purposes are improving and diversifying due to the introduction of high-speed trains. Movement between cities is expanding significantly, owing primarily to tourism. Furthermore, high-speed railway lines play an essential role when people make decisions about education, work, and so on. People commute daily rather than relocating to another city for work, education, or other purposes. Since high-speed trains have significantly reduced city-to-city travel times, the number of people traveling on a daily basis is increasing, the number of tourists using high-speed trains has increased significantly - rising from 15% to 40% - and even younger generations who did not like to travel by train prior to the introduction of highspeed services are discovering fast trains and now choose it for their travels. Lastly, I would like to end my address with some big news. At the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Turkey, our first objective for 2023 is to land on the moon. I believe Turkish engineers will be able to accomplish this mission. It is a moment of great pride for us even to consider the notion of sending our own astronauts and machines into space. This will contribute to the growth of technology. In addition to traveling to space, there are also ambitions to build a spaceport through international cooperation. The nation aspires to become a global logistical superpower and a pioneer in space exploration. I feel that this vision can significantly advance Turkey. The Republic of Turkey has advanced by conquering all of the obstacles it has encountered during the past 99 years. Thanks to recent breakthroughs, in particular, it has now achieved the status of one of the world's rising powers. With its expanding economy, robust democracy, devotion to fundamental human values, and moral and visionary policies, Turkey continues to serve as an inspiration to its region and the rest of the world today. We are the only nation making real efforts for peace by building an equal, moral, and fair relationship with all parties at a time when wars, disputes, and tensions are rising elsewhere. I am honored to be the President of this great state and heroic nation. My fellow citizens and friends, be assured that Turkey is a stronger, more insightful, and more resolute country today than ever, and no attack against our unity, solidarity, brotherhood, homeland, liberation, and future will ever be successful. With these feelings and thoughts, I warmly congratulate all our citizens living in Turkey and abroad for overcoming many crises together. I extend my deepest gratitude to our heroic nation protecting the heritage of our ancestors and to all our friends supporting us with their prayers. This is our moment to meet and overcome the challenges of our time, and we will do so as one people, one nation. May Allah bless us all and our country. Thank you! Note: Some figures, past and the future, are obtained through careful research.
