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The Election Pledge Stays As A Promise: Banishing Government Job Interviews

Writer's picture: Berrin UYSALBerrin UYSAL

Ever since the establishment of a governing system called “democracy” by the ancient Greek civilizations, voting procedures have been employed as a fundamental practice to provide the public with the administration they desire. Out of the 206 countries that have been able to preserve their presence in the world, only 167 of them (81%) are administered with democracy. Türkiye has undergone a presidential election in May 2023 with plenty of promises given in the fields of economy, justice, education, transportation, and rights regarding family, women, the LGBT+ community, etc. Nevertheless, it can be noticed that the governing party officials have given the same electoral pledges as they have already given in the previous elections.


Among the promises given, one of the most important was regarding the interview system used during the work assignments of civil servants, namely teachers, judges, and prosecutors. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the candidate who won the presidential election, promised earlier that this system would be abolished due to the protests and allegations suggesting that these interviews were corrupt. Moreover, the recently recruited minister of education Yusuf Tekin has stated that instead of using interviews in order to determine the best candidates appropriate for being a teacher, the candidates would be giving 45-minute lectures to a committee consisting of experts and headteachers. The corruption of the system prevented people who worked hard in order to achieve their goals of becoming public servants, like Gokhan Kuscuoglu. Whereas, candidates who had exploited their political connections were effortlessly found eligible for the jobs they were interviewed for, showing the power of nepotism and how it can disrupt the proper functioning of basically “justice” during public servant recruitments.


Kuscuoglu, who was one of the thousands of victims of the devastating February 2023 earthquake in Hatay, took the administrative judge exam(KPSS) three consecutive times in order to pursue his career goals, in the years 2021, 2022 and 2023. Despite the endeavour he put into the exams in which he thrived distinguishably by being ranked in the top, he was eliminated in the interviews. In 2021, he scored 88.54 points and ranked 107th in Türkiye. However, he was not qualified to make the job of being a judge. Kuscuoglu chose to believe in “justice”, and tried again. In 2022, he scored 83.80, and was ranked 165th. Unfortunately, the previous scenario that he had already experienced and he strived to change the ending of played again. Finally, he took the exam for the third time, scoring 93 points and ranking 2nd in Türkiye. Later on, Kuscuoglu was interviewed by a committee directed by deputy minister of justice, Ramazan Can along with 7 other candidates. Then, he got eliminated by the committee for the third time, just in 3 minutes. Kuscuoglu spoke to a newspaper, revolting against the system: “How can I prove to be a judge just in 3 minutes? I experienced destruction not only in the earthquake, but also in the exam. Government’s unjust interview is also killing.”



The canon event of Gokhan Kuscuoglu failing in the interview in spite of the outstanding results he got in the written examination compelled others to question how just the system in Türkiye is. Does the corrupt system become even more corrupt? If measures to supervise the process of the recruitment of public servants are not taken, the circumstances might even trigger other severe consequences. First step of preventing corruption includes determining who caused it, and who ignored it. The committee which eliminated Kuscuoglu consists of a total of seven members, chaired by the deputy minister appointed by the Minister of Justice, the Chairman of the Inspection Board, the General Directors of Criminal Affairs, Legal Affairs and Personnel, the General Secretary of the Council of Judges and Prosecutors and one person selected from the Advisory Board of the Turkish Justice Academy. The committee should be able to answer: How was Kuscuoglu eliminated in 3 minutes, and what made the other candidates chosen for the job better? Election promises can only be carried out if the public questions the status quo, the system, and the promises given. Therefore, more people should be aware of Kuscuoglu’s case.


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