When Erdoğan says “know your place”: TÜSİAD fallout and Minister Şimşek’s dilemma

Turkish Industry and Business Association (TÜSİAD) Chairman Orhan Turan and High Advisory Council Chairman Ömer Aras were detained by police just hours after President Tayyip Erdoğan’s “Know your place” rebuke during the February 19 AKP parliamentary group meeting.

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office had already initiated an investigation against Aras for his speech at the February 13 TÜSİAD General Assembly.

Following Erdoğan’s speech the prosecutor’s office ordered police to forcibly bring in the two businessmen, as if they wouldn’t voluntarily appear if summoned.

Though they weren’t handcuffed, police officers held both their arms while escorting them to the judge’s interrogation, ostensibly to prevent escape—creating an unmistakable impression this was meant for public eye.

They were subsequently released with international travel bans.

The ongoing investigation alleges they were: “Spreading false information regarding Türkiye’s internal and external security, public order, and general health in a manner capable of disturbing public peace, solely with the intent to create anxiety, fear, or panic among the public.” They’re practically being accused of espionage merely for articulating some of Türkiye’s current challenges from their perspective.

“Know your place”

Reading Erdoğan’s complete statement about “putting TÜSİAD in its place” reveals an ominous warning for those on both the right and left who are now openly or privately thinking “They had it coming.”

His exact words were: “You may long for the old Türkiye where you remained beyond the reach of law, but in the new Türkiye, you will know your place.”

This statement contains three crucial elements. First, “you will know your place”—a phrase Erdoğan has used before, but now significantly, he has moved “from words to action.” Second, the discourse of “new Türkiye” appears with increasing frequency.

Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç most recently invoked it regarding Ömer Aras. (Notably, Ankara political circles suggest the Justice Minister has been securing his position for the potential cabinet reshuffle following the February 23 AKP Congress through his recent statements and actions.)

The third key phrase is “the reach of law,” implying that while certain groups may have avoided legal scrutiny until now, eventually every citizen will face this treatment.

Of course, there remain other segments of society currently outside the law’s reach—too many examples to enumerate without derailing this discussion.

What Will Minister Şimşek Say?

While this issue clearly concerns democracy and the rule of law, the investigation into TÜSİAD inevitably carries economic implications.

I’m not referring to immediate currency fluctuations or market reactions—the Central Bank appears positioned to manage these by drawing on increased reserves.

Rather, I mean the foreign investments that Türkiye anticipates but has yet to secure.

G20 Foreign Ministers are meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s scheduled meetings include his counterparts from Russia, China, Ireland, Spain, and Singapore. They likely won’t directly question, “You’re expecting investment, but what’s happening with these incidents?” they have more pressing issues to discuss with Fidan, such as Ukraine and Syria.

However, Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek will also attend the G20 Treasury and Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting in Johannesburg on February 26-27.

One wonders: will they ask Şimşek, “You’re seeking investments, but how can this work given the current situation?”

Or will our Treasury and Finance Minister resort to the same rhetoric used by our Justice Minister, who insists journalists aren’t prosecuted “for their journalistic activities” but for other reasons? Will Şimşek claim these business leaders weren’t detained “for their commercial activities”?

Doesn’t this all leave a distinctly sour taste?