WORKING VALUES AND PRINCIPLES OF TUMIKOM MEMBERS/ VOLUNTEERS

The following values and principles guide the work of TUMIKOM and MIKOM volunteers:

- Volunteerism
- Impartiality
- Objectivity
- Honesty
- Responsibility
- Accuracy
- Clarity
- Trustworthiness
- Democratic ness
- Patrioticness
- Independence
- Rule of Law
- Right to Privacy
- Non-Partisan


PURPOSE OF TUMIKOM

TUMIKOM, the Association of Parliamentary Monitoring Committees of Turkey, is a elector initiative working to protect the rights of electorate and strengthen democracy in Turkey. Through activities that raise voter awareness, TUMIKOM is working to build more responsive institutions. Its vision is for a sustainable democracy where citizens and elected officials have the highest possible regard for ethics and the rule of law. TUMIKOM IS ON THE DEMOCRATIC SIDE.

TUMIKOM will show that as well as monitoring MPs, as an organization it is taking side in favour of democracy process by sharing its point of view and suggestion with political parties and public, about the issues such as democratization, transparency and political ethics.

TUMIKOM's purpose is to increase voter awareness by and informing public about elected officials and publishing its reports regularly and keeping social memory alive.

TUMIKOM's monitoring report about 550 MPs activities in parliament is published regularly every year. TUMIKOM's intention is to share objective information with the electorate by highlighting MPs activities without any interpretation.

TUMIKOM has taken the first step in Turkey and in the world by its report. It conveyed universally that parliament and the all parliamentarians can be monitored objectively.

TUMIKOM's aim is to make a contribution for building a global voter movement where citizens are actively involved in holding legislative bodies accountable for their actions throughout the globe by sharing its knowledge that has gained in Turkey.


WHAT IS TUMIKOM?

TUMIKOM, the Association of Parliamentary Monitoring Committees of Turkey, is a voter movement. TUMIKOM's history begins with the formation of the Committee of Parliamentary Monitors (MIKOM) in the province of Muğla in 1996. And it became a national voters movement in 2003. Today, TUMIKOM is organized in 42 of 81 provinces. And 384 MPs of 550 in parliament are elected from these 42 provinces.


WHO CONSTITUTES TUMIKOM?

TUMIKOM consists of electorates who have voted for different parties and believed in democracy without remuneration. TUMIKOM's common laws and ethical values have a binding force on its members and volunteers. TUMIKOM assesses its justice and its different structure as its richness. This unique structure has enabled TUMIKOM to be objective and unbiased to any of the parties and at the same time doesn't exclude any of them.


MONITORING MPs AND THE PARLIAMENT

The monitoring report of the parliament and the parliamentarians is prepared from the legal documents and archives of TBMM presidency. On the other hand report prepared for MPs is prepared from the legal documents and archives that is published by TBMM presidency after the period of objection by MPs. The result of the monitoring data prepared with statistics and graphics and announced to media by press statements and to public and to electorate by website. During the monitoring there wouldn't be any discrimination against any party whether form government or the opposition. Whether the head of the party or president or TBMM presidency or head of the commission or deputy managing director or prime minister, none of them is excluded from monitoring. But their unique status and duties is taken into consideration for evaluation.

For members and volunteers of TUMIKOM, any MP if is from the party they have voted for won't prevent their monitoring that MP.


MONITORING CATEGORIES

1- NATIONAL REPORT OF TUMIKOM. (TBMM and MPs monitoring report). Its prepared by TUMIKOM central office and published at the end of every legislative year.

TBMM Monitoring Report; Within the legislative year of TBMM, all the legislation, auditing and other activities of MPs and the absences of commissions evaluated altogether.

The report evaluates and takes into consideration of parliamentary plenary committee and other activities of speaker and vice chairmen (including the temporary ones) within the parliament and the parliamentary council members plenary committee activities, Prime ministers and MPs legislative and implementation activities and all the activities of parties which have groups in the parliament and comparative performance values between the groups and each party and gender performance values, specialized commissions (including the temporary ones) and the other inquiries and investigation commissions activities that have a signature of governor and the members of the commission and their speeches, decisions and explanation about the subject. The result of the evaluation is published as parliamentary performance report.

MP Monitoring Report; within the legislative year of TBMM all the legislation, auditing and the other activities of each MP and the meeting of the general committee and the absences at commissions are evaluated. The result of the evaluation is published as individual MP performance report.

2- LOCAL REPORT: It is prepared by TUMIKOM volunteers and published at the end of the legislative year. MP activities in their electorate district and the promises made are taken into consideration and evaluated accordingly.

3- TEN PROMISE REPORT: It is prepared by the central office and published at the end of the legislative year. It evaluates government promises about democratization, transparency and political ethic. If any of the parties which is in power haven't made any promises about democratization, transparency and political ethic is announced to public and the electorate as "ten promises have not made".

4- MID REPORT: It is prepared and published by the central office. It consists of the issues, decided by TBMM, that effects the society and needs to be announced to the public.


TUMIKOM VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION

TUMIKOM is an institutional organization and also organized in electoral districts, on the basis of representative volunteers.

TUMIKOM Volunteer Representatives In Province / Electoral District

Every volunteer representation is organized in a committee based structure and composed of at least five people. There is no hierarchy among them. Volunteers accept their friends not as a rival but a colleague. Volunteers hold the relations with other individuals, institutions and initiatives via a representative they have chosen among themselves. Every volunteer has vote in decision making mechanism.

Decision making: Representatives have one vote each. Decisions are made unanimously. Persuasion process would take place in case of nonunanimous decision. If still not successful, it will be put to the vote. Overall majority is effective.


Province/ Electoral District Volunteer Representative

They are elected unanimously by the volunteers of electoral district committee. They represent TUMIKOM in the electoral district. Elected representative of electoral district becomes a member of TUMIKOM's " Volunteers Representative Assembly". They initiate forming a relations with the institutions and organizations in the area. They are responsible for documenting and filling the work they do in the district in order to form a memory and making a connection with the central office. As a member of "Volunteers Representative Assembly" represents the electoral district in TUMIKOM's national meetings. The representative has to live and vote in the same electoral district.

Recalling from the task: They could be recalled by 3/2 of electoral district volunteers. In the same meeting new representative is elected. In election unanimous vote is preferable. Persuasion process would take place in case of nonunanimous decision. If still not successful, it will be put to the vote. Overall majority is effective.


Volunteers Representative Assembly

It consists of electoral district representatives. The Assembly works as TUMIKOM's advisory board. It defines the national and international politics and tactics of TUMIKOM according to its mission and vision. Representatives experiences and accumulated information are shared in the meetings. There is no hierarchy. Members of Representative Assembly select the General Coordinator and members of the Coordination Committee. They have a right to recall elected members. Every representative has a vote each in the decision process.

Decision making: Unanimity is preferable for decision. Persuasion process would take place in case of decision not taking unanimously. If this process is not successful, it will put to the vote. Overall majority is effective.

Demise of parliamentary membership: If absent twice from Representative Assembly meeting, membership would be declined. These members can not represent TUMIKOM in any electoral district.


Coordination Committee

It can be elected by Representative Assembly. Committee has five members from different provinces/areas; General Coordinator, two elected members, two rotating members. Within the five members of coordination committee two of them are elected. The other Coordination Committee members determined according to license plate. Their activities is appropriate to working plan and perspective that periodically prepared by the Representative Assembly. It plans and coordinates and controls the task. It is responsible for expanding TUMIKOM's volunteer organizations and forming a project. Unless there is a special reason, Coordination Committee meetings can only be realized in the provinces where the other representatives are rather than where the Committee members live. Every member of the Coordination Committee has one vote during decision making.

Decision making: Unanimity is preferable for decision. Persuasion process would take place in case of decision not taking unanimously. If this process is not successful, it will put to the vote. Overall majority is effective.

Term of Office: Elected Coordination Committee membership period ends after the first tour of rotating coordination committee membership, that is composed according to license plate. At the end of this period there will be a new election for Coordination Committee membership. In case of two unwarrantable absences committee membership demises. In the case of position vacation for any reason, new member would be elected in the Representative Assembly meeting. Until the new member is elected, Coordination Committee would continue its meeting with three "rotating members" that would be invited from the top of the license plate list. Every Coordination Committee member can only be a member for two consecutive period.

Recalling from the task: Elected Coordination Committee members can be recalled from the task with 3/2 signature of the Volunteer Representative Committee. Until the new Coordination Committee member is elected, Coordination Committee meeting would be organized same as Rotating Coordination Committee membership process.

Rotating Coordination Committee: It is composed from TUMIKOM's province/district representatives. Membership of Rotating Coordination Committee composed according to the license plate sequence. They have the same responsibility and authority with the members who are elected in Coordination Committee meeting.

Term of Office: They become a member of "Rotating Coordination Committee" by the invitation of Coordination Committee for only three meetings.


General Coordinator

He/She is elected by Volunteer Representative Assembly and from the names of province/district representatives or from TUMIKOM administrative board members whose advised by TUMIKOM's corporate entity. He/She coordinates the information and communication between volunteer organization and TUMIKOM's corporate entity. He/She is responsible of expanding volunteer organization and preparing a project. He/She calls for a Coordination Committee meeting. He/She publishes periodical report about TUMIKOM works and Coordination Committee meeting reports. He/She coordinates the activities that are prepared according to periodical working plan and perspective of Representative Assembly. He/She coordinates plans and controls all the activities. He/She responsible of expanding volunteer organizations, preparing a project, presenting the works and coordinates researching and developing the work. He/She conducts, controls the web site, publishing work and e-mail groups. He/She determines the agenda with Coordination Committee. He/She follows whether the taking responsibilities and duties is done or not and if there is any delay he/she reminds the person. He/She represents TUMIKOM in relation to individuals, institutions and the media. He/She temporarily designates somebody from the Coordination Committee members in case of his/her absences for coordinating the relations with institutions and media. He/She has a right to vote once during the decision taking in the Coordination Committee meeting.

Election of the General Coordinator: Unanimity is preferable for decision. Persuasion process would take place in case of decision not taking unanimously. If this process is not successful, it will put to the vote. In voting, qualified majority is required. Candidate is elected by 3/2 vote. If any of the candidates doesn't have the qualified majority, overall majority will be effective. Whichever way the decision is made, it will be binding.

Term of General Coordinator: It ends until the first tour of rotating coordination committee membership, which is organized according to license plate, is completed. At the end of this period there would be a new election. If for any reason there would be a vacation, until the new coordinator is elected, position is temporally taken by one of the member of the Coordination Committee. Any of the members can only be a general coordinator for two consecutive periods.

Recalling from the task: General Coordinator can be recalled form the task by 5/3 vote of TUMIKOM administrative board or 3/2 vote of Volunteer Representative Assembly. Until the new General Coordinator election, same processes would take place for Temporary General Coordinator election.

Temporary General Coordinator: He/She is elected among Coordination Committee members by the elected Coordination Committee (including rotating members). In voting, qualified majority is required. Candidate who polls 3/2 of the vote is elected. If none of the members get qualified majority, overall majority will be effective. He/She has the same responsibility as General Coordinator.

Term of Temporary General Coordinator: It ends when the new General Coordinator is elected at the first Volunteer Representative Assembly.


WORKING PRINCIPLES AND ETHICS

TUMIKOM is a voters' movement that its members and volunteers work on a voluntary basis and democratic principles and have a responsibility towards the society and believe that citizenship is more than just voting at the elections.

TUMIKOM members and volunteers; take volunteerism as having a responsibility rather than circumstance. They take responsibility and duties as much as they can commit to.

TUMIKOM members and volunteers share the information which they get for changing, transforming or determining the issues in their projects. Sharing the information is a first step for achievement.

TUMIKOM have got rather a unique place than other known NGO's for its mission and v ision, working and ethical principles. They don't organize demonstrations or actions, whether peaceful, to public opinion or gaining public support, like the other NGOs.

TUMIKOM members and volunteers; use their own sources of income. In the case of necessary additional income they are open to get support from outside sources. But they don't compromise from their principles for getting the support.

TUMIKOM members and volunteers; for basing their project on transparency principle they embrace giving account of and calling account for as their duties.

TUMIKOM members and volunteers; look for appropriation to their mission and be selective in case of taking any support from individuals and institutions.

TUMIKOM; don't get effected by any political view and institution during the monitoring and reporting. Don't make any concessions to any ideological, political, physical and moral beneficial relations.

TUMIKOM members and volunteers; bases the monitoring report on legal documents that could not be challenged.

TUMIKOM members and volunteers; don't hurt feelings of MPs about their parliamentary work result in front of the public. They present the report that is prepared on the base of legal document to the public impartially and without any comments.

TUMIKOM members and volunteers; don't demand any physical and moral support from MPs, parliamentary parties, government or any institutions that Mps belong to, on behalf of himself/herself or on behalf of their family.

TUMIKOM members and volunteers; don't support any party and candidate at the elections. They maintain the same distance to any party and candidate. They don't become a vehicle of propaganda for any party and candidate.

TUMIKOM members and volunteers; don't use their privileges in society as being TUMIKOM volunteers or members, don't demand anything from MPs or intimidate them, don't get into any beneficial relations with MPs, don't use their position to gain power on electorates, don't see their position as a stand for candidacy or support any candidate. Any TUMIKOM member or volunteer who acts outside of these principles would be sidelined from TUMIKOM and would be exposed to the public.


BECOMING A TUMIKOM VOLUNTEER

In order to become TUMIKOM volunteer, candidates have to be voted in a previous election. In this context initial statement is effective.

Any individual by declaring his/her interest may become a TUMIKOM volunteer as long as he/she accepts the aims, practices and ethics principles described above. Anyone who wants to be a TUMIKOM volunteer, they can apply to their province/district representatives of TUMIKOM.

TUMIKOM considers all voters who voted at the last election, as volunteers.