Abolish the State of Emergency! Mobilize the State’s Resources!
Maraş, Antep, Kilis, Urfa, Diyarbakır, Malatya, Elazığ, Osmaniye, Hatay and Adana... The earthquakes that took place on 6 February led to a massive destruction. With each passing hour, the destruction becomes increasingly obvious and terrifying. According to the latest official figure, the death toll stands at 21,448 and wounded at 80,104. Heart-wrenching cries are coming out from the regions hit by the earthquake. There is a great desperation and a total lack of support in devastated areas where deaths, hunger, thirst and cold weather continue to hit the people. Thousands of people are trapped under the rubble. And many dead bodies that have been pulled from the rubble are lying in the streets. Although a long time has passed since the catastrophe, it is reported that there are tens of towns and villages and thousands of collapsed buildings that are still waiting for food, water, tents and rescue teams. Government officials are trying to give the impression that “the state is doing whatever is needed. Everything is under control.” Columnists of the toady press are shamelessly glorifying the government for its disaster management. But they fail to obscure realities. Our allegedly omnipotent, constantly glorified state apparatus, which they want us to worship, is nowhere to be seen! The one-man rule has dragged the country into a total collapse!
The regime is terrified by the prospect that the true scale of the destruction will become clear, which would undermine its power. For this reason, it immediately started to take measures in order to protect itself by blurring and stifling the anger and discontent among the masses. AKP’s spokesperson, Ömer Çelik, stated in an extremely arrogant manner that they are on the ground as the People’s Alliance. Toady media fell over themselves in their haste to tell how quickly and efficiently the state helps devastated areas and how the victims are grateful to the state. Erdoğan threatened that when the time comes, they would settle accounts with those who reflect the true scale of the disaster. While many people are still under rubble, an investigation has been launched against those who criticise responsible authorities on social media. It has become clear that the teams and equipment of the AFAD [Turkish Disaster and Management Authority] are inadequate and impotent. Despite that, the Minister of the Environment and Urbanisation, Murat Kurum, declared that apart from the AFAD, no organisation will be permitted to coordinate search and rescue works or to provide shelter for victims. These words made clear that they would stifle and undermine all kinds of civilian and voluntary initiatives. Under harsh winter conditions, workers are struggling to survive under rubble, trying to make their voices heard and asking for help. Their sufferings are deeply felt by their class brothers and sisters, trade unions, working-class organisations, socialist parties and democratic mass organisations who are mobilised to provide moral and material support and show their solidarity. But at a time when cries for help are coming out from devastated areas, the spokesmen of the one-man rule are shamelessly stating that they would not allow the initiatives outside their control! In their mindset the state should not be seen as weak and impotent! When the forests were burning some time ago, those who seek help were blamed by the regime for showing the state impotent. And now the regime is blaming those who are trying to help the victims of the earthquakes. The truck carrying HDP’s aids has been captured by a district governorship. The donations of the CHP and socialist parties have been blocked. These cases clearly illustrate that even in such a vital matter, the regime puts its own interests above human lives.
The government and the municipalities have always neglected to follow earthquake regulations. Now, in the face of such a heavy loss, they are resorting to cover-up methods and repression as always in such cases. They are trying to silence the media organs and journalists who are working to be a voice for the earthquake victims and who convey not the lies of the rulers, but the realities of the people. Erdoğan himself threatened the opponent press: “We are closely observing those who intend to pit our people against each other. When the time comes, we will reopen our book of record.” The police are preventing people from taking pictures and videos of the wrecked buildings on the pretext that it is “illegal”. It is reported that many earthquake victims, who raise their voices, are being threatened with custody. Reporters are either under pressure or acting as toadies. Therefore, when they come across victims who criticize the state, they simply turn their back and move away with their cameras.
On the second day after the earthquakes, Erdoğan declared a 3-month state of emergency for 10 cities. Yet, in order to heal the wounds and to deal with the destruction, what is needed is not to declare state of emergency, but to mobilise all resources at the disposal of the state. Today, all power is already in the hands of the one man, Erdoğan. Whereas he is able to mobilise all the resources and all the institutions of the state, he rather declares a state of emergency. To top it all, state of emergency has been declared for an area which has also been announced as “disaster area”. For, state of emergency serves as a stick to stifle the protests against the mismanagement of the government. The state of emergency aims at obscuring the true state of affairs through bans and police force. It serves to eliminate any opponent voice against this appalling picture. It will pave the way for repression and brutality in order to stifle the emergence of the sense of unity and solidarity. The main purpose is to exploit the state of emergency as a repressive instrument during the upcoming general elections. They have dragged the country into collapse, leaving it trapped under the rubble. Now they are resorting to the state of emergency in order to buttress their rotten regime.
Let us remind the state of emergency that was declared following the Attempted Coup of 15 July 2016. The regime called the attempted coup as “God’s gift.” Subsequently, they admitted that they had exploited the state of emergency in order to ban strikes. During that period of state of emergency, what fell to the share of workers and toilers was nothing but bans on strikes, usurpation of rights, repression, unemployment, poverty, fatal occupational accidents and suicides. Now, with millions of workers struggling for life, whom and what purpose will this new state of emergency serve? The state has always transferred our taxes into the hands of capitalists. Special consumption taxes (ÖTV), which have been collected since the İzmit Earthquake of 1999 for the purpose of funding necessary preparations for future earthquakes, have always been placed at the service of the capitalists. The state has always neglected to take the essential measures and keep sufficient teams and equipment available in case of an earthquake. It has always considered motorways, airports, hospitals and houses as sources of quick profit. Since the outbreak of the recent earthquake, it has failed to ensure coordination and provide solutions. In short, it collapsed on people. Now, the state has declared state of emergency. Whose interests and what purpose will this serve?
Today, basic needs of earthquake victims, our class brothers and sisters, come above everything else. For the sake of their rotten regime, the rulers force the victims and opponents “not to mix disaster with politics”. But at the same time, they impose their own politics and repressive policies on people. But they cannot obscure the realities.
As workers and toilers, we oppose the policies that threaten our unity, solidarity, democratic rights as well as freedom of expression and the press. Therefore, the state of emergency must be abolished immediately in 10 provinces hit by the earthquake. All the resources at the state’s disposal must be mobilised for these provinces.
The following urgent measures must be taken immediately:
- Technical equipment and machinery at the disposal of the police, military, the AFAD [Turkish Disaster and Management Authority] and Kızılay [Turkish Red Crescent] must be put at the service of civilian search and rescue teams.
- Disaster areas must be provided with energy sources, first and foremost electricity and liquid fuel.
- The phone and internet networks must be repaired.
- Field hospitals must be established.
- Sanitary material must be delivered.
- Water, food, tents and clothing must be provided.
- Rubbles and debris must be removed.
- Roads must be reopened.
- The government must stop preventing aids to enter the disaster zones. It must also stop the restrictions on the flow of news from the region.
- Civil people, trade unions, working-class organisations, socialist parties and democratic mass organisations are confronted with obstacles that limit their activities to reach the disaster areas, form coordination and crisis desks, deliver the aids and donations to the victims and rescue those trapped under rubble. These obstacles must be removed immediately!
Now is the time to mobilise in order to extend a helping hand to our brothers and sisters devastated by the earthquakes. Now is the time to unite, stand in solidarity and fight!
