ISTANBUL - Stating that it is a great crime for Kızılay to sell the tents that they did not send to earthquake areas, like a commercial company, for money, Political party representatives said: "It is a reflection of the mentality of the government that sees a whole country as a company and the people as a customer."

 

The late arrival of AFAD and Red Crescent to the region, after the earthquakes that shook Turkey deeply in 11 provinces centered in Maraş and in which, according to official figures, approximately 45 thousand people lost their lives and hundreds of thousands became homeless, caused condemnations. The sale of tents for 46 million TL to Ahbap, a non-governmental organization created for aid and solidarity by Kızılay, which is known as the oldest and largest aid organization in Turkey, increased the social condemnations many times. Red Crescent President Kerem Kınık, who said "Legal, moral, rational" for tents sold for money, increased the calls for his resignation after the public reaction increased.

 

Political party representatives harshly criticized the attitude of Kızılay, which sells tents like a commercial company, and stated that this is a crime.

 

COMMERCIAL COMPANY IMPROVEMENT

 

Reminding that the Red Crescent is responsible for providing the shelter and logistics needs of the people free of charge in times of disaster, Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Istanbul Provincial Co-Chair İlknur Birol said: "It is immoral to sell tents sent to earthquake areas for money. Kızılay acts like a commercial company. This head, which filled Kızılay with its relatives and turned it into a commercial company and a profit center formation, is the main place that was the fault line of the real big and political earthquake. It is a reflection of a mentality that sees a whole country as a company and the public as a customer. This mentality is the mentality that caused the death of thousands of people in the earthquake, the injury of thousands, and the groaning of the victims at the rubble.”

 

'SCANDAL AND CRIME'

 

Stating that all officials had to resign in the face of such a devastating and painful picture under normal conditions, and that this government did not have such a culture, Turkey Workers' Party (TIP) Istanbul Provincial Spokesperson Melis Akyürek said: "If AHPAP had not received it, we would have donated it to AFAD, making a statement, which is a terrible situation. They are also in a mental eclipse because I think they are not aware of how scandalous and a great crime their words are. People didn't die just because they were buried under the rubble, they died because they were outside from the cold. If you can't give a hot soup and a blanket to the people who came out of the wreckage, you have no place to sit in those seats, in those offices. This scandal caused great anger in the public. We wanted to go to Kızılay yesterday and protest this situation. The state, which could not go to the region for 20 days, beat and detained 89 of our members because we said 'you cannot sell the tents' in front of the Red Crescent Branch yesterday. This attack was made against the earthquake victims and the peoples of Turkey. The disaster of the century is power itself. Such a power cannot manage the country, not even a group of friends.”

 

MA / Esra Solin Dal