Incompetent bureaucracy torments refugees

I have talked to Aslı Aydıntaşbaş from daily Milliyet, who visited the Syrian refugee camps.

She is describing a disgusting picture.

Imagine that the temperature is 45 degrees and there is no water in the camps. Once a day or once every few days water arrives in tanks and of course it is not enough for anybody. The refugees have organized themselves and their children carry water from a farm at a distance.

Markets have been set up and with a very modern system; instead of money they put their thumbprints to shop. Schools and computer courses have been set up; however, none of them are working because there’s no electricity. More precisely, there are such frequent and long blackouts that you can say so…

As you see, the state has spent large amounts of money and completed the infrastructure, however, the incompetent bureaucracy cannot make it work. It humiliates our state.

I spoke to Aslı; she told me that the situation in Urfa was even worse. She also made an interesting suggestion: “There are thousands of unemployed teachers in the region. They can be temporarily hired for those schools to teach children.”

In the beginning, these camps were filled with people glorifying Erdoğan, wishing Turkey well. Whoever visited those camps came back with the same reflections. Be sure that there is no way a Turkish Cabinet minister can visit these camps nowadays. He would be booed or have tomatoes thrown at him.

Isn’t this a pity? Why are we harming ourselves?

Why don’t we remove whoever is in charge of these camps (district governor-governor) and appoint people who work properly instead?

Görmez should have acted before
I wish the head of the Religious Affairs Directorate, Mehmet Görmez, had issued his statements about Alevis before. I know he has always been moderate and has protected Alevi citizens but apparently, that is not enough.

The incident in Malatya is very symbolic. It is the result of a campaign, a buildup of many years.

The marking of Alevi houses has brought past events to our minds. That is the reason why Görmez has said, “If need be, I will go and stand guard in front of those houses.”

This government has not been able to adjust its general stance toward our Alevi citizens. For a while, very positive developments occurred, after that a stance was adopted as if these were all given up.

In a way, one step forward, one step backward… Whereas the ones in power are the ones who would embrace them, who would assure them.

We now expect statements similar to Görmez’s from the prime minister and Cabinet ministers.

Abortion tourism
It was in daily Radikal by Dilek Köseoğlu. I was expecting it but not this soon.

A tourism company named Baracuda has started “abortion tourism.” They fly anybody who wants it to Crimea. Three nights and four days, including the abortion, cost 299 euros (660 Turkish Liras). If you want to go to the United Kingdom, then the cost is 1,200 pounds (2,500 liras).

This is for those who can afford it. What worries me are those who do cannot afford this and try to do their own abortions themselves.