Everybody is right after the Van quake

The litany of complaints about the Van earthquake has not ended. Starting from not meeting the needs on time to the lack of coordination, to the insufficient reflex of the government, all of these complains are true.

“Tents are needed,” it was said. Even though they were late, the tents finally arrived. But this time, the snow came. The accommodation problem started in the tents that were handed out. Snow that came after the earthquake made people’s daily lives even more difficult. The bureaucracy was never able to organize itself. The conflict between the mayor’s and the governor’s offices made things worse. In the end, people began migrating away from Van. The complaints never ended; they are still continuing. Whichever channel you turn on, you see crying people, pouring their hearts out.

These complaints are all justified. What are people who have experienced such a disaster and who are suffering from helplessness going to do but complain?

Well, who is accountable for these complaints? The government, right?

However, the government is also complaining about the criticisms. They say that even though they are doing the best that they can, it is impossible for them to satisfy everybody. Actually, since the first day after the earthquake, the prime minister and ministers have effectively set up camp in Van. Maybe there were some delays in the first days, but later all the resources of the state were mobilized. They launched campaigns across Turkey to aid the earthquake region. Aid started pouring in.

Well then, who is right? As a matter of fact, everybody is right. The real responsibility of how we came to this point belongs to all of us.

Wasn’t it the local governments that opened land for construction even though this increased the risk of damage in an earthquake? Wasn’t it the ministries that constructed public buildings in those places where nobody else was allowed to build?

Aren’t we the people that don’t inspect the buildings we build or buy, the people who damage the beams of the apartment we live in and the people again who fail to move an inch even though we know our building has cracks?

Let’s stop crying. Let’s not pin the blame on just one entity.

The first responsible is upon us as individuals. Next come the local governments, and then comes the government. As long as we do not look after our own lives and do not take the necessary precautions, we do not have the right to blame others. Local governments are obliged to fulfill their duties; the governments also need to coordinate the bureaucracy.

Conclusion: Let’s not look for just one responsible party.

Germany must solve these murders

The German neo-Nazi murders are gradually coming to light.

They were quiet for a long time. It seems that in recent years, it was these groups that committed a wave of terror against foreigners, primarily Turks. More importantly, suspicions are increasing that German intelligence services played a part in the incidents; even though they may not have led them individually, there are strong claims that they have been protecting these groups.

Racism is a covert phenomenon in Germany. It has always been there and is still there. But Germany has the rule of law. It is a transparent state. I cannot imagine that such a state would ignore criminals. They will surely find the real conspirators. If question marks appear on this matter and it appears that there is a cover-up, Berlin will lose all credibility.