Turkish government plays a role in earthquake death toll

MAIA BARANTSEVITCH & ELLIE YANG Editors-in-chief

As immediate relief and rescue continue to play a crucial role in the weeks after the devastating earthquake in Syria and Turkey, questions have arisen regarding the long-term recovery of the region. Along with this are concerns about how one can contribute their support and ensure that it is going to the right cause.

Turkey is currently under an authoritarian government, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as head. The Turkish government has had strong control over the country’s media and judicial system, enacting many years of oppression and opposition between Turks and Kurdish groups. Series of baseless accusations and investigations ensued among politicians, journalists, and even human right defenders in Turkey.

The internal corruption of the Turkish government has caused countless disruption of communities, abuse of power in the parlia- ment, and lack of safety for many Turkish citizens.

This internal corruption has seen an especially deadly result in light of the recent earthquake. Under Erdoğan, a pillar of the Turkish economy was construction and real estate. However, only a small circle of Erdoğan’s acquaintances were granted rights to infrastructure projects, and often built homes and infrastructure without following the proper safety codes. This led to massive damage in the earthquake and the complete collapse of many residential buildings, government buildings, hospitals, and even airports. These ties between the corruption of the Turkish government and the deaths in the recent earthquake has prompted skepticism regarding the government’s rescue and disaster relief efforts.

Turkish Philanthropy Funds (TPF) is a community based non proft organization in New York City. They partner with over 70 organizations and have been involved in disaster relief since the earthquake. Seline Green, communication director of the fund, said that it is important to donate to the organizations which are transparent and helping local communities. “It is really important to make sure that people are donating to the right places. We at TPF stand behind our transparency and we also stand behind our vetted partner organizations,” Green said.

This is an issue which will remain persistent, especially as the regions affected by the earthquake continue to recover long-term. “This is going to be a long-term recovery. We are looking at not only addressing the immediate needs right now, but also the long term needs,” Green said. All across Turkey, displaced people are in need of support to rebuild their lost homes. “We also work on building lives or rebuilding homes, and ultimately getting people back on their feet,” she said.

The internal corruption of the Turkish government and the role it might play as Turkey slowly rebuilds after the earthquake are both important topics on which students might raise awareness. By addressing the issues these non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are providing relief for, students, and many others, are able to improve the lives of many Turks currently living in