On March 18, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced an “aid package” of 100 billion Turkish liras ($15.4 billion) against the outcomes of the coronavirus outbreak.
As some people anticipated that Erdoğan would make significant statements regarding the measures to be taken and readjustments on the health system amidst the rumors of a possible declaration of curfew or state of emergency, Erdoğan only announced an economic recovery program in favor of the interests of the capitalist class.
Regarding Erdoğan’s statements, Okuyan firstly said that the government could not hide anymore the rapid spreading of the outbreak in the country, adding that Turkey wasted the most critical one week against the pandemic.
Okuyan indicated that when the outbreak had hit Italy, the Turkish government had been sending tens of thousands of refugees and migrants to its European borders following the military and diplomatic crisis in Syria’s Idlib where dozens of Turkish troops had been killed.
“The sufficient number of test kits, masks, respiratory devices and protective equipment for healthcare workers should have been prepared prior to the measures of isolation. A very precious week was wasted as they declared that there was no coronavirus case in Turkey without performing tests,” Okuyan said.
As Turkey’s Interior Ministry recently ordered all social spaces like cafes, theatres, bars and swimming pools to be closed amidst coronavirus fears, Okuyan asked why the government was very late for the decision on prayer in mosques, and why the football games continued.
Okuyan underlined that despite the outbreak in Saudi Arabia, thousands of people returning from the Umrah pilgrimage entered Turkey without any quarantine practice while some of them were placed in students’ dormitories as the students were forced to leave their rooms.
In answer to whether Erdoğan’s capital-based package would satisfy the capitalist class, Okuyan said, “The bosses always want more. The package favors them, not the public health,” adding that the public funds and incentives would be utilized to save private enterprises in defiance of the working people.
In response to a question about TKP’s recent declarations on the coronavirus outbreak, Okuyan said, “The coronavirus has unmasked capitalism. Humanity must take the road of communism.” TKP says socialism is imperative for public health with the nationalization of banks, financial institutions, health services and medical enterprises under central planning.
Meanwhile, Turkey’s Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced late Thursday that the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Turkey reached 359 and 4 people died.
