An academic organization of Turkey’s Marxist intellectuals founded with the initiative of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP), the Academy of Science and Enlightenment (BAA) has recently released an open letter, calling for the immediate resignation of the members of the Coronavirus Scientific Board that is running under the coordination of the Turkish Health Ministry.
BAA underlines that such a board is not able to produce scientific and pro-people solutions to the pandemic as the Turkish government prioritizes the interests of capital even during the coronavirus outbreak.
The Coronavirus Scientific Advisory Board, including some medical scientists and academics, was established on January 20, 2020, to develop measures against the coronavirus pandemic in Turkey.
Following the Science Board's meeting on Friday, the President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced further travel bans, stopping all flights to foreign countries, “flexible” working arrangements in the private sector, but no curfew and protection plans for the working people. Meanwhile, the death toll has reached 108 due to Covid-19 in Turkey
The full statement of BAA is as follows:
We think that all the members of the Scientific Board have accepted this duty with the aim and awareness of taking the outbreak under control and serving for the public health.
The current phase of the outbreak is extremely disturbing, giving a warning about the serious developments that will emerge in the upcoming days.
Turkey’s daily number of cases has surpassed Italy’s daily number of cases in comparison to the same period.
The intensive care beds are already completely full in some hospitals.
On the other hand, it was clear from the very beginning that the process would reach this current point.
The government has been very late in putting some precautions into practice. For example, until a few days ago, some people continued to visit those who returned from the umrah pilgrimage. The sports competitions were not canceled for a long time. Crowded tourist groups were allowed to enter the country. By the time the risk of outbreak increased, the government had been mobilizing the masses of refugees and migrants towards the border gates in order to threaten Europe in the matter of Syria.
Some important precautions have not been put into practice yet. For example, the production is still continuing despite the calls for “stay home”.
Considering all these facts and inadequacies, the Scientific Board should have made no concessions on its commitment to science and public service.
Science definitely requires acting with reason, creativity, transparency and courage.
In the course of time, the Scientific Board has turned to an efficient apparatus of governance for the government, enabling the government to justify its faults with regards to the outbreak.
The government has prioritized the interests of capital so much that it has become impossible for the board’s existing structure and functionality to produce scientific and pro-people solutions.
Under these circumstances, we are calling on all the scientists in the Scientific Board to resign immediately.
With their resignation today, they would give a meaningful warning to those who ignore science.
