February 6, 2023 was engraved on the calendar not only as the day of a major earthquake, but as the naked reality of Turkey's governance crisis, decay and the arrogance of power. When the earth shook at 04.17, it was not only the buildings that shook, but also the buildings that had been polished behind the palace walls for years. “strong state” the fairy tale was also shattered. That night, as much as the destructive power of nature, the negligence, meritlessness and rent-seeking system of the government hit us in the face.
This earthquake was not fate. Fault lines were clear, scientists had been warning for years, reports were gathering dust on desks. But science, engineering and public interest have never been a priority for the AKP government. The priority was the profits of construction bosses, zoning amnesties distributed before the elections and “nothing will happen anyway” comfort. The result? Tens of thousands of lives buried under the rubble.
In the first hours of the earthquake, we saw a state that was absent. There was no coordination, no plan, no preparation. The helplessness of AFAD, the scandals of the Red Crescent, the sluggish functioning of the bureaucracy was a picture of the rotten order that the government has been building for years. People froze, starved and were unable to make their voices heard while waiting for help. And on top of this helplessness “Everything under control” the lie has been added.
Statements from the palace had lost touch with reality. “Disaster of the century” However, the disaster of the century was not nature, but the mentality that ruled this country. Those who walked arm in arm with contractors, condoned illegal buildings, and used zoning amnesties as a tool to gain votes have still not been held accountable. Some were detained for a day or two and then disappeared back into the system. Because this is a system that protects the guilty.
Temporary living spaces, container cities and inadequate housing conditions established after the earthquake once again showed the value the government places on human beings. People lived in uncertainty for months. The promised permanent houses were either delayed or remained for show. On the other hand, the same government did not hesitate to distribute new tenders. Even pain was turned into profit.
The most painful was the targeting of our memory. On days that should have been days of mourning, it was a show, and when it should have been days of accountability, it was forgotten. Critics “provocateur” declared, calls for help “lie” and suppressed. Because this government is afraid of confrontation. Facing the truth means facing its own guilt.
February 6 showed us this: People in Turkey are dying not from earthquakes, but from mismanagement. What is more dangerous than fault lines is an unaccountable government. It is a system that feeds on meritlessness, lack of supervision and arbitrariness. And as long as this system exists, every major tremor will turn into a new disaster.
Today, when thousands of people are still displaced, our cities are wounded, families are torn apart, the government's complacency is unacceptable. February 6 is not just a day of mourning; it is a call for confrontation. It is imperative that those responsible are brought to justice, zoning policies are radically changed and public interest is restored.
Forgetting is complicity. Remembering is resistance. We will not pass February 6 off as an “accident”. Because this disaster is not the wreckage of nature, but of power.
And we know that until true justice comes, it will not only be the concrete that will be buried under the rubble, but also the conscience.