DİYARBAKIR – The people of Diyarbakır, who hold the government responsible for the growing threat of pandemic, reacted to the "complete lock down" decision by saying "When people in Europe are closed to their homes, their needs are met by the state, but in our country, the state demands aid from the public".
Due to the increase in the number of deaths and cases caused by the coronavirus (Kovid-19) epidemic, the AKP government decided a 'complete lock down' starting from 19:00 tonight and lasting until 17 May. The main criticism of this decision is the lack of economic support for the people.
Citizens, to whom we handed the microphone to Diyarbakır regarding this situation, asked for economic support to those in need with the decision of complete lock down, which they stated to be a decision made too late.
'THEY ARE TRYING TO GET WHAT WE HAVE LEFT'
Real estate agent Fatih İzimçik stated that in such a period when the economic crisis in the country put citizens in a very difficult situation, a complete lock down would drag the people into an even worse situation.
Stating that the vast majority of the country continues to make a living on a daily wage, İzimçik said, “How will the citizens be able to bring bread to their homes with no daily wage for 17 days? People are committing suicide because of unemployment and not being able to make a living. What is happening today is not related to Covid-19, it is about the national economy. The economy would be fine if the authorities had a tendency to help the people today, but that is not the case. The state will lock the people in their homes, but do they help them at all? When people in Europe were in lock down, their needs were met by the state, but in our country, the state demands aid from the people."
Adding that the state has to meet the needs of citizens such as rent and food, İzimçik said, “If the President does not say anything about aid today, it shows that he does not care about the people. The president is looking after its own interest. In other words, while they should be helping us, they are trying to get what we have left."
'NO ONE THINKS ABOUT THE PEOPLE'
Aziz Çetin, one of the residents of the city, is still angry that the AKP congresses are filled with hundreds of people in an indoor space ignoring their own measures.
Stating that it is unscrupulous to enforce the measures just on the people, Çetin said that the increase in the numbers of deaths and cases were caused from the AKP Congresses and rallies. Çetin asked, "So how does the virus do not spread in those indoors activities participated by thousands of people and it spreads in our workplaces? The people are carrying the weight of the pandemic, not state officials. I have been given a thousand liras so far, it's been 13 months. The lock down don't apply to the tourists. They will go out and have fun while we are in lock down not able to make a living."
THE GOVERNMENT IS RESPONSIBLE
Tradesman Avni Çelik, who said that the pandemic had not been managed properly from the beginning and held the government responsible for what is happening today and said, "Strict measures were required in the first periods of the pandemic, but political interests such as government meetings and rallies brought us to this day."
Stating that he does not know how to survive through the lock down when his workplace is closed, Çelik said: "They say they will give a thousand liras to shopkeepers. What will we do with that? Will we pay the rent, meet our needs at home? The government must help its people, not the other way around. They could not manage the pandemic process. Their failure to manage it brought us to this day."
MA / Ergin Çağlar - Cahit Ölmez