Baris Yarkadas, a journalist and former deputy for the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), expressed his views on the issue in a column he wrote for the Korkusuz newspaper on Tuesday. Here follow the main excerpts from the article, which is translated from Turkish:

Doesn't it seem strange to you too? Fifty-three vehicles and 220 soldiers come from brotherly Azerbaijan to put out the fires in our forests and the Turkish soldier is nowhere to be seen!

Of course, the fault here is not with the Turkish soldier!

Our soldiers have always rushed to the aid of the nation, regardless of any danger, during earthquakes, floods or other natural disasters. But unfortunately, the AKP and MHP government do not allow the military out of the barracks, perhaps when the Turkish nation needs it most.

The reason is clear.

Because both political parties do not trust our soldiers, they are afraid of the additional prestige that would be won by the Turkish Armed Forces if they went into the field and did firefighting. That's why troops from brotherly Azerbaijan came to put out the fires, while Turkish soldiers watched helplessly through the burning forests.

The Turkish Armed Forces has an institutionalized fire-fighting capability and an organized fire response force. Moreover, the gendarmerie, the land forces and the navy have sufficient manpower and equipment to put out fires.

All that fear…

But the AKP government is living with constant "coup paranoia" and does not want the soldiers to go to the field in any capacity. The fear that "if the soldier goes out to the field, he will not return to the barracks" prevents thousands participating in the firefighting efforts. Since the MHP has the same mentality, it watches the forests getting destroyed. Not a single MHP official cries out at the AKP's indifference as the trees burn down.

So, where was your nationalism while the "green homeland" was burning? Doesn't it hurt at all?

Just because you don't trust the military, this country's forests, trees, birds and beetles are on fire!

You are liquidating the Turkish Aeronautical Association (THK) because Atatürk founded it, leaving our forests unprotected!

You don't buy a single firefighting plane for our forests.

You do not even allow the teams sent by the CHP Mersin, Istanbul and Ankara Metropolitan Municipalities to participate in the extinguishing efforts.

And you, because of your distrust of the Turkish Armed Forces, prevent fire-fighting efforts by the navy from the coast and the gendarmerie from the air.

Be sure, these people, this nation will not forget them!

Aren't you ashamed?

The AKP and MHP government, which left the THK's planes to rot in hangars, asked for "help" from the "European Civil Protection Mechanism" to avoid being a target when social reaction erupted. This mechanism, at the request of the government, announced that it would send three planes to Turkey to assist in firefighting activities. An official named Janez Lenarcic shared details on social media of the type of planes to be sent.

It turns out that the planes are the same model as those left to rot in our THK hangars...

I wonder if those who left our planes to rot because of their hostility towards the THK ever felt ashamed when they saw these photos?

What did Turkey’s immortal poet Nazim Hikmet say?

“We have seen fire and betrayal and stood with burning eyes above this world…”

Whichever friend I talk to says, "I couldn't sleep until morning...", "I cried all night...", "I don't even want to look at the TV or the internet".

We are all angry!

Because we've seen fire and betrayal!

With our burning forests, a part of our soul is being lost! Because the flesh of my homeland is burning, our homeland!

And unfortunately, we do not have a government that can either understand what is going on, nor come up with a solution. Nor does it want to produce a solution!

Although they have ruled Turkey for 20 years, they have neither understood the climate crisis nor taken any measures accordingly. Our country has almost been abandoned to its fate…

We are both angry and helpless! While the forests are burning, we are dying, our homeland is disappearing before our eyes. The AKP and MHP, who are responsible for this, act as if nothing happened. Fire and betrayal leave marks on our bodies like a stab wound…

Those in power should not forget: the scar of every wound eventually disappears, the scar of a knife wound does not...

Ahval

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