Click to read the article in Turkish
Ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited the fire-struck Marmaris district in Muğla province. Going to the district amid ongoing fires, Erdoğan made a speech there; afterwards, he threw packages of tea to citizens from the platform.
It has sparked harsh criticism on social media as Erdoğan entered the district, which has been declared a disaster area, with a huge convoy amid security measures and distributed tea to citizens.
Recalling that the areas affected by the fire have been declared a "disaster area", President Erdoğan said that the areas affected by the fire in Antalya's Manavgat, Akseki, Alanya, Gündoğmuş and Gazipaşa, Muğla's Marmaris, Bodrum, Milas, Köyceğiz and Seydikemer, Adana's Aladağ, İmamoğlu, Karaisalı and Kozan, Mersin's Aydıncık and Silifke and Osmaniye's center and Kadirli district will also be taken within this scope.
"Fifty million liras have been released to meet the urgent needs in areas affected by the fires. Rental aid will also be provided to those whose houses have been burned and damaged," he said, adding that damage to agriculture, livestock and greenhouse activities will be compensated.
Underlining that interest-free loans to artisans and the support of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Organization of Turkey (KOSGEB) will be given in disaster-hit areas, President Erdoğan also announced that the construction of houses will begin within a month.
On the other side, citizens have expressed their criticisms about Erdoğan's distribution of tea to people in the disaster on social media:
Yangında mağdur olan insanlardan o kadar uzaklar ki vatandaşın yangın sonrasında neye ihtiyacı olduğundan haberleri bile yok!Ceplerinde gofret gezdirir gibi çay gezdiriyorlar! Muhtemelen fırlattıkları çaydan da bir karları var!
— Ozan Balık (@ozan_blk07) August 1, 2021
#ÇayınıDaAlGit
pic.twitter.com/CYggnuOCZj
"They are so detached from the people aggrieved by the fire that they do not even know what citizens need after a fire! They have tea in their pockets as if carrying wafers there! They are probably making a profit from the tea they throw! Take your tea and go away."
yeterli yangın söndürme uçağı olmadığı için yangınla boğuşan marmaris'e erdoğan'ın girişi. pic.twitter.com/kCZx14GA8w
— mustafahos (@mustafahos) July 31, 2021
"How Erdoğan entered Marmaris, which has been struggling with a fire because there are not enough firefighting aircraft."
Memleket yanarken Erdoğan, Marmaris'te vatandaşlara çay fırlattı.
— Engin Özkoç (@enginozkoc) July 31, 2021
ATAN DA, ALAN DA UTANMALIDIR! pic.twitter.com/yEJ2nv4tN4
Republican People's Party (CHP) Group Deputy Chair Engin Özkoç: "While the country was on fire, Erdoğan threw tea at citizens. Both the one who threw it and the ones who took it must be ashamed!"
Ayıp denen bir şey var yeter artık. https://t.co/3kim0hkx3J
— Ali Babacan (@alibabacan) July 31, 2021
DEVA Party Chair Ali Babacan: "This is a shame. Enough is enough."
Orman yangınları Akp için son damla oldu; artık hiçbir süreci ve krizi yönetemiyorlar!
— Gültekin Uysal (@DpGultekinUysal) July 31, 2021
Orman yangınları vesilesi ve son olarak Akp Genel BAŞKANI sn Erdoğan'ın Marmaris'te kalabalığa çay atması Akp'nin BEYİN ÖLÜMÜ'nün çoktan gerçekleştiğini gösteriyor!#YeterBeUsta
Democrat Party (DP) Chair and Afyon MP Gültekin Uysal: "Forest fires have been the last drop for the AKP; they cannot manage any process or crisis anymore! The occasion of forest fires and, lastly, AKP Chair Erdoğan throwing tea at the crowd in Marmaris show that the brain death of the AKP has already happened."
Bu çay atma politikasını beğenen var mı gerçekten? Ne güzel cumhurbaşkanımız afet bölgesine geldi bize böyle çay attılar diye sevinen var mı? https://t.co/xM2UaNBEhg
— nevsin mengu (@nevsinmengu) August 1, 2021
Journalist Nevşin Mengü: "Is there really anyone who likes this policy of throwing tea? Is there anyone who gets happy, saying, 'How nice that our president has come to the disaster area and they throw tea at us like that?"
bu çay fırlatma değişik bir olay. hiçbir rasyonel açıklaması yok. senaryo yazarıyım naçizane, hani akla gelmedik bir sebep vardır diyorum, bulamıyorum. ülke yanıyor, uçaklar çürümüş, bir yandan da sel, sen git kafalara çay at. geliyor akla bir şeyler tabii ama gelmemesi yeğdir. https://t.co/zteK2OU2ON
— levent kazak (@levent_kazak) August 1, 2021
Script writer and actor Levent Kazak: "This act of throwing tea is something different. It has no rational explanation. I am humbly a script writer and say that there must be a reason which does not come to mind, but I cannot find any. The country is on fire, the planes are rotten, there are floods on the one side and you throw tea at people in the head. Some things come to mind but it is better if they don't." (AÖ/SD)
