State-organized social murder

This expression appears in a book written by Friedrich Engels in 1845 regarding the working conditions of laborers in England. The working conditions of that period in England, which inspired Marx and Engels in the formation of their historical works, are a portrait of how capital exploited labor under ruthless, even inhumane conditions. Although some improvements have been made in working conditions over time as societies progressed and as a result of the struggles waged by laborers against exploitation, these conditions have persisted to the present day with differences in place and time. It should not be forgotten that, alongside the struggle of the laborers, the contribution of the 1917 Soviet Revolution to the improvements made in working conditions is also very significant. The Soviets, which lived for a period that can be considered quite short for a state, set an example and provided guidance to humanity in many areas.

No matter how valuable gold may be, it cannot and should not be more valuable than human and social life. But unfortunately, it is. Efforts are being made to rescue the laborers trapped underground in the latest mining disaster, but every passing second destroys hopes. Turkey is still an underdeveloped country, but the company operating the mine is a company from an advanced country. Although it has local partners, the origin of the company is foreign, meaning it is as if the company belongs to a civilized country. Even if the company belongs to a civilized country, if we ask whether there have been serious positive changes since Engels' observations about 180 years ago, our answer is a resounding “no.” Because although the system bears the same name, it is a system of exploitation that is even more intense in today's neoliberal policies than in the past. Indeed, in the latest accident, not only did the foreign company fail to take the necessary precautions, but the Turkish authorities who signed a contract with it and granted permission also appear to have failed to conduct effective inspections or take measures.

The discourse of social murder, which Engels brought to economic literature, does not suffice with blaming only the relevant firm, that is, capital. The state or political structure that is complicit in the crime is also on the agenda in Engels' understanding. When a theory is strong, it can see far beyond its time. 180 years after Engels, today's neoliberal states have turned their faces away from national goals and policies toward the interests of international capital, which has set out on a hunt for international exploitation. So much so that governments with a national appearance that protect foreign companies not only remain silent about all kinds of plunder in the country, but on the contrary, they see no harm in granting licenses, avoiding effective inspections, and even using the country's law enforcement forces to keep the country's people, who are demonstrating against the company's activities, away from the company's area of operation if necessary. It is such treatment that allows companies that appear as masters in their own countries to act like bullies in developing countries, plundering the country and leaving their filth in those countries.

Is gold edible, wearable, or does it meet any of a person's needs like water and bread? No! In fact, a country's excessive gold stock can cause serious inflation through the money supply and can even clog its foreign trade. Well then, what is this gold rush mentality that has continued throughout history? Discussing this issue here in its various aspects is a long task. Then I can briefly say this: if there is no technology in an economy and there is a shortage of qualified personnel, gold alone can only be a tool for paying off foreign debt. This is why the currency of most oil-rich Arab countries is very valuable. However, most of those countries lack technology and are underdeveloped countries. Since our issue is not the value of gold in the economy but social murder, let us close this issue here and move on to our main field.

A country's real gold value is equivalent to its technology, and its technology level is equivalent to its qualified labor force. The foreigners who took our gold mine with a small hush money are currently robbing the country. That is true! Our government is also complicit in this plunder by granting licenses to foreign companies and turning a blind eye to their unregulated operations. This is also true! If only the issue were this simple, but it is not; the issue is much greater. The departure of young and qualified personnel from the country is a loss of gold of irreplaceable value. Just as the loss of qualified personnel cannot be replaced, the potential gains of these personnel for the country are also an absolute loss. Now, let us think about this: we did not invite the foreign firms that set their sights on our gold mines; they came, and we embraced them. Well, did the foreigners also want the brain drain that is taking place abroad? No, while we are darkening the country's future with meaningless, unwise, and reactionary policies, we are pushing our living gold mines, the young people we raised with the country's resources, to foreign countries with our own hands. And the foreigners are embracing this living mine that we are pushing away. Our doctors, our engineers, our trained young talents in various fields are not leaving the country; the country's administrators are forcing these talents to leave the country with their meaningless policies.

Now let us do some accounting: are we, who embrace the foreign companies that come to search for gold in our country, or the foreigners, who embrace our young people whom we push away with wrong policies, acting more rationally in terms of their countries and futures? Isn't the situation obvious! With private channels, through controlled media, and even by distributing money from a stash created in some way, elections can be won, and one can even remain in power for a lifetime. However, while every wrong step taken with the calculation that a country can remain on the stage of history for a longer time than the lifespan of a mortal leads the country into darkness, talents naturally spread their wings toward their own futures.

State administration is not a job that can be carried out with the cunning of ignorance. State administration is the skill of building the future with lessons learned from the past. It is such a moral construction skill that the survival of the country is placed before all kinds of personal and organizational interests.