The contradictory debate about the Turkish Red Crescent’s sale of tents and canned goods

Haluk Levent, musician, and head of the aid association Ahbap, confirmed that the Turkish Red Crescent sold 2050 tents to Ahbap on the third day after the earthquake. Levant responded to the severe critique on the Turkish TV channel Fox TV on Monday morning. According to his explication, Ahbap has also bought canned food from the Turkish Red Crescent.
The Turkish state and aid organizations were heavily criticized after the major earthquake for lacking in delivering assistance and aid in the region. Amidst this criticism, the disclosure of the Turkish Red Crescent’s sale of tents caused public unrest. Haluk Levent first reacted on Twitter that buying tents from the Turkish aid organization was unexceptional, which aggravated the critics.
Levant also stated that more institutions work the same way: “No one knows the system. The Ankara Chamber of Pharmacists has also purchased tents from the Turkish Red Crescent. So why shouldn’t we buy goods? AFAD, the Disaster, and Emergency Management Presidency, also buy equipment from them.” The reaction of the singer led to a discussion about the immoral actions of the aid organizations.
The head of the Turkish Red Crescent, Kerem Kinik, replied to the critique controversially. He claimed in a Twitter post, which was closed for replies, that they sold the tents to manufacture new tents and to use the income for other aids. He emphasized that this manner of work is legal and ethical. The statements of the officials have amplified the debate on social media about institutional corruption.