The crucial part of his statement was the following: “Whether you call it a terror problem, a southeastern Anatolia problem or a Kurdish problem, this is the first question for Turkey. It has to be solved. New efforts will be introduced. Everybody in the state is now talking to each other more frequently and openly. When I say everybody I mean soldiers, civilians and the intelligence community.”This comment has four points. First, the president has taken up the initiative of solving the Kurdish problem. Second, he seeks to get state institutions and political actors involved. Third, there is collaboration on finding a solution, and lastly, a positive level has been reached with respect to solving the Kurdish problem.
Do these four points mentioned in the president's statements really exist? The gist of the question is: “Is Turkey going to resolve the Kurdish problem?” There is no solution package being debated or advanced discussion on the issue. So what is the optimism based on?
What are Kurds thinking?
Are Kurds, the real subject of the issue, optimistic? Do Kurds believe there will be a solution? Perhaps more importantly, do they want a solution that they will share with Turkey as a whole? I was in Diyarbakır toward the end of last week. I had gone to Diyarbakır to present a paper at the Social Sciences Conference organized by Dicle University. I spoke with many people and asked them their views on the recent developments. The conclusion I reached was that they shared the same sentiment as the president. Optimism dominates among Kurds, and they welcome finding a solution. Moreover, they believe they are close to finding a solution.
Those who have seen the most harm from the Kurdish problem are the Kurds themselves. At times when violence is at an all-time high, life turns into a living hell for them. They have a clear understanding of what the violence that has been going on for 25 years has cost themselves and the country. It is for this reason that they want to find a solution. Naturally, however, the word solution has different meanings for different people. There are a range of solutions among Kurds, from separatism to ending violence. Taking into consideration the years of accumulated anger and the wounds opened by violence, Kurds favor finding a fair and forthright solution that will allow them to live peacefully with the majority of Turkey.
Kurds are an extremely politicized society. When two Kurds come together, they don't talk about business or soccer but about politics. They are aware of just about every development. Amid this awareness, they believe they are very close to solving the Kurdish problem. Although there is no concrete basis and reason for it, Kurds have strong common sense and are living in a positive and hopeful atmosphere.
I spoke with Kurdish college students who have sympathy for the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Despite their stridence and asperity, I sensed optimism and warmth inside them as well.
State institutions
The declaration that state institutions are working with each other means that there is a significant level of agreement between the military and politicians on finding a solution. Hints of this were nestled in a lengthy speech Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ delivered at the War Academies Command last month.
There were two very important details in his speech. The first is that Başbuğ spoke about the “people of Turkey,” and the second was that he left the door to implementing a general amnesty that would include PKK militants open. These two details in particular form the material basis for Kurds' optimism. The phrase “people of Turkey” was symbolic of the Kurds' desire to be identified as Kurds and the topic of “general amnesty” seems essential to heal wounds and forget about the past.
The signals the military has been sending over the past two years have been important steps toward finding a solution. The theory that the problem cannot be resolved with weapons is an important change in the mindset of the military. Accepting that fighting is not the way to go about it means the military will not try to resolve the problem through its own techniques and means.
For many years, Turkey had been focusing on a military solution to the Kurdish issue consequently making the military the most powerful actor in the problem. By forgoing a military solution, civil and democratic politics has inevitably become the main actor.
MHP and CHP
The emergence of political actors means the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the Republican People's Party (CHP) will have a more active role in the solution-finding process. With respect to efforts to find a solution to the Kurdish problem, the CHP is expressing its reservations about the state's unitary structure. However, the CHP does not have too influential a role in the solution. Talking about a solution directly brings the MHP to the forefront. The relationship between the MHP and the Kurdish problem is complex. During his parliamentary group meeting, the leader of the MHP signaled that the party would continue its fierce opposition. As I mentioned in last week's column, if the MHP does not accept the proposed solution for this issue, then a permanent solution cannot be achieved. In a harsh speech assessing the optimistic words of President Gül that I quoted above, the MHP leader spoke about a world engrossed in conspiracies.
The MHP as a political party feeds on the Kurdish problem. In the most recent local elections, the MHP won the most votes in western cities where there is a high level of internal migration of Kurds. Kurds' internal migration to western cities provokes voters in those cities to lean towards the MHP. For the MHP to neglect the votes it received as a reaction against Kurds and not to voice the concerns of its constituents is unimaginable. Nevertheless, the issue is a very sensitive one, and the MHP leader hasn't been trying to exploit it. Therefore, we may expect that the MHP will try to voice the reactions of its constituents while stepping on the brakes a little bit. Otherwise, the MHP will be held as solely responsible for the deadlock, and this will be too heavy a price for the MHP to pay.
Let's go back to the beginning. What do the words “good things are going to happen” spoken by Gül mean?
Turkey is moving toward resolving the Kurdish problem through political means. All actors involved in this problem are optimistic and hopeful. The president is trying to reinforce and maintain this atmosphere with his soft and constructive leadership. Important developments are expected to take place in the near future.
