Despite all this, one thing still remains to be discussed: what the KCK is modeled on. Without discussing the origin of the KCK model we cannot understand what goes on in Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan’s mind.
Many Turkish analysts think the structure of the KCK is a unique model developed by Öcalan; however, it is not unique at all. It is a bad imitation of South Africa’s African National Congress (ANC) model. From the names of organizational structures and strategy to the division of the network, Öcalan and other PKK leaders borrowed the idea from South Africa and tried to apply it to Turkey without even thinking whether the model would work for Kurds.
It is striking to see that the similarity between the two organizations begins with their names. One is the “African National Congress,” which Öcalan borrowed to name his umbrella organization the Kurdistan National Congress (KNK) and its operational unit the Koma Civakên Kurdistan, the KCK.
The ANC defines itself as “a national liberation movement to unite the African people and spearhead the struggle for fundamental political, social and economic change. The ANC’s key objective is the creation of a united, non-racial, non-sexist and democratic society.”
The KCK defines itself as a confederal system based upon democratic, non-sexist and ecological principles. When Öcalan laid out the basic principles of the KCK, many Kurdish intellectuals were puzzled by what Öcalan meant to say with the terms non-sexist and ecological because the two terms are totally alien to this region. Creating a non-sexist political system does not exist in Kurdish, Turkish or Arab culture. A comparative study on the KCK’s operational structure and the ANC’s operational model indicates that Öcalan borrowed these terms and structural model from the ANC and tried to insert such alien terms into the Kurdish political discourse.
The ANC defines its aims and objectives as to “unite all the people of South Africa, Africans in particular, for the complete liberation of the country from all forms of discrimination and national oppression; end apartheid in all its forms and transform South Africa as rapidly as possible into a united, non-racial, non-sexist and democratic country based on the principles of the Freedom Charter and in pursuit of the national democratic revolution; defend the democratic gains of the people and to advance towards a society in which the government is freely chosen by the people according to the principles of universal suffrage on a common voters’ role; fight for social justice and to eliminate the vast inequalities created by apartheid and the system of national oppression; build a South African nation with a common patriotism and loyalty in which the cultural, linguistic and religious diversity of the people is recognized; promote economic development for the benefit of all; support and advance the cause of women’s emancipation; [and] support and advance the cause of national liberation, development, world peace, disarmament and environmentally sustainable development, etc.”
The KCK lists its aims and objectives as “to create a radical democratic confederation that aims to fight against colonialism, poverty, starvation, corruption, cultural assimilation and genocide, and military occupation. The main characteristics of the KCK are democracy, non-sexism, and the aim to promote ecologic principles. The KCK aims to fight against all kinds of backwardness, and aims to promote and modernize individuals and societies philosophically and materially.”
Beyond these general principles, the KCK and the ANC have very similar structures. For instances, the famous Self Defense Units of the ANC were borrowed and installed in the KCK system even without rethinking their names and aims.
For instance, the ANC consisted of the following organs:
The National Conference which elects the National Executive Committee
The Provincial Conference which elects the Provincial Executive Committee
The Regional Conference which elects the Regional Executive Committee
The Branch Bi-annual General Meeting which elects the Branch Executive Committee
Branches may be grouped together in zones and may be subdivided into smaller units such as street committees, and zones may be grouped into sub-regions.
The ANC Women’s League
The ANC Youth League
From the youth league to the women’s league, from street committees to zones, and from sub-regions, the KCK is modeled on ANC structures. Given the fact that Öcalan compares himself to Nelson Mandela and thinks that he will get out of prison as Mandela did and bring peace to the region, it makes sense for him to mimic Mandela’s model and to implement it within the Kurdish political network.
