Certainly there may be procedural mistakes with the democratization effort, but regardless of whether this is an effort being imposed by foreign conjuncture, essentially what is at stake is the ending of bloodshed, peace in the region, and the healing of mothers', fathers', sisters' and brothers' pain. Moreover, this issue is Turkey's issue. We are talking about a shackle that prevents Turkey from leaping forward.My concern is about provocation, which I mentioned in my article last week as well. There is a strong and large front that does not want the Kurdish issue to be resolved. It is an evil front comprised of heroin dealers, weapon dealers, human smugglers, oil smugglers, people who use this issue to maintain the tutelage regime, domestic focus groups and foreign focus groups. It is for this reason that solving the problem is not easy. Let me point out once again that whenever there were attempts to ensure peace, major provocations took place and may take place again. Even when the armed forces stated that the problem of people going to the mountains to join the terror organization cannot be prevented and called for a rooted solution, the Republican People's Party (CHP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) entered a dangerous road. What waits at the end of the road is a clash between citizens in all towns and cities.
Many provocations and deaths have happened over the years, but people have maintained their common sense and strong-will. It is the CHP's and MHP's stance that is now inciting separation and division among the people. If they keep up this stance, then God forbid, a real civil war will break out.
Why are the CHP and MHP doing this? I hate saying this, but they no longer have any hope of winning the votes of Kurdish citizens and want to garner support by provoking national sentiments and feelings. The real problem is the wrong policy the CHP and MHP have toward Kurdish citizens. Neither the CHP nor the MHP win votes from eastern and southeastern Anatolia. In other words, neither party is Turkey's party, just like how the Democratic Society Party (DTP) isn't either. The DTP cannot win any votes from non-Kurdish constituents. There is only one party left that can win votes from every region and constituents and that is the Justice and Development Party (AK Party). Can we defend the point we have reached on solving basic issues in Turkey? What is more interesting is that neither the CHP nor the MHP administrations feel the need to question this. They do not see this as their mistake. Can those who cannot recognize their own mistakes find a solution to Turkey's most pressing matter?
Both parties are ignoring the way Turkey is changing and where it is heading. They are not trying to understand it because understanding it will not serve their purpose. Let me elaborate on what I am trying to explain by recalling previous general election results.
Let's take Diyarbakır as an example of how CHP's votes from Kurdish citizens have changed in the 11 general elections held over the course of 30 years. CHP's voter percentage in Diyarbakır by years is as follows:
1965: 23.20, 1969: 7.29, 1973: 30.45, 1977: 34.82, 1983: (Social Democratic People's Party [SHP]) 42.02, 1987: 25.53, 1991: (SHP) 49.87, 1995: 1.97 (People's Democracy Party [HADEP]: 46.31) 1999: 3.02 (HADEP: 45.90), 2002: 5.92 (HADEP: 56.13, AK Party: 15.96), 2007: 2.01 (Independents: 47.01, AK Party: 40.90).
This shows that as parties addressed Kurdish nationalism gained popularity, the CHP, which did not address the Kurdish issue, began to decline. It has been on the decline since 1995. In the latest elections, it won 2 percent. That means it cannot garner support aside from government workers.
The MHP's situation is no different. The MHP's voter percentage in Diyarbakır in 1995 was 1.95, 2.76 in 1999, 1.52 in 2002 and 2.45 in 2007. The only winning party in the region is the AK Party. The votes of government workers are slipping back and forth between the CHP and the MHP. Kurdish citizens do not have a vote. Can those who cannot feel in their hearts the pain of losing a child, who do not care about the lamenting of mothers, who are not disturbed by the shedding of blood and who cannot win votes from Kurdish citizens resolve the Kurdish issue?
Let me ask one more question. Why has the CHP and MHP administrations joined hands on the side of those who cannot properly read Turkey and the world? Why are they walking down the same road together? Why?
