DTP supporters have taken to the streets to protest the prison conditions of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan, who is serving a life sentence on İmralı Island, although the Justice Ministry announced that Öcalan’s prison conditions were changed in compliance with international standards. In the wake of recent violence, the DTP leaders have failed to implore their supporters to act with common sense; instead, they seem to be pouring more oil on the fire by making provocative statements that set off more violence. The fact that the Constitutional Court has begun discussing a closure case filed against the party in 2007 over charges of being a focal point of “separatist” activities does not make the DTP pay more heed to its statements to avoid closure. In consideration of all this, many say that the DTP does not actually want a solution to the Kurdish problem and that it continues to flourish from violence.Bugün’s Ahmet Taşgetiren, who says the DTP is acting recklessly about the closure case and the government’s Kurdish initiative, questions how a party can act in such a way about these two crucial issues. “If you want to close it, close it. If you want to give up on the Kurdish initiative process, give up. How can a party say this at a time when the Kurdish problem is on the way to a solution?” Taşgetiren asks. In his view, there can be two reasons for the DTP to remain reckless: it wants to resort to illegality and it hopes to retain relevance from the perpetuation of the Kurdish problem.
Star’s İbrahim Kiras explains the DTP’s attitude cultivating tension by pointing to a dominant feudal culture in the party, which is ruled by PKK leader Öcalan. “Unfortunately there is not a single member of the DTP who acts of their own will. A leader took the will of the entire structure hostage. Even the most reasonable party members are afraid of Öcalan’s reaction when they say something. What do DTP members do? They say the government should speak to Öcalan, not to them, about the Kurdish initiative, hence making their existence meaningless. They also show that the existence of Kurds is no more important than the ‘valuable body’ of Öcalan. They have a problematic understanding which sacrifices the existence of Kurds to the existence of Öcalan,” explains Kiras. In consideration of this, he says the DTP can be expected to fulfill their mission and do their best to prevent the Kurdish initiative process from succeeding, and the closure of the DTP is one of the ways to make this happen. “The best punishment that could be given to the DTP would be to not close the party,” says Kiras.
