Courage that we need

Before delving into details, let me underline two things:

First, this problem is one of perception and belief. Trying to alter strong perceptions held by “others” is not useful; on the contrary, it leads to a deadlock.

If some people consider Abdullah Öcalan their leader, it is of no use to try to change their mind. To tell them what kind of a leader he is will change nothing. Celebrations of his birthday have led to six people losing their lives and at least nine more died when he claimed his new prison cell was smaller than his old one. Claiming that those who think this way were cheated, used by foreign powers or the like will change nothing. The question is, what can be done taking this understanding into consideration, whether we like it or not?

Second, recognition is as dangerous as neglect. In the past, some claimed there were no Kurds; but now, thanks to the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), the discourse has changed. Today, Kurds exist, but they are considered lazy, many think they destroyed everything in the big cities and their language is viewed as primitive. This discourse makes the Kurds hold onto their ethnic identity even more.

These two points are important because it is obvious that the PKK is trying to change the parameters of the discussion. In the past, the matter was between the PKK and the security forces. But in time, and as a result of many mistakes on the part of the state and the government, the structure of the issue changed, with the PKK now wanting to engage in an ethnic Turkish-ethnic Kurdish conflict.

Some Turkish intellectuals claim that nationalism is bad. Since Kurds are nationalists, Kurds must be bad, too. Although it is true that nationalism is bad, there is a difference between being a nationalist and feeling superior to anyone else. It is also a different matter to discriminate against someone due to their ethnicity. As soon as this perception begins to exist, it is nonsense to ask whether discrimination exists or not. If some people believe it to be so, then courage is needed to accept this as fact and to shape policy based on this fact.

Courage is also needed to find a way to explain to the public that removing obstacles before the use of the Kurdish language will not lead to a division of the country. This requires courage because the public has been hearing the exact opposite for at least 25 years.

There are also many intellectuals in this country who preferred to look away when they saw all the mistakes and the totalitarian approach of Kurdish politics. They simply neglected this for the sake of being in solidarity with the oppressed. Whatever happens in Kurdish politics, whether right or wrong, they reasoned, is acceptable because the Kurds are being oppressed. This attitude has paved the way for the deadlock that we find ourselves in today.

If we are in a deadlock now, if the ethnic divide in Turkey has become clear for all to see, these intellectuals are also among those who share the blame.

Courage is also needed to understand that if this Kurdish question is not solved in the near future, every day that goes by will make it even more difficult to solve. New generations are coming, and despite technological advances and a discourse of togetherness, the rift splitting the society apart is getting deeper.

Courage is also needed to give the government the support it needs in the democratization initiative. You may be critical of it, you may not like some of its policies, you may even doubt the intentions of the democratic initiative, but it is time for everyone to support the government in reaching a solution.

We also need courageous Kurds and courageous Kurdish intellectuals who will be able to tell Kurdish politics, whether it acts legally or illegally, about what it is doing wrong. Playing with the country’s ethnic rifts will harm everyone, including Kurds.