Solving the Kurdish issue with democracy
by
MÜMTAZ’ER TÜRKÖNE

Until now, all statements from state officials had signified the potential for hopes or expectations. One such remark was from President Gül, who had said, referring to the Kurdish issue, "Good things will happen." The press conference by the interior minister can be seen as the starting point of these good things. This was because Atalay asserted a very important point. He announced that all organs of the state have made up their minds to solve this problem in harmony.

Democratization initiative

The statement by Atalay implies that an all-inclusive, balanced and responsible reasoning has come to the fore. As a side to the issue, the state decided to take action and took its place on the stage. Two points that this statement signify are considerably important. First, it shows that there is coordination among state organs based on an agreement. It seems that the state has discussed the issue and reached an agreement on the policy to be pursued. This means that the trickiest part of the process has been overcome. The existence of generals' self-criticisms over the current counterterrorism strategy has shown that the center of gravity within the state has shifted. Emre Taner, head the National Intelligence Organization (MİT), is one of the most experienced experts on the Kurdish issue in Turkey. The fact that such an experienced Kurdish expert with far-reaching foresight has been appointed as the head of the Turkish secret service give us hints about the extent of the agreement. The government, representing the political will, steps in as the enforcement driver of consensus within the state.

The interior minister's press conference should have positively motivated those who were shuttling between hope and despair with respect to the solution. The initiative devised by the president was a turning point. But what was lacking was the existence within the state of any will toward solution. Now, we can set sail and make great progress in a short time.

The current state of affairs is forcing everyone to be responsible and cautious. The suggestion the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader made, that the prime minister should "eradicate the terrorist organization, then," will make no sense even among the voter base of the party. The interior minister is talking about making a fresh start, wiping the slate clean. Formulas such as eradicating the terrorist organization don't mean much other than paving the way for another wave of martyr funerals. Kurds will feel they are equal and dignified citizens of this country. "Being more Turkish" means "being more Kurdish" for the Kurds. We need to move beyond the narrow confines of ethnic identities and "the nationalism of a small Turkey." "Being more Turkish" does not mean anything other than giving legitimacy to the Kurds' being referred to in the Constitution. A country with the legacy of an empire cannot imprison itself within a separatist strand of Turkish nationalism.

Deliberative democracy

The second important point is that, as Atalay stressed, the democratic initiative is being launched as a process of negotiation. Atalay announced that everyone pondering the issue at hand and particularly the political parties, as representatives of society, will participate in the process. Calling the steps to be taken to settle the Kurdish issue the “democratic initiative” is appropriate given this emphasis on negotiation. The minister said everything written about the issue has been examined and taken into consideration, which makes the proceedings more intellectually prestigious than they have ever been. There are numerous intellectuals and scholars meditating on the issue. Everything uttered concerning the lives of 40,000 people is valuable.

Deliberative democracy implies that democratic processes are important until good results are obtained. Asking someone for his opinion about an issue is important even if his ideas do not mean much in the solution. This is because he will be part of the final product, though his ideas may not have contributed to the creation of that product. Given the psychological aspects of the Kurdish issue and the trauma experienced in connection with it, this is considerably important. The process of negotiation itself is as important as its outcome.

  Democracy is devised to make sure that the will of the people has the final say. A number of methods and conventions are needed to make sure that the will of the masses rules. For this reason, democracy is a matter of procedure and style in the first place. Your destination is less important than how you get there. Atalay says that extended rights and freedoms solve the problems which were previously considered unsolvable. It follows that the content of the democratic initiative is obvious: raising the democratic standards for the Kurdish issue. The state is trying to settle the Kurdish issue by extending rights and freedoms.

Opposition by the MHP

Anti-Kurdish sentiments are represented by the MHP. MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli issued a populism-tainted statement in response to Atalay's press conference. The MHP responded to the steps taken so far with demagogy. For the MHP leader, there is no Kurdish issue. The conflict that Turkey has been experiencing will start with the democratization initiative. Turkey will reach the point of division because of this initiative.

There was also the rhetoric of terror that the military fostered and has been pursuing for 25 years. Under this rhetoric, Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants would be eradicated and the problem will be settled down. Today, the wording the MHP leader is using is no different from the rhetoric that the military has used for 25 years before eventually conceding its failure. It is no coincidence that the MHP leader has decided to use this rhetoric. The settlement of the Kurdish issue will bring about a decrease in the electoral support of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and an increase in that of the MHP. This is what the MHP hopes for. But will this expectation hold? This expectation actually relies on the assumption that the Kurdish initiative will realize the fears that the MHP is tampering with. If it really happens, i.e., if Turkey is divided or finds itself in a much more complicated conflict, then electoral support for the MHP will increase and the AK Party will lose followers. What if the reverse happens?

There will be completely positive atmosphere. We should always remember that there are two aspects to the issue at hand: a Kurdish issue that will be solved via democracy and the rule of law, and the PKK issue that will be settled through the practical mind of the state. All parties to the issue seem to have a responsible and mature stance. We stand at a place where violence has exhausted itself. Now, we are trying what we have never tried before. Democracy both solves the issue and makes us mature, more reasonable and responsible. Self-criticism voiced by Aysel Tuğluk should be regarded as a manifestation of the sense of reasonableness and responsibility that democracy upholds and makes pluralistic. Yet, suppose that the MHP leader says, of the PKK militants who died in armed conflicts: "They are our citizens as well. They have revolted against the state, but after they died, they are nothing but the lost sons of our citizens," what would happen: would Turkey be divided or would its unity be reinforced?

The Kurdish issue is the problem of Turkey. It has cost the lives of 40,000 people. Heavy prices have been paid. Kurds and Turks alike know that a Turkey able to solve the Kurdish issue via democratic initiative will be beaten by no force in the world.

The interior minister opened the box. Everyone is anticipating what is inside that box. A PKK pardon law is the most critical item in this box. The settlement of the PKK issue is reliant on this law. Passing this law or any commitment to pass one will add to the positive expectations that the issue will be solved eventually. The elements of the democratization package will be implemented in time through strong social support.