Apology: A magical word in recent initiative to resolve Kurdish issue? (1)
by
AHMET TURAN AYHAN*

As the strong voice of the Western world, the pope was aware that this apology would not suffice to reverse the worsening relations between the West and the East; but he was also well aware of the fact that he did not have anything to lose by making this constructive move. His decision to admit the impasses of Western civilization and express the political and cultural limits of its imperialism raised the prestige of the West; this gesture also showed that a wise move was actually fairly valuable. For the Western world, the gesture was an opportunity to realize its brutalities and wrongful actions.

As long as it is sincere, an apology represents a language that will generate solutions for even extremely politicized problems. What makes an apology valuable is who offers it and its timing. For instance, an apology offered by a politician known for his inconsistency and dishonesty may not be meaningful, for this reason Gandhi saw the growing inconsistency in human behavior as the biggest problem of world civilization.

He also pointed to a universal law when he argued that people would support you unconditionally if you served to a rightful and legitimate cause. What we learned from the world of this man of honor and wisdom should take us to the universal law that will resolve our Kurdish issue. The language of universal laws is the language of the heart; it is consistent with the pure reality; it does not seek tactics or strategies. It considers only humans and their happiness. It rejects the brutality and cruelty as reflected in remarks made by Süleyman Demirel who argued that people may be killed for the good of the state. Taking place in the axis of this culture and civilization, which establishes close a relationship between the death of one man and the vanishing of the entire universe, requires action to oppose the idea that massacres can be committed for the benefit of the state.

Did not the tortures, rapes and killings in Diyarbakır's prison increase hatred of the state? Is it possible to argue that the mindset that alienated the people from the state by discriminating against the sons of this country who have been living together in peace on this soil is part of a culture of tolerance crystallized by the ideas of great thinkers including Hacı Bektaş, Yunus Emre and Pir Sultan Abdal?

The government's roadmap

For this reason, the Kurdish issue is not resolvable by merely confessing to past mistakes committed against people from a certain ethnic group. Above all, the resolution of the Kurdish issue should dare to take action to deal with a mindset that had no reservations about spilling blood. For this reason, the opening should be an apology; if this apology is proved to be sincere and inclusive, the rest will follow. However, dealing with the murderers of this culture who exacerbated the Kurdish issue is a must. There are opportunities to do this, the only thing we need is a strong will to take such an action. The Ergenekon trial addresses these evil actions; if proper actions are taken to reveal the goals of the longstanding ties of the brotherhood between Kurds and Turks, a brand new page may be started on the story of this brotherhood. For this reason, devising a roadmap that will consider emotions and sentiments, but is based on rational steps, is a valuable move.

 I noticed a striking idea while reading Karl Popper, “An economic policy that has yielded positive results in a certain part of the world may not work well in other parts.” He is right; similar results may not be obtained from the same remedies because of the different emotions of the people, different cultural dynamics, the unique political atmosphere and the problems different countries are suffering from.

 Today, those who offer a wide range of solutions for the Kurdish issue either do not know the Kurdish reality and the difficulties involved or they do not want to move away from the daily agenda. An approach that relies on models such as the Algerian model or the Basque model to resolve the Kurdish issue need to talk about the democratization of the state first; the paradigm of a brutal and despotic state is opposed, not only by Kurds, but also by many other groups. For this reason, it is wrong to concentrate on resolving the Kurdish issue alone.

 What I am trying to say when connecting the resolution of the Kurdish issue to the Ergenekon case is of course the faith implying that this process will take us to an understanding of a democratic state. It is not for nothing that a wise man, speaking about a woman who refused to enter a city arguing that the danger posed by the state is greater than the threat posed by the wild animal that ate her child and husband on the mountain, finds her reasoning plausible.

 The quote from Karl Popper actually means is that the Kurdish issue cannot be resolved by a reliance on political models. As long as the core source of the problem remains alive, it will be difficult to overcome the issue. For this reason, moves that will eliminate the reasons which started the problem in the first place are valuable and meaningful. However, the issue cannot be handled through material moves alone; these should be supported by approaches that will resolve cultural and political impasses. Instead of wasting time by relying on classical designs and solutions, we need a fresh start that will make reference to a sincere discourse.

Who will be on the other side of the table; Öcalan?

The ability of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) -- which made the correct move by not being argumentative with Abdullah Öcalan -- to show that it is playing a determined role in the process depends on its sincerity and ability to develop a special and unique discourse which goes beyond security arguments. If the AK Party wants to lead a fresh start by doing something new and special, it may rely on a small yet powerful tool: an apology. This will first confess the state's brutality against the Kurds and then be followed an apology for the deprivation of these people's basic rights in a violent environment.