Kurdish move auspicious, says Sweden’s Baksi

Journalist and writer Kurdo Baksi, who emigrated from Turkey to Sweden in 1980, is the winner of 13 international awards including the 1999 Olof Palme Prize. Baksi, a published author of eight books -- most on immigration and immigration policy -- is a valued expert in the Swedish media on Kurdish affairs. He is a regular contributor to the Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter. Baksi shared his opinion on the government's recently announced Kurdish initiative, which will introduce democratic reforms to expand the freedoms of Kurds, calling it a positive step both for Kurds and for the government. “Of course, I have some criticisms, but I think such a positive outlook on the Kurdish question is good for both Kurds and Ankara. Until now, the Kurdish question was taboo. … This is why guns were used earlier.”

He also praised President Abdullah Gül, who used the traditional Kurdish name, Norşin, for a village in Bitlis, instead of its current name, Gürpınar, which was changed during the republican era. Recalling that there was a strong reaction against Gül, particularly from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Baksi said: “I am proud that the president used Norşin's traditional name. These are places I'm familiar with, that I know. This is why I want the names of Kurdish towns be in Kurdish. Kurdish and Turkish are not the same language. This doesn't show divisions; it shows Turkey's wealth of diversity.”

Baski said the removal of pressure on the use of Kurdish in the public sphere was very important. “As long as Kurdish isn't spoken and used freely, the Kurdish question will always be there,” he added. Sharing his own suggestions for the Kurdish initiative, Baksi said recognizing Kurdish as a language of Turkey in the Constitution would be an important step. He also said students should be given access to education in Kurdish from primary school until the last year of university. He called for the names of Kurdish villages that have been changed to be restored. “In addition, I also want to see Kurdish being used in official institutions, particularly in courts,” Baksi added, saying legal recognition of Kurds and Kurdish would solve the problem entirely.

A legal basis for TRT 6

Baksi also praised the government for launching TRT 6, a Kurdish-language state television station that has been broadcasting since January. “There are great programs on TRT 6. Actually, I appeared on one of their shows to speak. I really enjoyed that. But as long as TRT 6 does not have a legal identity of its own, when the Justice and Development Party [AK Party] leaves and another government is voted in, TRT 6 will be shut down. As a Kurd, I want TRT 6 to have strong fundamentals,” he noted.

He also said a general amnesty for the militants of the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) would be an important step to integrate into the Kurdish initiative, saying this would bring many people back home.

He also said he believed that the AK Party was very determined and serious in its approach to the Kurdish question. However, he said the military's backing was crucial. Baksi criticized the Republican People's Party (CHP) and the MHP for their staunch opposition against the Kurdish initiative. He accused the CHP of not wanting to solve the Kurdish question. “I am afraid to see [CHP leader] Deniz Baykal on television. I am ashamed for humanity that there are people like him in Turkey. I have never seen such a nationalist, racist and anti-socialist person in my life before; I don't know what else to say,” Baksi said. He also accused Baykal of harboring hatred toward Kurds. “Baykal holds a great grudge against and hatred for Kurds. As a Kurd, as a citizen of the Republic of Turkey, I get really upset when I see him on television,” he said, adding that he was making an effort to have the CHP expelled from the Socialist International. “I should say this openly: I am lobbying for this. I am working with all the leftist and socialist members of parliaments in the world to make that happen. Since the CHP announced Kurds as the enemy, now the CHP is my enemy,” he said.

He added that it was very important for the PKK to lay down arms. “I want the PKK to lay down arms, and I want [PKK leader Abdullah] Öcalan to call for the Kurdish language to be recognized constitutionally. I think it is wrong to ask for lesser rights. … You will recognize our language in the Constitution, and we will live together in unity as citizens of the Republic of Turkey. Everything else will be solved from there on, I believe,” he said.