Analysts: Democratic initiative should go on, OHAL would be disaster

Analysts, including Kurdish intellectuals, underline that taking a step backwards in the democratic initiative, which was launched by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government last summer to address Turkey’s long-standing Kurdish issue, and declaring the Southeast an Emergency Rule Region (OHAL) would serve PKK terrorism. They say the terrorist organization shows its ugly face whenever Turkey takes steps to improve its democracy and that the recent series of attacks aim to derail the initiative and the government’s recently approved constitutional amendment package, which is to be referred to a referendum on Sept. 12.

On Saturday, nine soldiers were killed when terrorists attacked an army border unit in Hakkari’s Şemdinli district. Two soldiers were later killed by a land mine in the area. A separate terrorist assault on a military outpost in Elazığ left one soldier dead early on Sunday.

Following the soldiers’ deaths, some circles, most notably Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli, called on the government to declare martial law. Those who most strongly opposed this proposal were ministers during the OHAL period of the 1990s. Former minister Ekrem Pakdemirli said everyone in Turkey suffered because of the OHAL imposed in the ’90s and that Turkey should not return to a time in which the freedom of individuals is restricted.

The martial law in the Southeast that was declared against terrorism remained in place throughout the ‘90s. It was imposed in 11 provinces, mainly in the southeastern part of Turkey, in July 1987, almost two years after the start of the terrorist attacks by the PKK, and was lifted in 2002.

Former State Minister Akın Gönen said he thinks it is irrelevant to talk about OHAL in today’s Turkey as there currently isn’t a situation that warrants the declaration of martial law. He said life would have to be paralyzed in the region for emergency rule to be declared. Gönen called on the government to take concrete steps as part of the democratic initiative, adding that expanding individuals’ democratic rights is a must for Turkey.

Mehmet Kerimoğlu, who was the secretary-general of the Social Democratic People’s Party (SHP) in 1993, also said Turkey understands that OHAL is not a solution as it creates a situation which disturbs people. He said the solution to terrorism was switching to a professional army rather than imposing emergency rule.

Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ also joined the voices opposing the declaration of martial law yesterday, saying, “I do not think that it is necessary to declare OHAL.”

Kurdish intellectuals: PKK harms Kurds

According to leading figures in Kurdish politics, while the PKK has links with dark powers and targets the improving Turkish democracy, introducing OHAL would bring Turkey to a dead end. İbrahim Aksoy, a former deputy from the now-defunct pro-Kurdish People’s Labor Party (HEP), said the recent PKK attacks aim to block the democratic initiative process, stressing that the current situation should not solely be seen as the government’s problem. Noting that some 4,000 Kurdish villages and 3,000 mosques were burnt down before the AK Party government came to power, he said such events had not been experienced during the rule of the current government.

During the 1990s, the Gendarmerie Intelligence and Anti-Terrorism Organization (JİTEM), an illegal group formed within the gendarmerie, is known to have turned the southeastern parts of Turkey into an empire of fear as thousands of Turkish citizens of Kurdish ethnicity lost their lives in extra-judicial killings and thousands of Kurdish villages were burned.

Fehmi Demir, a former administrator of the Democracy and Change Party (DDP), also said such attacks come at times when pro-democracy steps are being taken. Stating that the recent situation should not be evaluated as the PKK stepping up the violence, he said there are some circles in the country that have benefitted from the “dirty 30-year war” in the Southeast.

Kurdish writer Cemil Demircan also thinks that all the PKK’s attacks aim to halt the government’s democratic steps. Stating that the PKK is severely criticized by Kurdish intellectuals and never favored, Demircan said the AK Party government should stick to its democratic initiative without any concessions. “If the PKK is strong the government is stronger. The government should persuade the public to be patient with the democratic initiative. This will take some time, but the government should not give up its efforts,” he said.