He is young and inexperienced in the field, but he is quite intelligent and has many brilliant observations about Turkey. Speaking with him is always an inspiring experience for me. Yesterday, I found him reading Aliza Marcus’s book, “Blood and Belief: The PKK and the Kurdish Fight for Independence.” He looked in deep thought about the book. First he recommended the book. He said, “Marcus really gives insight about the [Kurdistan Workers’ Party] PKK.” Upon his recommendation, I immediately put this book on the top of my reading list. I am going to read it soon. But he also said: “While reading this book, a question started to wander in my mind. If we go and talk to [Abdullah] Öcalan and say to him: ‘Look, we will solve the Kurdish question. Kurds will enjoy every right and freedom they demand. Whatever they want, they will get. But we have one condition, that you leave the leadership of the PKK and Kurds. You will not be a part of this process. You will distance yourself from this process.’ Would he accept this offer, would he do this sacrifice for his people?” And our young activist answered the very question he himself asked. “No way, his ego is just so big; he would never ever accept anything that would diminish his role in this process.” I think our young activist touched the core of the conundrum from which we are now deeply suffering.I am sure you notice that I do not mention my young colleague’s name because I believe his remarks may put his safety in danger because he is a Kurd and is from the Kurdish region. The PKK can put his name on their black list. This is another reality of this country. I assure you in today’s Turkey criticizing the PKK is one of the most dangerous things, especially if you are a Kurdish person. The PKK has killed and threatened Kurdish intellectuals just because they were criticizing it. The PKK has no tolerance toward criticism; neither is it willing to share its power with anyone.
In the last few days, a couple of columnists wrote that Gülşen Orhan, who is a Kurdish deputy from the Justice and Development Party (AKP) who has just organized a festival for Kurdish poet Feqiye Teyran in Van, has been threatened and taunted by some PKK circles. She was threatened just because she organized this cultural event. I am not surprised at all. The PKK would like to dominate anything and everything in Kurds’ lives. It would like to be the only power, a power which will decide what is good and what is bad for the Kurds and how they should live and think. In short, we face a totalitarian organization. And in this totalitarian organization Öcalan is the cult figure from which the legitimacy of the actions of the PKK and the Kurds is derived.
If we return to the question my young colleague asked, it really shows us the dilemma we are in. These recent attacks by the PKK did not start because they wanted to get more rights for Kurds or anything like that. All of these things are happening just because the PKK wants Öcalan to be accepted as the only legitimate source for any negotiation concerning the Kurdish question. They also want Öcalan to be set free. There is no strategic calculation, no long-term thinking here for the advancement of the rights and the betterment of the lives of the Kurds. On the contrary, I am sure they are aware that the steps they are now taking may make everything difficult for a solution to the Kurdish question. No one cares for this anymore. The leader’s will is above everything, even if this “will” is in conflict with the best interests of the people who he allegedly represents. There is no doubt we have a serious question, and its name is the Kurdish question, which can be solved in a democracy, with more democracy and freedoms. But we have another problem that has also been created by the Kurdish problem and its name is the Öcalan problem, the solution of which is entirely dependent on one person’s will, his, of course. Öcalan is a cult for PKK sympathizers, but at the same time he is the most hated figure in this country for large segments of society. The more PKK attacks there are to try to make Öcalan free, the bigger the hatred towards Öcalan becomes. If Öcalan accepted taking a low-profile role in this process and allowed the pro-Kurdish party -- or any group that does not include him -- to take a more active role then everything would be much easier. We need to solve the Öcalan problem in order to start solving the PKK and Kurdish problems. It seems to me, however, that we are far from any solution, and we are moving further away. We are just returning to our default adjustments in which only hawks and nationalist words are heard. Öcalan may be imprisoned, but the whole nation becomes a captive of him, too. Apparently no one will let the other one be free!
