Emergency rule suggestion continues to be bashed

In the face of a new spate of terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) attacks last week, Bahçeli said OHAL, essentially a state of martial law, should be re-implemented in the region. Regional leaders joined in the criticism and underlined that the government's democratic initiative should continue and that the strict policies implemented under emergency rule in almost a dozen provinces in the eastern and southeastern parts of Turkey for more 15 years have had devastating effects on the people there, building “insurmountable walls” between them and the state. OHAL was implemented in 10 provinces on July 19, 1987, while three others were labeled as “neighboring” provinces and thus were adversely affected by the ensuing measures.

Emergency rule was extended to one of those three provinces, Bitlis, in 1994 after the level of terrorist activities there rose. OHAL was abolished Nov. 30, 2002. “This method of governance cost the lives of 40,000 people, and we did not see any end to terrorism, either. Those who propose a renewed OHAL these days know nothing about the Kurdish issue, which can only be solved through a governing mentality respecting democratic rights,” said Naim Geylani, a former Hakkari deputy with the now-defunct Motherland Party (ANAP), denouncing the martial way of tackling the issue.

Geylani also lauded the government’s democratic initiative and said it should continue because it has proven so effective in undermining the ground on which PKK justifies its terrorist activities by broadening civic liberties. He added that this is exactly what the Kurdish people are looking for, too, given the fact that the ongoing problem only harms their interests and livelihoods because of the otherwise dim prospect of a peaceful resolution.

Hakkari Governor Muammer Türker also criticized a renewed OHAL in the region. “The circumstances the PKK is seeking emerge under such extraordinary times. Only then will they have the tools to deceive and use the people. And this drives a vicious circle, because as PKK terrorism mounts, resolving the issue becomes harder,” he said, adding that the PKK, contrary to what it declares, only causes grave damage to the Kurds in the region. Türker noted that in addition to killing innocent residents, the PKK also puts the economy of those provinces in jeopardy because “no industrialist can make an investment, and even if one managed to do so he would later be forced to leave the region by the gang.”

In the face of a new spate of Kurdistan Workers’ Party terrorist attacks last week, some said OHAL, essentially a state of martial law, should be reinstated in the region.

Professor Tahir Yaşar from Hakkari University said emergency rule would bring no benefits to resolving the Kurdish issue or to wiping out terrorism. He called for a “courageous and peaceful” approach to resolving the issue rather than imposing hard-line measures under OHAL. He commended the government’s democratic initiative in that regard. “Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan showed great courage by approaching the issue. Kurdish and Turkish intellectuals should shoulder those good-intentioned efforts to end the problem.

Kemal Burkay, a Kurdish poet and intellectual who has been in exile since Turkey’s 1980 coup d’état, also spoke up following Bahçeli’s suggestion. “Those who would like to continue the military tutelage, to hinder democratization and to preserve their privileges are expecting benefits from terrorism. If OHAL comes, those against democracy will win,” he said, adding that politicians should turn to civilian politics for a solid solution. “Military regimes and emergency rule have lost the country 30 years. Should it now lose another 30 years?” he asked.

The response from business circles was no less measured. Independent Industrialists and Businessmen’s Association (MÜSİAD) President Ömer Cihad Vardan said even joking about emergency rule should not be done, given its grave consequences for the country as a whole. “OHAL means setting an obstacle to investment. Forget foreign investment, even our own nationals would not go and invest in the region in such a scenario. Thus the idea should not be uttered, even as a joke,” he noted. Vardan also argued that emergency rule would also badly affect trade with neighboring states such as Iraq, Iran and Syria, as well as with Jordan.