Speaking at his party’s parliamentary group meeting yesterday, Erdoğan said: “Look, the scenario is very clear. As it does ahead of every election the terrorist organization wants to influence the election process and shape domestic politics. Some well-known gangs are also cooperating with the terrorist organization in this ugly scenario since their target is the Justice and Development Party [AK Party] government. They did that in the past and they are trying to do that today as well. I strongly believe that my nation will foil these plans. My nation disrupted such plans several times in the past and will do so again,” Erdoğan said as he implied Ergenekon’s suspected cooperation with the PKK. Ergenekon is a neo-nationalist group accused of creating plans to stage a violent uprising against the government.
Erdoğan’s remarks come as yet another response to recent debates on bilingualism and demands for autonomy for Turkey’s Kurds. “I am reiterating that recent artificial debates are part of an ugly plan and trap on part of the terrorist organization and its extensions. I recommend that the media, politicians, civil society organizations and opinion leaders realize this trap and stand by the nation to foil this plan,” Erdoğan added.
The debate over the use of two languages in public places in Turkey was sparked by the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) in mid-December. BDP Co-chairman Selahattin Demirtaş said they would begin a de facto bilingual system in municipalities in the eastern and southeastern parts of Turkey. The bilingualism debate was followed by yet another controversy that erupted last week after the Democratic Society Congress (DTK), which describes itself as a local organization of Kurds in eastern Turkey, announced the first comprehensive draft of its “Democratic Autonomous Kurdistan Model” model at a conference in Diyarbakır and proposed “democratic autonomy” for Turkey’s Kurds.
Erdoğan vowed to continue with the democratic initiative his government launched last year to address the Kurdish issue and strengthen brotherhood and unity in the country. “We will never make concessions on fundamental rights and freedoms. We will neither surrender to pro-status quo, pro-tutelage and denialist mentalities, nor tolerate those who raise tension in politics with unrealistic demands,” the prime minister added.
As Erdoğan delivered his last parliamentary group speech of 2010, he made a brief assessment of the year and said 2010 was a watershed year with respect to Turkish democracy. “We have experienced a busy year. We are leaving behind a year that is full of services provided for our nation. While 2010 was a tough year with respect to the economy for most of the world due to the global financial crisis, we turned 2010 into a year of opportunity when we embarked on new hopes. The constitutional amendments approved by the nation [in a referendum on Sept. 12] made 2010 a turning point for our country and democracy,” he added.
