MHP’s Vural: ‘Turkey forced to deal with fabricated problems'

A candid conversation over breakfast

Interestingly, Oktay Vural grew up in the Southeast. Vural, born in Siirt's Tillo district, said: “I am from Tillo, and for this reason, I know the people of the region.” Noting that changing the name of Tillo to Aydınlar was not a political decision, Vural argued that this is something that was done in most parts of Turkey. Recalling that recent legislation that made the trial of military officers before civilian courts possible had increased tension, Vural gave details about what happened that night. Noting that he had warned others about missing parts in the bill, Vural asserted that their faith had exploited by word games. Speaking on the discussions about HSYK appointments, Vural underlined that the AK Party had pursued a policy of tension in an attempt to drag the judiciary into political discussions.

‘Separation is not a viable option, and there is no end to it’

Some military officers have contributed to the process of separation, division and conflict -- as you call it. Some of them have even confessed the mistakes they had committed while on active duty.

These were illegal. They cannot be endorsed as legitimate policies. The state does not commit politically motivated murders. Only the state has the right to rely on coercive measures. But use of coercion depends on the existence of some basic conditions. Yes, some mistakes were committed. But our party, the MHP, was never involved in these mistakes. I should also note that we never governed the country alone; we had to take part in coalition governments.

Even so, none of us made attempts to reveal these mistakes while they were being committed. For instance, people have been denied the right to speak their native language for decades, to choose the name they like for their kids. Do you think that we should have raised our voices against such unjust practices?

These were not the choice of the nation. This was part of a mistaken action and practice. We should not ignore the fact that some plots were staged to undermine the unity of the state and society during this process. We have to consider the core goal and target. So, we need to be alert about such sensitive issues.

Correct me if I am wrong. I understand from what you said that the things being done right now should be done, but the case is different if they are sought by foreign actors.

No, I am not saying this. That would be very categorical. It would be wrong to consider them things that should be done. It is improper to undermine the education system based on the Turkish language. It is wrong to ignore the elements protecting Turkishness. Legislation that legalizes separatism is part of a grave mistake.

I did not mean any of what you said. There is widespread agreement and consensus over most of these things anyway.

Yes, the society has no problem with these. However, if some people argue that they should hold sovereignty in this geography because of their distinct identity, this would be unacceptable. Sovereignty cannot be divided; we cannot accept the idea of partitioning Turkey based on different identities. The prime minister's discourse is similar to the jargon of the Marxists if you look at it from this perspective.

How would you comment on the popular choices in the elections in the region?

Let us take a look at the votes cast for the parties in the region. Is it possible to argue that local people made free and democratic choices considering the pressure from the terrorist organization? I am talking about murdered people, coercively closed stores. The state should do its job and make sure that people go to their workplaces; the state should be able to flex its muscles. It would be wrong if the state assigned new graduates to the region as district governors. You have to eliminate terror first. You should take proper measures to make sure that terror is not used for political ends. You should deliver your messages of brotherhood and peace.

Your party decided not to run in the elections in Diyarbakır; are you having difficulty delivering inclusive messages?

Actually, no; first of all, the [Kurdistan Workers' Party] PKK's major goal was to intimidate Kurdish people. They murdered people over there. Do we make a distinction between the people buried in graves? This organization killed people and buried them in an attempt to create an environment of intimidation and terror. There are some problems in such a fragile environment, and it is just normal. We should eliminate this state of intimidation first. Today, the [Democratic Society Party] DTP and the [Justice and Development Party] AK Party are seeking to attract votes via ethnic messages. Ours is not a party relying on ethnic politics. There is an ongoing competition between the AK Party and the DTP over identity politics. I think that the election results will be healthier and more rational once a state of peace is achieved in the region.

Making references to Turkishness, stressing the Turkish identity and inscribing the famous motto “How happy is he who calls himself a Turk” on the mountains -- isn't that pressure as well?

Unfortunately, this was not the case. I grew up in Diyarbakır. Ziya Gökalp was from the same city. This became a problem after its politicization. It was not something done with bad intentions. It was not done to underline and praise a certain identity. These are all attempts to promote self-confidence. The motto was doing this.

There are rumors that this motto will be erased.

But this is not the problem. Erasing this motto will require political will, but the inscription of this motto on the mountains was not the result of a political decision or action. It was done after some heroic actions. Who knows, maybe [the person] who did this was a Kurd. We should not belittle our common values. You need to tell people how inclusive and comprehensive your values are and make sure that there is no discrimination. If you do this, the problem will be resolved. But separation is not a viable option, and there is no end to it.

The same fact was stated by the prime minister in 1991; he said there is nothing wrong with this motto. I see Turkishness as combination of the common values that we have developed in this part of the world over centuries. I do not see it as a reason for a struggle or competition between Turks and Kurds.