Based on the verdict of the court, many would now tend to take the issue of lowering the national threshold off their agenda. However, this does not resolve the problem of wider representation in Parliament in general and representation of the Kurdish movement in particular. I think it is time, if not too late, to integrate the Kurdish political movement into the parameters of national politics.In order to do that, let’s first admit that throwing the Democracy Party (DEP) members of Parliament into prison in 1993 was a great mistake. Action against those parliamentarians was justified on the grounds that they were close to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). What has happened since then? That political tradition, exclusion from the national political stage, has over the years gotten even closer to the PKK. The Kurdish movement has taken part in general elections since then on their own political party tickets, parties repeatedly closed down by the Constitutional Court but never able to pass the 10 percent national threshold.
The political center in Turkey seemed to score against the Kurdish movement by depriving them of political representation in Parliament. But this strategy of the center has backfired. The Kurdish movement is fed by the exclusionary policies of the center and the absence of representation in Parliament. As Kurdish representation in national politics was blocked, their power and popularity in the region increased immensely. The result is that over the years the Kurdish movement has managed to get some sort of autonomy from Turkish national politics.
I would even say remaining outside of national politics barred by the 10 percent threshold turned out to be a deliberate policy of the Kurdish movement because local and ethnic representation of the DEP/DTP line has been strengthened by its exclusion from national politics. The absence of representation at the national level exacerbated the problem by “distancing” the Kurdish movement, away from the gravity of Turkish national politics.
In sum, the politics of exclusion through a high election threshold have proven to be counterproductive. It is now imperative either to change it or facilitate other means of representation to enable the Kurdish movement to engage in national politics.
The Democratic Society Party (DTP) grassroots want to be represented at the national center. A simple display of power and identity through municipalities in the region has not resolved the daily problems of the people in the region. Social and economic conditions are getting worse in Diyarbakir, Batman and Şırnak where people are looking for a new approach. Thus the popular will to be part of national politics has to be heard both by the government and the DTP leadership.
Moreover, a political solution to the problem requires a counterpart to talk to. The presence of the DTP in Parliament as a political party denouncing violence and distancing itself from the PKK will certainly contribute to a peaceful solution to the problem. Furthermore, developments in northern Iraq are likely to increase social tension in Turkey provoking Turkish nationalism on the one hand and encouraging Kurdish adventurism on the other. A reasonable DTP acting responsibly in the parliament would help lower the tension.
How can the Kurdish movement be represented in Parliament? As it is presently not realistic to expect the lowering of the threshold, especially after such a ruling from the European Court of Human Rights, the only other way is to encourage the DTP to take part in the upcoming elections with independent candidates. Sure, the DTP leadership would prefer joining the elections as a political party which would display the power of the Kurdish movement. But it is not the time to display power but rather goodwill and dialogue. This will certainly enhance the integrity of the country and improve the lot of the Kurds.
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