Climbing down to civilization

The returnees came as good news to both the government and their families. It seems that the “democratic initiative” is yielding its first fruits. Interior Minister Beşir Atalay told the press that the 34 were only the first group to surrender. “There will be about 150 returnees,” he said.

One-hundred fifty is not a huge number, but it is significant. In fact that may be the largest number of terror suspects surrendering at once in human history. If realized, that number may signal a full-fledged, all-inclusive plan running in the background.

The parents of ex-PKK militants coming back to their homes should have been seen. Those mothers crying out in joy and fathers relieved of the fear of receiving bad news about their children. A mountain is not a good place to live. And it is high time to leave the mountains.

Will this process continue and come to a completion?

It depends on several factors. It depends on the sincere decision of the PKK. Do they want to come down the mountains in order to be more active in the city centers, or are they changing their perception of ethnic identity, constitutional citizenship and being a part of a unitary Turkey? The returnees were set free by Turkish prosecutors. Were they set free by the PKK also? Are they free to establish normal lives, have jobs, families and children? Are they free to be at peace with their former enemies -- us?

It depends on the determination of the government to continue with the democratization and human rights endorsement program with all its might. The architects of the new “openings” in Turkish domestic and foreign policy -- the democratic initiative, the Alevi initiative, the Armenian rapprochement, the Syrian romance -- all claim that what is being done domestically and on the eastern borders of Turkey is in fact complementary to what Turkey is doing on the European Union front. Let those declarations be sincere. We are not on a train; we are on a bicycle. We can keep the balance only if we continue to move. If we delay the EU reforms, we will certainly endanger the success of the democratic initiative.

Success depends on the readiness of the general public to re-educate itself. Thirty years of violent conflict have formed our prejudices. There are thousands of people in Turkey who have lost one of their close relatives to PKK terrorism. There are thousands of Kurdish parents who have lost their children either to PKK terrorism or to the counter-terrorism activities of the state or even of the deep state. These have created a history on which a whole identity can be based. What is done cannot be undone. We all have to work hard now in order to ensure that the grievances and pains of the current generation won't be inherited by the next one. That requires patience, determination and readiness to change. That requires the parents of martyrs to be wise enough to say that “we don't want extra martyrs” instead of saying that “they want revenge.”

Success depends on the success of the economy. The democratic initiative had more chance in 2004 since the economy was blooming, and it would be easier to use state funds to help the disadvantaged parts of society. The government and business circles have the duty of working harder now. Turkey needs more job opportunities than it ever needed before.

Success depends on civil society and the endorsement of the initiative with civilian moves. It depends on men of religion who would use the power of faith to cure the wounds and not open new ones. Success depends on the media.