Northern Kurds expect more than AKP’s economic measures
- KurdishMedia.com - By Cengiz Apaydin
- 12/03/2008 00:00:00
Istanbul, Turkey (KurdishMedia.com) 12 March 2008: After Talabani’s visit to Ankara everybody expected AKP government to propose its package for solving the Kurdish issue. Even though PM Erdogan refused that they had a solution package, it was declared today. AKP’s Kurdish solution was declared by Turkish PM Tayip Erdogan in an interview which was given to New York Times. In this interview Erdogan stated that his government would introduce an investment worth of 12 billion dollars in the northern Kurdistan.
He also stated that there was not a political solution on their agenda and according to his government the Kurdish problem was economical, not political. Erdogan also stated that there would be limited TV broadcasting in Kurdish, Persian and Arabic via state TV stations.
On the other hand Kurdish population and Kurdish non-governmental organizations are not satisfied with this plan. The parliamentarians of pro-Kurdish DTP stated on CNN-Turk that Kurdish issue is the result of a concept that defends ‘one nation’, ‘one language’ and ‘one religion’. Unless it changes, there will be Kurdish question.”
According to Sezgin Tanrikulu, the chairperson of Diyarbakir Bar Association, economy is an important part of the question. But it is not enough to solve Kurdish problem. He stated that Erdogan said that if Kurds broadcast in their language, what are we going to do with Causacs and Lazs? In addition he stated that there should be freedom for everybody.
In the opinion of non-governmental organizations, “everybody must have the right of broadcasting in his mother tongue. Such an approach and plan cannot solve the problem.”
DTP’s group chairman Ahmet Turk, who had a meeting with Turkish president Abdullah Gul yesterday, stated that the constitution should be changed and democratic autonomy is essential for the solution of Kurdish question.
The political and ideological structure of Turkish state is based on nation-state. It means that nation refers to only Turkish ethnicity. As long as there is ethnic based constitution, Turkey will not democratise nor will Kurdish problem be solved. Like the former Turkish parties, AKP also believes that the problem is economic. It does not believe that the problem originated from the denial, destruction and assimilation of Kurdish national identity for more than one century. No matter how AKP tries to solve the problem with economic measures, its plan will not work for Kurdish issue.
- KurdishMedia.com - By Cengiz Apaydin
- 12/03/2008 00:00:00