Turkey’s poverty map is a good indicator of who the real separatists are, according to Tuncer Bakırhan, co-chair of the People’s Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, who has been addressing voters ahead of local elections scheduled for 31 March.
As his party continues its campaigning efforts with public meetings and rallies in various cities, Bakırhan attended rallies in Erzurum (Erzirom) and Bingöl (Çewlig) over the weekend, advocating a policy of peace over militarism.
Bakırhan criticised what he sees as anti-Kurdish policies in Turkey, saying: “Neither food nor jobs are brought to places where Kurds live. There is only repression and migration. He argued that the Kurdish language and elected Kurdish officials are being disregarded by the imposition of state-appointed trustees on municipalities, which he sees as an attack on the will and future of the Kurdish people. “So this election is an opportunity. The DEM party is the future of the Kurdish people, their language and their past, and the only advocate for a dignified life with equal rights in this country,” Bakırhan said.
Responding to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s remarks on the updating of Turkey’s national security policy document, colloquially known as the “Red Book”, Bakırhan made a call for peace. He interpreted the Red Book as a policy aimed at assimilating the Kurds, denying them their language and services and erasing the Kurdish identity from the land.
“It is time to bury those who are against us at the ballot box on 31 March. Turkey needs books of peace, not red books,” he urged, proposing a collective effort to write a new chapter of peace in Turkey.
Highlighting Turkey’s economic disparities and unemployment, Bakırhan contrasted his party’s efforts to provide services and create opportunities for women and young people with the policies of its opponents.
He framed the upcoming election as a battle against a century of policies that have marginalised Kurds and persecuted Kurdish politicians. He praised the financial management and services provided by Kurdish-led municipalities and accused opposing forces of transferring illegal voters to Kurdish areas to influence the outcome of the election, calling on everyone to vote, and to protect their right to vote.
