The Peoples’ Democratic Party’s (HDP’s) MP for Istanbul, Erol Katırcıoğlu, shared his views regarding the causes and consequences of the deadlock in the resolution of the ‘Kurdish question’ and the isolation policies that are being imposed against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan with MA.
Katırcıoğlu argues that the ‘Kurdish question’ is the main problem in Turkey, because the deadlock over this issue has become the main source of arbitrary rule/political instability and extra power which enables those who wield the authority of the state to directly go beyond their legal authority.
“This has adverse impacts on both politics and the economy. It creates black holes and causes the rise of corruption. As (organised crime boss) Sedat Peker claims, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu uses excessive power even though he has no authority. As a result, it is closely related to the formation of these uncontrollable groups. It suggests that the state has ceased to be a state of law and has become a kind of mafia state. Society suffers from that excessive power.”
Stating that the ‘Kurdish question’ has been an important aspect that legitimizes unlawful state practices, Katırcıoğlu emphasized that the unlawful practices adopted in the Kurdish-majority east has been increasingly spreading to the whole of society.
“It is not possible for Turkey to get anywhere without solving the ‘Kurdish question.’ They say, ‘Keep a distance between you and the PKK.’ PKK members are, after all, the people of this society. Most of them have ID cards. Therefore, the main question to be asked is ‘why’ the PKK exists.”
Katırcıoğlu believes that the public in Turkey should be asking the question: ‘Why is there such an insurgency?’ They should engage in an honest discussion revolving around this question. Only in this manner, he noted, can the ‘Kurdish question’ and the ‘democracy question’ be solved.
He finally pointed out to strict isolation conditions that have been imposed on Abdullah Öcalan, who has been jailed in Imralı Island since 1999. He highlighting his views concerning the grounds for such a strict confinement.
Katırcıoğlu believes that people need to hear what Abdullah Öcalan has to say, but the isolation eliminates this possibility. “Öcalan is in isolation because he said: ‘I will solve the Kurdish question in a week.’ By imposing isolation on him, they prevent us from benefitting from his ideas.”
Katırcıoğlu suggested that if the opportunity to communicate with Öcalan was provided, “We will have the opportunity to benefit from the vision he has gained through his readings and experiences in prison for 20 years. The HDP has brought this vision to the agenda. You have to give it a chance.”
