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Sezai Temelli
“As long as the indictments and war resolutions continue, there will be no solution for the Kurdish question,” writes Sezai Temelli,, former Co-Chair of Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) and HDP’S MP for Yeni Özgür Politika.
The two foremost political tools that the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government has used during it’s governing rule have been war resolutions and indictments. Although they both negatively affect peace and democracy atmosphere within the country, the government continues to mobilise these tools to maintain power.
The establishment of an authoritarian regime domestically and expansionist politics abroad have been taking place in Turkey’s politics.
Both of them are based on hostility towards the Kurds. There was no period of time that the AKP did not launch a cross-border operation since it came to power and these low-intensity war policies in the Middle East have destabilised the region. The government’s aim has been at preventing any democratic solution to the Kurdish question. However, this has also harmed the country and caused it to be consumed by various problems.
The war resolutions are seemingly to be a solution to AKP’s survival problem in various respects. The AKP government was able to get itself accepted by the Ergenekon alliance. This expansionist mentality has been inherited from the Ottoman Empire and was the enemy of the people of the Middle East, especially the Kurds. However, the AKP needs that dirty alliance with the Ergenekon for its own survival.
Secondly, this strategy is seen as inevitable for the government in terms of the sustainability of war policies. Investments of the government in the war industry show that it is both an economic preference as well as a political one. The development and global marketing of Turkey’s arms industry depend on the continuation of war policies.
Finally, this policy creates a great opportunity for the government in terms of domestic politics. The government consolidated its supporters by whipping up racism and division in society. Since most violent acts are towards the Kurds, its supporters have accepted these oppressive politics within the country.
While the construction of an authoritarian regime emerged from the necessity of expansionist foreign politics, it was also deemed necessary for a violent and oppressive domestic policy too. Otherwise, the government would not be able to preserve its power. However, this dialectic will also be the main reason for its collapse.
The Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), which stands against this policy and constantly speaks about democratic politics, the solution of the Kurdish issue, puts peace policies against war policies, opposes isolation in order to open the way for a peace process is always punished by the government by way of indictments. The indictment’s aim is not only to end the opposition but also aims to exclude the HDP from the political arena totally. Although they have repeatedly understood that this is not possible, the reason why they continue this insistence is that they have no other option.
As long as the indictments and war resolutions continue, there will be no solution for the Kurdish question. Democracy and peace in Turkey are dependent on the Kurdish question. To solve the problems of Turkey, we should free the country from those indictments and war resolutions.
