The Centre for Socio-Political Field Studies conducted a survey to assess the views, approaches and tendencies of citizens in the mostly Kurdish populated cities of Turkey towards the ‘Kurdish question’, Mesopotamia Agency reports.
Conducted between 1-10 April, the survey assessed the responses of Kurdish people living in 18 provinces in eastern and southeastern Turkey, listed as Diyarbakır (Amed), Batman (Elih), Urfa (Riha), Mardin (Mêrdin), Antep (Dilok), Van (Wan), Şırnak (Şirnex), Siirt (Sêrt), Muş (Mûş), Malatya (Meletî), Iğdır (Idir), Hakkâri (Colemerg), Elazığ (Eleziz), Dersim, Bitlis (Bedlis), Bingöl, (Çewlik) Ağrı (Agiri) and Adıyaman (Semsûr) provinces.
In the study which was conducted online with the participation of 948 people, 59.1% of the research group were “university graduates”, 20.7% were “high school graduates”, 10.3% held a Master’s degree, 6.8% were “secondary school graduates” and 3.2% were “primary school graduates”.
‘The Kurdish question cannot be solved with military methods’ was the response of the majority
A large proportion of participants in the survey stated that the Kurdish question cannot be solved using military methods, the Cumhur Alliance (the alliance between the ruling Justice and Development Party/ AKP and Nationalist Movement Party/MHP) and its leaders are an obstacle to the solution of the Kurdish question, and the policies and discourses of parties other than the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) do not work towards the solution of the Kurdish question.
The survey also revealed that many respondents viewed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan as an interlocutor for the Kurdish question. In response to the question: ‘Who do you think should be the interlocutors for the solution of the Kurdish problem?’, 56.5% of the participants stated that “political parties represented in the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) and the ‘organisation’ (Abdullah Öcalan and the PKK/KCK)” can together solve the Kurdish question. 22.8% of the respondents stated that the “Government and Organization (Abdullah Öcalan and the PKK/KCK)” can together solve the Kurdish question.
95.4% of the participants of the survey defined themselves as Kurdish when they were asked about their ethnicity.
When the participants were asked the following questions regarding their views concerning the definition of the ‘Kurdish question’, the answers came out as follows:
– In total, 82.3% of respondents did not agree with the suggestion that “there is no Kurdish question”.
– 82.5% of respondents agreed with the definition that: “It is a cultural problem that has arisen due to the non-recognition of the mother tongue and identity rights of Kurds”.
– 86.9% of respondents agreed with the view that: “It is a problem arising from not having equal citizenship rights”.
– 55.9% of respondents did not agree with the suggestion that: “It is the problem of an underdeveloped region in terms of economic and educational levels”.
– 61.4% of respondents agreed with the definition: “The Kurdish problem is a problem that arises because the Kurds want to govern themselves”.
– 52.1% of respondents disagreed with the suggestion that: “The Kurdish problem is a problem arising from the Kurds’ desire to establish a country”.
– 81.7% of respondents agreed with the suggestion that: “It is a historical problem with its origins in the past”.
‘Cumhur Alliance is an obstacle’
The percentage of respondents who believed that the discourses and policies of the following political parties relating to the Kurdish issue did not serve to address a solution to the Kurdish problem were as follows: 97.7% of the respondents regarding the MHP, 94.9% regarding the AKP, 93.2% regarding the İYİ Party, 85% regarding the Saadet Party, 82.7% regarding the Gelecek Party, 81.2% regarding the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and 74.3% regarding the Deva Party.
When the participants in the survey were asked: ‘How do you think the Kurdish question can be solved?’, they provided a range of answers. 44.5% of the respondents said: “By returning to the peace/negotiation process”, 29.3% stated “by constitutional recognition and security” and 15.2% stated through “non-conflict and peace”.
When the participants were asked: ‘What or who is the biggest problem/obstacle against the resumption of the solution and negotiation process?’, 45.6% identified the “Cumhur Alliance and its leaders”, 30% “AKP-Erdogan” and 18.1% the “State/Deep State”.
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