Opportunity emerges -- from Van

Yavuz Baydar

There is such a huge difference between causes of death. Just a week or so ago the country was traumatized by an abominable attack that killed 24 soldiers. Two days ago, retaliatory action resulted in -- according to military sources -- the deaths of 270 Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) insurgents. There were Kurds, as I wrote in my previous article, among the soldiers and many of the militants were Kurds from Turkey.

The earthquake that hit the predominantly Kurdish province of Van on Sunday has killed over 300 people. The worst hit area, the district of Erciş, is almost purely Kurdish, with political sympathies equally divided between Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and Peace and Democracy Party (BDP).

Death and killings are once more dominating the agenda but this unexpected strike by Mother Nature may hopefully come to show the meaninglessness of the armed confrontation that seems to be escalating again. The PKK has been waging an artificial war, which only serves evil purposes, because it is taking place at a time when politicians, including the elected 30 Kurdish deputies present in Parliament, have a historic opportunity to secure an environment where all citizens will be able to enjoy basic human rights and freedoms.

Earthquakes bring people closer and can make even hostile leaders talk to each other. In 1999 it brought together Turks and Greeks after a “big chill,” when an earthquake brought disaster to İzmit and İstanbul. This latest earthquake was also a pretext for Benjamin Netanyahu and Serge Sarksyan to offer help and express condolences.

What about the Turks and Kurds? One might argue that there has never been a real problem between them, but comments in both conventional and social media platforms immediately after the earthquake seem to contradict this. Expressions of hatred and “let them die” type of comments were visible, disturbing and a cause for concern. There is no doubt that each instance of meaningless violence by the PKK has caused the emotional gap to increase.

Truly this earthquake is an opportunity. It has once more done what it does, bringing out the humanity in people and opening gates. As the dust from this disaster starts to settle we may see a new spirit coming alive, uniting truly “civilian-minded” Kurds and Turks to defy death and killings. We may hope to see a new front for peace and harmony but everything will depend on how much effort is made in that direction. Two elements are still rather disturbing: The enthusiasm to help in other regions of Turkey was incomparable to the one for Somalia, and Kurds, though hurt by the disaster, still express suspicion and mistrust towards “the other.” This is therefore, a great opportunity.

Successfully defying artificial warfare still looks remote, but it may be helpful. The bloodshed in Çukurca and its aftermath should leave nobody in doubt. The historic opportunity before Parliament and civil society -- however weak it may be -- for a new constitution will continue under the horrible shadow of PKK guns, mines and rockets. Reform, which has now reached a very critical stage, will be a full-scale uphill battle, just because the language of terror is what remains of the “internal resistance” to a new (unprecedented) social contract for Turkey.

The agenda should remain unchanged. The Kurdish identity must be recognized (by staying away from any references to Turkish nationalism in a new constitution) and decentralization, or the devolution of power, must be carefully designed and secured in the same draft.

Most importantly, the right to an education in the Kurdish mother tongue must be a given. In this context the government has strong backing. Fethullah Gülen, the respected Islamic scholar and popular spiritual guide of the “global movement of service,” recently commented that “schools in the United States offer Turkish as an elective course. Why wasn’t Kurdish offered as an elective course at [Turkish] schools.” Some reformist figures in the main opposition People’s Republican Party (CHP) are also pushing their leadership to reach a consensus on these issues with the AK Party. For many, milestones in the road ahead are clear.

Much work remains to be done on the path that the Van earthquake has opened up. These issues discussed above are the real matters for Kurds, and not the PKK. If the momentum for a new constitution becomes successful it will bring about the decline of meaningless warfare.
 
Published on Today's Zaman, 25 October 2011, Tuesday