FIFTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE EU TURKEY AND THE KURDS

FIFTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE EU, TURKEY AND THE KURDS
logical needs of the society, will enable us to get closer and closer to such a society
and democracy.
If communal society and ethnic social arrangements, which are closer to equality, and
which the peoples of the Middle East have lived through for a long time are amalgamated
with the means of science and technology of the modern era, a more developed,
democratic, ecological society, based on freedom of the sexes will be epitomised as
the most noble value.
Three Paths for Turkey
Under the light of these alternatives, if we look at the reality of Turkey, we are faced
with three paths and three tendencies. In the process of reform and transformation
based on the Kurdish question, these three paths and three tendencies will try to remain
permanent through the struggle between the relations and contradictions of the
parties. The logical, moral and political education, organisation and action aspects of
the struggle itself will determine which path and which tendency will remain permanent
and dominant.
The first path and tendency is the pro-status quo, inward-looking, divisive and violence
inducing nationalist paradigms and practices that had been exercised in the
recent past. This tendency is charged with a racist nationalism on the Turkish side
and by definition it is very hard-line statist old fashioned conservative without distinguishing
between left and right. Armed with “a state of permanent paranoid perception,
as a state, a nation, even a society they are under the impression that the last
bastion of Turkishness is about to fall, the honour and true faith is at stake, and their
schizophrenia is beyond salvaging. It does not neglect the requirements of Islam either,
believing that this state of mind will sort out the situation anyhow. As opposed
to a true conviction, a showpiece of Kemalism, is the widespread stance both within
the state structure and the wider society. This tendency’s reflection upon the Kurdish
politics is the form of rejectionism, ‘out of sight, out of mind’ attitude, keeping
Kurds excluded from the society and when rebelled, to suppress them with extreme
prejudice.
The second tendency and path has emerged from the first one by means of an
alienation process. It may also be called the weak liberal bourgeois path. The real
emergence of it coincides with the globalisation boom of post-1980’s The ANAP 52
experience, lead by Turgut Ozal was the first version of it. It aims at joining the supranational
tendency for globalisation. By definition it is not anti-oligarchic. It is far
from being fully open to democracy. Rather than being truly democratic, it satisfies
itself by exploiting democracy as a means to its own interests. Its clash with the previ-
52 Anavatan Parti- Motherland Party, a liberal-reformist party of 1980’s and 1990’s. Still in existence,
hence a minor party without deputies.
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