Turkey now has a golden opportunity to finally reconcile with its Kurdish population and, ultimately, with itself. But each side needs to act. The PKK should end its armed struggle. Real peaceful overtures couldn’t have happened as long as Ocalan was in charge. He was never suited to the role of a peacemaker. Neither his extreme authoritarianism nor his cruel character left any place for conciliatory moves. He was a guerrilla commander, not a political leader. Perhaps now a new leadership can emerge, embodying a peaceful Kurdish movement stretching from the Iranian border to Europe and the United States.
The greater will for action must come from Turkey itself. Many Turks accuse “the West” of confusing the PKK with the general Kurdish problem. But Turkey makes the same mistake. Not every Kurd who expresses his cultural identity is seeking to undermine the state. Ankara needs to respond to Ocalan’s capture with greater political openness and a real effort to address Kurdish complaints. As a good-will gesture, the government can release Kurdish politicians who have been jailed under suspicion of PKK ties. Political parties that don’t condone violence should be allowed to thrive, instead of fearing the possibility of imprisonment at every turn. And Kurds should be allowed to broadcast in their language.
We must show that Turkey is a country where Kurds can live without the feeling of victimization and with their cultural identities intact. To continue keeping them under the strict limitations will only mean continued violent outbursts, and perhaps an even more extreme PKK ready to be hired out to the highest bidder. Real terror could come straight into Europe’s living rooms. Last week’s protests are a clear sign that the Kurdish struggle has already moved beyond the remote regions of Anatolia and Northern Iraq.
Without Turkish insensitivity to Kurdish grievances, the PKK would hold little allure for most Kurds. But Turkish officialdom still denies that there is a Kurdish question–only that there’s a problem of terrorism. Such ignorance to what is in fact a huge problem means the entire country must pay: with its citizens’ lives, economic resources, social solidarity and international reputation. It’s time to stop this, and Ocalan’s trial will be a good place to start.
Most of my fellow countrymen may applaud Ocalan’s capture. But once the court is in session, they will see that it is not only Ocalan who is on trial. Rather, they will be looking in a mirror, because the very nature of Turkey will stand before the court, and before the world. In questioning the justness of his battle, we will be questioning the very essence of our state. Are we the bastion of freedom and democracy we claim? Or must we still rely on militaristic repression, forcing everyone to conform to the ideal of secular Turkish nationalism?
American President Bill Clinton recently ended a trial of his own. When it was obvious he would win, the call went out to the victorious White House that nobody should gloat. Turks should heed that call as well. For Ocalan’s capture is not a full victory. And Turkey should not let opportunist prosecutors or hard-line judges hijack this chance for healing deep, decades-long wounds. We must show the world that we did not bring Ocalan here to hang, but to judge. Let this trial be our judgment of ourselves. The overwhelming majority of Kurdish and Turkish citizens of this country are not at each other’s throats. They want peace, nothing more, nothing less. If Ocalan helps this cause, it would be his greatest service to a country where he has, until now, only brought blood and tears. And then, maybe, victory will be ours.
Related Link: Kurdish Plight (This Week’s Photo Gallery)
