Speaking for peace

When I listened to President Erdoğan in his opening speech to the parliament, I thought he was referring to the tensions within the People's Alliance by emphasizing the “domestic front.” I thought it was just a constitution-oriented search for support. And when Bahçeli’s DEM Party gesture came right afterwards, I thought, “Bahçeli got the message.” 

But then, when the media and politics focused on the question 'new peace process?', the DEM Party voiced the expectation of a ‘solid step’ and there were hints from news that 'backdoor diplomacy' was being conducted, I doubted myself. I might have been missing something, but once again this government did not disappoint. It was only two weeks late. Efkan Ala made the point on NTV: “The peace process is not on our table. It has happened before. Contact with Abdullah Öcalan is not on our agenda.”

If the one-man rule needs to save the day, it can leave Efkan Ala alone, that’s true. Almost none of the actions and policies of the palace and Erdoğan are in line with the ordinary flow of life so that he can take a step that will produce an answer to a very important social expectation such as peace. In this context, I don’t find the media's attitude misleading, on the contrary, I see it as voicing a social expectation. 

More than an expectation, the basic need is to ensure our social peace. Many Kurdish and Turkish people and civil society have opened the door to the possibility, knowing the long-awaited need for internal peace. The government, perhaps unwillingly, has made us talk about the resolution again. The hope in those in favor of peace has blossomed again. We reconsidered what happened in the peace process, what was more or less done, what was right or wrong.

My hope that with such steps, even if unintentionally, we will move towards our lasting peace with the emergence of goodness in the most unfavorable conditions has never diminished. I remember what was said in a closed meeting in the days when the Dolmabahçe Consensus was torn and the peace process was 'officially' terminated. A participant, whose name I will not write because it was a closed meeting, pointed to the Kobani events and said 'the government is making us watch the trailer of the days of conflict'.  I couldn't stand it and interrupted them and said 'let's hope that the days of the peace process will be the trailer of lasting peace'. I was sincere. And I am still hopeful with the same sincerity. As long as I live, my hope remains. But my heart wants to see our social peace realized with all its positive results while we live. If we say let's live to the fullest, it is high time to speak in favor of peace. It is always time to speak in favor of peace.

The Peace Foundation, one of those working tirelessly on this purpose, undaunted by any pressure, has issued a press release on the issue. The text, signed by Hakan Tahmaz, blends cautious optimism with realistic observations that open the door wide to the possibility of peace, while at the same time making one feel that the foundation has its feet firmly on the ground. The text, which can be assumed to have been written before Efkan Ala's speech, summarizes the approaches of the politicians and also includes regional uncertainties. What is important is the hope for peace embodied in the view that the uncertainties on one side can also lead to good prospects for our country. It reminds us that the failures of the Oslo and peace processes have led to the accumulation of new suffering, just like the suffering caused by the conflict processes. 

The text also answers a question that many people have been wondering about. In the text, we find an answer to the question that has been on everyone's mind for the last two weeks: “What do the Kurdish people think?”. The Kurds are the most politicized social group in Turkey, following politics closely. If you randomly ask anyone on the streets, the answer you will get will outweigh the analysis of those who are considered experts. The Peace Foundation press release also lists the mistakes of past experiences and the contradiction between the rhetoric and actions of the ruling bloc in today's environment. Its assessment is in favor of giving hope a chance: Nevertheless, those who want peace, those who struggle for peace can contribute to the socialization of peace if they focus on the future without forgetting the past, without whitewashing evil, without consenting to impunity for crimes and with the experience of the past. Turning new situations into opportunities also requires intervention and struggle.

Yes, there is no peace-oriented work like the peace process in the government's plans, that has been clearly understood. However, the need of societies for peace is essential, and the government should clearly understand this. If we call it social peace, we should know that it is society that will realize it. We, as citizens, are the ones who will force the government to make peace. Since the government does not give up its policy of capitalizing on political and social polarization, society will build its own peace, that's all. 

According to the news, Efkan Ala also expressed why social peace is important and what it does at the end of his remarks. “At a certain point in those processes, the Middle East was devastated. If Turkey had not made those reforms, it would have lost to the projects that wanted to turn it into Iraq and Syria.” The only development he described as a reform that took place thanks to the peace process was the start of state-run TRT's 24-hour Kurdish broadcasting. I don't know how many people are watching, but it is common knowledge that dancing halay to Kurdish music is considered grounds for arrest. It is also known what happened to Kurdish signs and traffic warnings.

The real issue is that the government knows how precious our domestic peace is in the uncertainty created by regional conflicts and popular movements, but in today's hot war environment, it will be content with a few symbolic steps instead of solving the existing problems. The government cannot govern anymore. As it cannot govern the country, it can no longer manage perception. The perception operations it is trying to carry out are gradually exploding in its hands. In his opening speech, Turkey was the target of Israel. Bahçeli created the perception of a solution with his handshake, but two weeks later Erdoğan's deputy said “the game is over.” But everyone should remember that “It ain't over till the fat lady sings.” When it comes to domestic peace in Turkey, the ‘fat lady’ for us is the society itself. 

The last paragraph of the Oct. 17th press release of the Peace Foundation titled 'It's Time to Realistically Demand Peace and Speak for Peace' should be the last word of this article:

“As those who want peace, we will all seek to make the seemingly 'impossible' 'possible' by watching the developments carefully, without reading intentions, but also without allowing the events to be transformed into perception operations, by evaluating them realistically.”

Note: On my own behalf, let me state that I will not follow the phrase 'without reading intentions.' Especially in the case of this government.