Bayık said that the message Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan gave on Newroz on 21 March needed to be understood and evaluated correctly, and noted that Öcalan's message was a kind of referendum that has been agreed on by the Kurdish people. Bayık noted that in his message Öcalan asked the whole world if they asked for a democratic political solution to the Kurdish question and to the question of freedom and democracy in Kurdistan, Turkey and the Middle East.
Bayık criticized debates and statements that indicate the withdrawal of PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) forces as the solution of the issue. "The ceasefire and withdrawal of our forces - he said - will have a meaning only if they serve for the development of democratization in Turkey and the Middle East".
Reminding of the previous guerrillas withdrawal in 1999 when guerrilla forces suffered attacks, deaths and arrests, Bayık pointed out that the withdrawal of guerillas will not take place unless the state ensures a legal ground for it. He warned that it was wrong and dangerous to defend that the withdrawal could be enabled by means of administrative measures. Noting that the Turkish parliament should also decide on the withdrawal and make a call for it, Bayık said that the present laws which authorize the Turkish army for operations against guerrilla forces needed to be changed to guarantee the withdrawal. Bayık evaluated the statements of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and some other AKP executives as an indication of their persistence on not coming up with a solution to the Kurdish question.
Bayık stated that the government should both take legal measures and establish a committee of wise people to prove their sincerity about finding a solution. He noted that this committee should be independent from all parties and circles and serve to arbitrate between the state and guerrilla forces. The committee should be made up of people who represent all circles and social groups in the society. Bayık noted that women should make up the majority of this committee to ensure an advancement in the process with their perspective siding with justice and peace against war and cruelty.
Bayık said the debates which put emphasis on the sensitivities of the Turkish side in this process were a consequence of the dominant mentality which refused to see Kurds as a people and to take their sensitivities into consideration. This approach is based on the exploitative mindset and the attitude of dominant nations on the oppressed, he said and added that the solution of the Kurdish question should be grounded on the recognition of the will of the Kurdish people.
“Kurds are ready to show solidarity, to listen to all circles and to exchange opinions but they refuse to agree on the solution that the AKP government imposes on them and their organization, the PKK. A solution cannot be achieved by means of threats, as we have experienced in the last 30 years. It requires dialogue, negotiation and mutual agreement”, he added.
Bayık noted that Kurdish leader Öcalan needed to be granted equal opportunities as the state so that the negotiations can take place on equal terms between both sides. He noted that the current process, in which Öcalan had to act alone and under unfavorable conditions, could not bring along a democratic solution. Bayık underlined that “In order to make a decision and exchange opinions on the process, Öcalan needs to hold talks with the BDP (Peace and Democracy Party), PKK, socialist and democratic circles, Alewis, Armenians, the oppressed and women who all face a problem of democracy and freedom and an obstacle to express themselves”.
Bayık pointed out that Öcalan aimed to come up with a solution to the Kurdish question in all parts of Kurdistan without affecting the borders. “Our previous paradigm had an intention of removing these borders on the basis of establishing a state by exercising the right to national self determination. However, our new paradigm, which is democratic confederalism, bases on the democratization of peoples in Turkey and the Middle East and coming up with a solution to their problem of freedom, equality and justice”.
Bayık warned that should the current process fail, this could lead to a dangerous time not only for PKK and north Kurdistan but also for all Kurds and the peoples in the region. "This is why it is necessary to lead the step for democratic liberation and construction of a free life to success" he added.
Source: ANF - Behdinan 02.04.2013
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