The Kurds Are Tired

BY ERGUN BABAHAN
SABAH- Nevruz celebrations went off without a hitch, contrary to what leading people of the region predicted. That was thanks to the common sense of both security forces and the organizing committees. Reports from the region showed that participation in the celebrations was lower and enthusiasm was more subdued, which comes from two main factors:
Firstly, the people of the region have become tired of policies based on violence. The fact that such policies prevail in the region, despite efforts for democratization and legal reforms, hasn't offered hope to those people. Especially the atmosphere in northern Iraq has made the people of the region who watch developments there on their satellite TVs and witness it by traveling to the region ask questions. It became clear that violence is against the interests of the people of the southeast. The incidents in Diyarbakir last year made the situation worse. Businesses and traders suffered the most from those incidents. Leading businessmen of the region noticed how political movements supporting violence harm them, and they said so. As a result of this, the terrorist PKK, which is not supported by the Kurdish bourgeoisie, also lost the sympathy of the common people. Today we see the terrorist PKK lose more support every day. The Democratic Society Party (DTP), which is (together with the terrorist PKK) under the supervision of terrorist leader Abdullah Ocalan, gets its share. It will be no surprise if these developments are reflected in general elections later this year. The DTP probably won't win as many seats in Parliament as it wants, whether it makes an alliance with other parties or runs independent candidates. It is inevitable that a political movement which can't meet the needs of the people of the region will lose support.