BY TAHA AKYOL
MILLIYET- Former DEP member Orhan Dogan held out a peaceful hand, so I’m holding out my own hand in order to greet him. But I can’t do the same for Osman Baydemir, because he’s still indulging in blood trade and terror.
A couple of days ago, Dogan gave an interview to Mehmet Ali Birand on CNN Turk. What he said during the interview was remarkable. First of all, Dogan demanded that all of society rid itself of arms and eschew violence. He claims that ‘ethnic politics’ is no longer valid.
Dogan says that the Kurds don’t want autonomy. They want to be a part of Turkey, and they have respect for the unitary state structure of Turkey and the Turkish flag. As long as the Kurds embrace these fundamentals, any problem can be solved. In fact, the problem occurs when some people try to attack them and demand autonomy. Turkey can’t be divided into ethnic groups. Whether the Kurds say ‘we will leave’ or Turkey tells them to leave, the results will be terrible. The Kurds see this. They don’t want to separate from the society.
The Democratic People’s Party (DEHAP) can only get around 5 percent of the votes in elections, because most Kurds don’t subscribe to the narrow, tribal world of ‘ethnic nationalism.’ DEHAP officials every so often argue that they aren’t an ethnic party, but their fanatical approach reveals their true aims. But Dogan’s words don’t seem to be mere slogans. He’s clearly looking for a way to escape the narrow, tribal approach of ethnic nationalism. If he succeeds in doing so, any problem could be solved.