MILLIYET- Columnist Hasan Cemal writes on the supposed ban on Kurdish. A summary of his column is as follows:
There is freedom to publish a Kurdish newspaper in Turkey as long as you abide by the rules. One can also publish magazines and books in Kurdish and release audiocasettes in Kurdish. There is freedom to do all of this so long as you comply with the laws. You can find all of them being sold on the stands and stores and buy them. In other words newspapers, magazines, books and audiocasettes in Kurdish are all freely sold and bought. Only radio and TV broadcasts in Kurdish are banned, in addition to teaching or learning Kurdish. No one can set up a course to teach Kurdish. These bans have existed all along. However, in practice Kurdish TV exists, and what’s more these are TV broadcasts of the PKK. Med-TV, the PKK terrorist organization’s station can reach a wide audience of its followers in the Southeast through satellite antennas. PKK propaganda is being followed right from the horse’s mouth and Kurdish is being taught. But the ban in the country has not been lifted. The view is that if Kurdish is taught or Kurdish broadcasts are allowed, the state would have done what the PKK asked for. ‘What’s more, the spread of the Kurdish language aids the separatist movement and the threat to division will grow more than ever.’ If these rules are there to prevent such developments, they are being broken, as Kurdish TV is watched and Kurdish is taught in Turkey. PKK television is not the only institution acting in spite of this ban. There are other Kurdish channels broadcasting from northern Iraq, Armenia and Europe. Let’s also not forget that, there are serious studies being conducted to standardize and improve the Kurdish language in many centres abroad, including many European capitals. What do the bans in Turkey accomplish? Don’t these bans help those serving the cause of separatism and Kurdish nationalism? Now that PKK has been weakened and Ocalan imprisoned, isn’t it time to lift these bans? If these bans together with capital punishment obstruct Turkey’s road to Europe, will the separatist threat directed towards the country grow or fade? Will holding onto these bans facilitate the work of those in the EU trying to puts obstacles in Turkey’s way by applying embarrassing double standards regarding terrorism and politicizing the PKK, or not? Bans may backfire. It is time to think calmly. I believe Turkey must lift these bans, taking the French model as an example. France is a unitary state with French as the official language of education. The first year of our National Programme presented to the EU ended yesterday. That is to say, the time for short-term goals is up, the calendar for the medium-term goals has been set in motion. Time is passing. We hope Turkey doesn’t miss its date with history as in the 1970s.

SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION