The AKP government is completely disregarding the opinion of the people. The AKP government believes that it can resolve everything by force; and it seems to take confidence in its being the biggest police state in the world.

 It is very difficult for a political power to continue its existence for very much longer once it has begun to require the services of the police force to maintain its authority. The AKP government rather than strengthening itself through democratic progress, it is finding itself relying on the force of the police.
We can see a similar approach by the state towards Turkey's most important problem: the Kurdish problem. Although guerrillas of the Kurdistan freedom movement have been pulling out of Turkey's borders the state is yet to make any move towards democratization. The Kurdish freedom movement is taking the process very seriously, however this so far has not been reciprocated by the state. A state that approaches one of the most significant developments in its recent history in this manner cannot do much better when it comes to other social issues.

Last year, the Kurdish freedom movement freed its captives and withdrew its forces from within the borders and thus ensured an atmosphere of peace; at this stage nothing else can be expected from our movement. The AKP government must act now, or face being questioned on grounds of integrity and solemnity. At present many people are already questioning this. We believe that politics cannot be conducted with an anxious mindset; however, this lack of integrity will be seriously evaluated by the Kurdish freedom movement.

If the AKP government is of the belief that the Kurdish freedom movement has no other choice but to pursue this process then it is wildly mistaken. The Kurdish freedom movement has the support of tens of millions of people and thousands of dedicated cadres; anyone who does not take this seriously does so at their own peril. If the AKP government thinks that it can once again mislead or divert the attention of the Kurdish people's leader Ocalan or the Kurdistan freedom movement it is deceiving itself.

The AKP government should at once reanalyze the gravity of the retrieval of the guerrilla forces and act accordingly. If a government who previously has made claims that "if the guerrillas retreat then the problem will be resolved" is remaining static and inactive then questions of integrity will naturally persist. This at the very least can only be defined as carelessness. If the government does not wake up soon, then it will surely be unable to bare the heavy burden that will follow.

The PKK is a forty year old party. Throughout this time it has been doing politics and struggling in the hardest part of the world. Any organization that has maintained itself and persistently struggled in the Middle East for forty years has no doubt vastly gained political experience and accumulated a huge potential of belief and struggle. Anyone that does not take this seriously will surely sink.

This organization, along with its leadership, cannot be misled. The guerrillas pulled out of the borders for a democratic process to begin. This means legal and constitutional reform. It is now way past the time for these steps to be taken. Work on a new constitution should should have been stepped up and finalized. At the very least, if the government is sincere, it must allow the head-negotiator of the Kurdish people to appropriately carry out this role.

The time has come for the demands of democracy and freedom of the Kurdish people – who have been struggling for these for the past forty years – to be met. Otherwise the Kurdish people are prepared to struggle for many more years to come. Slavery will not be accepted so struggle will always persist. If the freedoms of the Kurdish people are not granted than the struggle will only get stronger. The Kurds possess a tradition of struggle and uprising. It is for this reason that those who believe that they can stay in government without resolving the Kurdish question have not yet understood the matter in hand.

The Kurdish freedom movement has so far done everything it has promised to do. It is now the turn of the government to do so. It must take steps in a way that builds confidence among the Kurdish people and the forces of democracy in Turkey. The AKP must meet the demands of the Kurdish freedom movement, the Kurdish people and the democratic forces of Turkey as soon as possible.

Writing by Cemil Bayık

http://kurdishquestion.com/north-kurdistan/turkey/the-process-where-are-we.html