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ANKARA: Expectations high for Kurdish station to boost unity, democr

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  • ANKARA: Expectations high for Kurdish station to boost unity, democr

    Today's Zaman, Turkey
    Jan 3 2009


    Expectations high for Kurdish station to boost unity, democracy


    Soon after the airwaves were filled with Turkey's first-ever
    state-sanctioned 24-hour Kurdish broadcasting, another state organ has
    announced it will establish Kurdish departments in public
    universities, signaling a dramatic change in a policy that once banned
    everything Kurdish.

    Higher Education Board (YÃ-K) President Yusuf Ziya Ã-zcan has
    announced plans to open Kurdish language departments in two prominent
    Turkish universities in Ankara and Ä°stanbul. Speaking at a
    reception held on the occasion of the inauguration of TRT 6, Ã-zcan
    said the board was working on plans to open Kurdish language and
    literature departments at Ä°stanbul University and Ankara
    University. "We have received a request from Dicle University for the
    opening of such a department, but we plan to open one at Ankara
    University and another at Ä°stanbul University, both of which
    are very experienced with language and literature departments," he
    said.

    Ã-zcan added that the board may later consider opening Kurdish
    institutes. In the meantime, many hailed the start of TRT 6, which has
    been broadcasting in Kurdish since Thursday and called it a positive
    step in the right direction.

    "I hope the Kurdish broadcasting will cement the unity and solidarity
    of our nation. With the new channel, everyone will see that all of us
    are the owners of this country, that all of us are equal citizens and
    that all of us can express the beauties of our cultures in the best
    manner," said President Abdullah Gül on Thursday in a
    congratulatory message.

    The state-owned Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) began
    its full Kurdish broadcasting on Thursday at 7 p.m. local time. The
    public use of Kurdish was prohibited following a 1980 military coup
    until the year 1991. The dedication of one of TRT's channels to
    broadcasting in Kurdish was welcomed as a late, but pleasing, move
    that could strengthen unity between Turks and Kurds.

    Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an said, "May TRT 6 be
    beneficial," in Kurdish during a news conference on Thursday upon his
    return from a tour of the Middle East. He had spoken the same sentence
    earlier in an interview with TRT 6. He also voiced his support for the
    channel and said it would pave the way for further steps in the
    future. "As you know, the private sector does not get engaged in such
    things unless the state takes a step. In time, more will happen. We
    need to be a bit patient," he noted.

    ErdoÄ?an also said the Kurdish channel would strengthen unity
    and improve democracy in the country. `As defined in the Constitution,
    the Republic of Turkey is a democratic, secular and social state
    governed by the rule of law. All of our citizens have equal rights and
    freedoms. The scope of democracy is wide in our country. Everybody has
    the right and opportunity to express himself. Broadcasting in Kurdish
    is one of best testaments to this fact,' he added.

    The new channel was welcomed by intellectuals, too. Ã`mit
    Fırat, a Kurdish writer, said the launch of broadcasts in
    Kurdish on a state channel was a late, but very positive
    development. `I hope the state will make up for lost time in a very
    short period of time. The launch of this channel will help eradicate
    bans. Kurds will no longer feel that their language is something to be
    ashamed of. This will strengthen unity in the country,' he added.

    Another Kurdish writer, Altan Tan, indicated that the armor of the
    official ideology toward Kurds had finally been pierced by the new
    channel. `It was previously claimed that no such people as Kurds
    existed and that no such language as Kurdish existed. The state has
    finally come to accept the existence of Kurds and Kurdish,' he
    remarked.

    Former President Kenan Evren, the leader of the 1980 coup, had said in
    the past that the word Kurd came from the `kart kurt' sound people in
    the Southeast made when they walked in the mountains in the snow. His
    comment was interpreted as an attempt to deny the existence of Kurdish
    culture.

    `However, Kurds are still faced with serious problems. While the
    letters W, X and Q are allowed to be used on the new Kurdish channel,
    Kurds who use them in their writings face the risk of imprisonment. I
    believe that TRT 6 should not be a victim of politics. Efforts toward
    democratization should not lose momentum. There are still many steps
    to be taken. The state should continue its efforts,' Tan added.

    This is not the first time Turkey has launched broadcasts in
    Kurdish. Seeking to boost the country's bid to join the European
    Union, TRT broke a longstanding taboo with the initiation of weekly
    30-minute broadcasts in Kurdish in 2004.

    The programs, however, were criticized for their poor quality and
    content. They were usually uninteresting and old documentaries about
    nature and history, immediately followed by broadcasts in another
    language, such as Bosnian or Azeri. They didn't stand a chance next to
    Roj TV, one of the main propaganda tools of the outlawed Kurdistan
    Workers' Party (PKK), which is regarded as a terrorist organization by
    Turkey, the United States and the EU.

    Broadcasts in other languages soon

    TRT Director General Ä°brahim Å?ahin said on Thursday that
    they were working on projects to launch broadcasts in other languages,
    including Arabic, Farsi and English. He did not give an exact date for
    these broadcasts. Tahin had previously announced that a TRT radio
    channel would begin airing Armenian broadcasts in February. TRT is
    also planning to create an Armenian Web site and it is working on a
    project to launch an Armenian television channel in one year.

    Å?ahin also dismissed claims that the ruling Justice and
    Development Party (AK Party) government would use the new Kurdish
    channel as a tool for the upcoming local elections, slated for March
    29. `We have a broadcasting policy that aims at bringing all people
    living within the borders of this country closer to one another and
    eliminating difficulties in communication between those who use
    different languages. This is not an investment for elections, as some
    claim,' he stressed.

    TRT 6 was previously perceived in some Kurdish circles as a
    `calculated move' by the government ahead of local elections.

    AK Party deputy from Van Gülten Orhan sang the Kurdish song
    `Dotmam' (Uncle's Daughter) for the TRT 6 opening ceremony on Thursday
    evening. She was greeted with enthusiastic applause.

    Culture and Tourism Minister ErtuÄ?rul Günay also
    delivered a speech at the event in which he said he was commemorating
    Ahmet Kaya, a famous Kurdish folk singer who died in 2000.

    `The new Kurdish channel is a very well-intentioned, but late,
    initiative... Turkey suffered greatly with irrational practices that
    aimed to ban people's rights. Feeling the joy of a good step tonight,
    I also commemorate such Kurdish figures as Ahmet Arif, Ahmet Kaya,
    Mehmet Uzun and Musa Anter in sorrow,' Günay said.

    State Minister Mehmet Å?imÅ?ek termed the launch of full
    Kurdish broadcasting as a giant step toward the structuring of a more
    tolerant and democratic society. He said he hoped TRT 6 would serve as
    a tool for the strengthening of unity and solidarity in
    Turkey. `Turkey is a strong and rich country. I don't mean richness
    only in terms of economy, but also in terms of culture and
    ethnicity. Let's reveal, share and protect all this wealth. There is
    nothing to be afraid of,' he added.

    No deputies from the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP), the
    main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) or the opposition
    Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) attended the event.

    Baykal slams Kurdish broadcasts

    Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal harshly criticized
    the launch of TRT 6, which he described as a move that went against
    the `basic understanding of the state.'

    `Everybody can air broadcasts in their own language. This is their
    right. But it is not right to spend the money of the state and 70
    million people in line with the ethnic demands of a certain group of
    our citizens. The duty of the state is not to encourage ethnic
    identities. Turkey is heading in the wrong direction. They [the
    government] either know they are doing a very dangerous thing or don't
    know what they are doing,' he said yesterday.

    -------------------------------------- --------------------------

    Locals enjoy watching TRT 6
    Locals in several predominantly Kurdish eastern and southeastern
    provinces watched the new Kurdish broadcasting with great interest. In
    the southeastern province of Mardin, Abdulkadir Ã?elik said the
    Turkish state had demonstrated the value it sees in its citizens with
    the new channel. `I believe the Kurdish channel will serve the purpose
    of restoring a peaceful atmosphere in our country. The understanding
    of fraternity among these people will prevail forever,' he said.

    Å?efik Gökçe, from Diyarbakır, noted that
    the Kurdish population would be able become integrated with the state
    thanks to TRT 6. `This is a historic move. I wish it was made years
    ago. However, it is still not too late. I believe people will trust
    the state more,' he said.

    Gaffari �ıplak expressed happiness over hearing Prime
    Minister ErdoÄ?an speaking in Kurdish. `I watched our prime
    minister say `TRT Å?eÅ? bi xer be' [May TRT 6 be
    beneficial]. His pronunciation was great. I felt he was one of us. I
    wish this TV station had been launched 30 years ago. Then so many
    people would not have died and no such organization as the PKK would
    have existed,' he explained.


    03 January 2009, Saturday
    BETÃ`L AKKAYA DEMÄ°RBAÅ? Ä°STANBUL
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