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  • ISTANBUL: But ...

    Today's Zaman, Turkey
    Jan 1 2012

    But¦

    MARKAR ESAYAN


    I just want to ask this. Let us try to answer this question by
    stripping away all contexts.

    What would be the reaction of Turkey had the massacre in Uludere taken
    place in western Turkey and had 35 people died due to an accident or a
    terrorist attack? In terms of politics, media and society, what would
    we feel and what reactions would we have?

    They would not be like the reaction we had to this massacre in
    Uludere. I just know this. And it bothers me, as a human being and as
    a citizen of Turkey. It bothers me so much that it makes me angry.

    Whether the attack was an accident or a deliberate act, whether the
    error involved provocation, who provided the intelligence and who gave
    the order for the attack based solely on the intelligence they had
    received are all of secondary importance to me.

    I feel this way because it is possible to find answers to these
    questions and to prosecute those responsible. And I hope this will be
    done. But I believe that our ethics, which generate problems, are
    problematic. Who turned the country into this? Who is responsible for
    the huge difference between the standard of living in Uludere and
    Etiler? Is it the fault of past elites alone?

    Just like the locusts flooded Egypt in line with Moses' prophecy, it
    seems that the actual source of the problem is the flow of `buts' in
    my homeland when the dead are Kurds.

    `But they were smugglers.' `But what they were doing over there?' `But
    PKK [Kurdistan Workers' Party] militants could have been there.' `But
    such accidents can happen while combating terrorism.'

    What kind of double standard is this? What kind of humanity is this?
    What kind of conscience is this?

    How have we become like this?

    I was notified of the massacre by Twitter early that morning. By noon,
    the TV stations had not aired a single report on the incident. Then,
    they broadcast it in their news tickers only. Most of them referred to
    the massacre in these headlines as `Incident at the border.' On
    Saturday, the Uludere district governor, who paid a visit to the
    families of the victims, was attacked. The same TV stations were swift
    to report this. Those who used to speak out in similar cases of human
    rights abuses and suspicious deaths by the military adopted a fairly
    opposite position this time, feeling that the government and the
    National Intelligence Organization (MÄ°T) might be hurt. What is the
    duty of an intellectual, taking a suitable position or telling the
    truth?

    Why should we expect maturity from political actors before we get rid
    of this inhumane double standard? Politics is a mirror of the
    community. And society is even more progressive than the clumsy state
    in its desire for change. But I see a state of double standards in
    Turkey. Positions are not principled or ethical; they are conjectural
    and partial. We cannot go on like this.

    If we turn our backs on the 1915 deportations -- where hundreds of
    thousands of Armenians were murdered -- while calling Dersim a
    massacre, and refer to the 1915 incidents with a `but,' our humanity,
    faith and ethics become trapped within that `but.' We cannot go
    anywhere with this mentality. The contradiction would steer us towards
    that which is evil.

    It is an inherent motive for a man to support others who are similar
    to him, but this implies deliberate ethics. Our humanity is
    complemented by our ability to make room for differences and
    diversity. Peace and justice are achieved only when we believe others
    actually deserve them.

    This was articulated so perfectly in the columns by A. Turan Alkan and
    Nedim Hazar published Saturday that I thought while reading those
    columns we could be hopeful for the future of this country.

    I felt the same way when I heard the following remarks that Bülent
    Arınç made in Parliament. `The presence of the Kurds has been a
    reality for more than 1,000 years. You cannot deny this. If you do,
    you would be going back to 1980. You have to recognize the Kurds and
    their rights. We will recognize their constitutional rights; we will
    respect their language. We will not think of this as a concession or
    submission to terrorism. We denounce racism. We will recognize the
    right of a person who calls himself a Kurd to education, culture and
    language. This is not a reward; this is their right.'

    Yes, the constructive approach was expounded in these remarks.
    Resolution of the Kurdish issue is possible if this approach permeates
    politics and society. And true, this refers to a Turkey that is
    completely different from the one of the past.

    We are acting slowly; we do not swiftly turn our backs on the `buts.'
    The fact that massacres like the one in Uludere take place is because
    of this slowness.

    I offer my condolences to our nation. Uludere is the joint loss and
    pain of us all.

    http://www.todayszaman.com/columnistDetail_getNewsById.action?newsId=267309

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