se times
03/01/2011
The pressure is on to fix the economy and address the long-standing complaints of Kurds in the southeast.
By Alakbar Raufoglu for Southeast European Times -- 03/01/11
The pressure is on to fix the economy and address the long-standing complaints of Kurds in the southeast.
By Alakbar Raufoglu for Southeast European Times -- 03/01/11
Hayri Yagmur wants to see real change come to Diyarbakir.
The 38-year-old businessman heads the Special Elite Education and Training Centre, which has offered classes in English, driving, computers and other subjects since 1997.
Most of his students, Yagmur says, have trouble studying and finding a job in this southeastern province of Turkey, with a population of almost 1.5 million.
"Here when you start a business, you start with a negative, whereas others start with zero," he told SETimes by phone from his Diyarbakir office. And yet, he adds, "the chances for development in this area aren't insufficient."
Holding development back, he believes, is the politics surrounding Kurdish issues. Reducing unemployment and jumpstarting industry would not only move the provincial economy forward, but would help resolve the political problems, he adds.
Turkey's head of state, Abdullah Gul, was in Diyarbakir last week, bringing a message of unity and reconciliation. While the president sounded all the right notes, local residents say, more is needed. Veteran journalist Mehmet Arslan, 43, was on hand for the president's two-day visit. Local people were glad to see the president, he says, but touchy issues -- such as the status of the Kurdish language -- remain unresolved and the economy remains a pressing concern.
"Everyone was cheered by this visit," Arslan said. "But unfortunately the political topics occupy the agenda. There's no development in the region. The people are waiting. The region is going through recession. There were some promises (during the visit) that economic investment will be made. But there is no any concrete way out."
Kutbettin Arzu is a member of parliament from Diyarbakir and represents the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). He says the government is serious about dealing with the Kurds' cultural and economic problems, and has always championed Kurdish rights.
The political obstacles, he says, stem from the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and its ongoing campaign of violence against Turkey's institutions and security forces.
"Kurds were here when the Turkish government was created, but the fact that they exist was always denied and that created such problems," Arzu says. "But there are Kurds who seek democracy and this fact will become clearly visible while Turkey develops."
Michael Gunter, a political science professor at Tennessee Technological University and the International University in Vienna, has written nine books about the Kurdish people. He believes the problem is far from being resolved.
The 38-year-old businessman heads the Special Elite Education and Training Centre, which has offered classes in English, driving, computers and other subjects since 1997.
Most of his students, Yagmur says, have trouble studying and finding a job in this southeastern province of Turkey, with a population of almost 1.5 million.
"Here when you start a business, you start with a negative, whereas others start with zero," he told SETimes by phone from his Diyarbakir office. And yet, he adds, "the chances for development in this area aren't insufficient."
Holding development back, he believes, is the politics surrounding Kurdish issues. Reducing unemployment and jumpstarting industry would not only move the provincial economy forward, but would help resolve the political problems, he adds.
Turkey's head of state, Abdullah Gul, was in Diyarbakir last week, bringing a message of unity and reconciliation. While the president sounded all the right notes, local residents say, more is needed. Veteran journalist Mehmet Arslan, 43, was on hand for the president's two-day visit. Local people were glad to see the president, he says, but touchy issues -- such as the status of the Kurdish language -- remain unresolved and the economy remains a pressing concern.
"Everyone was cheered by this visit," Arslan said. "But unfortunately the political topics occupy the agenda. There's no development in the region. The people are waiting. The region is going through recession. There were some promises (during the visit) that economic investment will be made. But there is no any concrete way out."
Kutbettin Arzu is a member of parliament from Diyarbakir and represents the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). He says the government is serious about dealing with the Kurds' cultural and economic problems, and has always championed Kurdish rights.
The political obstacles, he says, stem from the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and its ongoing campaign of violence against Turkey's institutions and security forces.
"Kurds were here when the Turkish government was created, but the fact that they exist was always denied and that created such problems," Arzu says. "But there are Kurds who seek democracy and this fact will become clearly visible while Turkey develops."
Michael Gunter, a political science professor at Tennessee Technological University and the International University in Vienna, has written nine books about the Kurdish people. He believes the problem is far from being resolved.
Some trends do not bode well for co-operation, Gunter says, citing a grassroots campaign to establish a "Kurdistan Autonomous Community of Democratic Congresses".
The movement seeks to promote governance at the local level, via village communes, towns, districts, and both district and urban councils, and has adopted a flag and other symbols. Such developments are bound to raise suspicions in Ankara.
"The new year of 2011 will be very important because of the [June] general election," he told SETimes.
"If the AKP wins, as expected, there is hope that it will lead the process to draft and ratify a new, more democratic constitution for Turkey that will guarantee and protect Kurdish political and cultural rights -- such as lowering the 10% threshold for a political party to be elected to parliament and guaranteeing Kurdish language rights in all facets of Turkish life, among other necessary reforms that will satisfy most disaffected Kurds," Gunter said.
This content was commissioned for SETimes.com.
The movement seeks to promote governance at the local level, via village communes, towns, districts, and both district and urban councils, and has adopted a flag and other symbols. Such developments are bound to raise suspicions in Ankara.
"The new year of 2011 will be very important because of the [June] general election," he told SETimes.
"If the AKP wins, as expected, there is hope that it will lead the process to draft and ratify a new, more democratic constitution for Turkey that will guarantee and protect Kurdish political and cultural rights -- such as lowering the 10% threshold for a political party to be elected to parliament and guaranteeing Kurdish language rights in all facets of Turkish life, among other necessary reforms that will satisfy most disaffected Kurds," Gunter said.
This content was commissioned for SETimes.com.
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