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.
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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