HDP Co-Chair Sancar: We are ready to expand democratic politics

Mithat Sancar, Co-Chair of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), attended a discussion titled “The Opposition in Turkey and the HDP’s Attitude” as part of the Tigris Dialogues of the Tigris Social Research Center (DITAM) in Diyarbakır. The conference was attended by city delegates Semra Güzel and İmam Taşçer, as well as the representatives of many non-governmental groups.

In his opening statement, DITAM President Mehmet Vural noted that the Kurdish issue is at the forefront of Turkey’s problems. Remarking that political circles and governments in Turkey cannot move forward unless the Kurdish question is resolved, Vural continued, “The Kurds are in a 40-year-old war. This should finally come to an end in some way. Intellectuals, writers, artists, and politicians from all walks of life should all contribute to finding a solution to this issue. The process of resolution, namely silence of weapons, began but no remarkable progress could be made. In Turkey, it is well known that the Kurdish population makes up one-fourth of the total population. While advising the Taliban, the President ignores the Kurdish population of 20 million people. The weapons must now be silenced and progress must be made.”

‘WE REVIEW OUR METHODS’

HDP Co-Chair Mithat Sancar, who took the floor later, warned that Turkey is faced with numerous crises. Emphasizing that these deepening crises confront the society in new ways every time, Sancar continued: “These crises are social, political, and economic in nature. The role of democratic politics and social forces is to find answers to these issues. We began with the claim that we would discover solutions to these challenges. We also make recommendations based on our own experiences. Of course, we evaluate our policies and approaches in light of the circumstances of the time. We must act in this manner. Because we refer to the HDP as both a people’s and a democratic party. Negotiation, in our opinion, is the heart of democratic politics. Language has a role in negotiation as well. You construct a negotiating line by deciding what you want to talk about with who.

We define the new period as a concerted attempt to reach out to all parts of society much more explicitly.I’d like to emphasize that the negotiation issue should not be interpreted narrowly. Negotiation usually refers to a specific conversation that takes place around a table. However, it is much more than that. It is an attempt to comprehend the challenges, difficulties, worries, and concerns of various circles. It is also a request or an invitation to create a language and method for this endeavour.”

HDP READY FOR A SOLUTION

Remarking that new steps should be taken for a solution, Sancar said: “There is a need for a policy that recognizes these resources and suggests a different path that does not replenish them. In a nutshell, we refer to it as a “new democratic beginning.” With this understanding and spirit, we composed our declaration. We are concerned about Turkey’s all issues, not just the Kurdish question, which is, of course, a matter of identity as well as one of economy and culture. It has various repercussions that propagate throughout the country we live in. Our goal is to build the largest democratic and peace alliance possible. This is not merely an electoral ambition and objective. We are aware that the upcoming election, whenever it is scheduled for, could be the most critical one in Turkey’s history. We also believe, like everyone else, that our party and the Kurdish people will be decisive in these elections. We’re considering how we can convert this into a solution power. Democratic politics is the basis of the solution. Violence is the most fundamentally incompatible aspect of democratic politics. Democratizing the state and paving the ground for democratic peace in the Kurdish question entails broadening this democratic approach. The HDP is prepared to expand democratic politics.”