The 'Updating' of the Republic!.. The 'Reputation' of the Terrorist Leader!..

AKP Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş, who has been dedicating almost all his energy to the PKK opening, said in a speech at a university opening ceremony last week, "From now on, there will be no talking with weapons in these lands; there will be talking with politics and words. Everyone will express their views in the political arena." In other words, he gave the message, "If weapons are laid down, we are ready to talk about everything."

Also speaking at another university last week, AKP Deputy Chairman Hüseyin Yayman, one of the "wise men" of the first opening process, argued that whether this issue is called the "Southeast problem," the "Kurdish problem," or the "issue of underdevelopment," the AKP governments and the People's Alliance have solved it over the past 25 years, and that today the "laying down of arms" is being discussed, emphasizing the following:

- "The insurance of this issue is our President Erdoğan's understanding of one nation, one flag, one state, and one homeland."

- "If the name of this process is the process of 'Abdullah Öcalan's release,' there is no support for the process. No one would support this. The Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) has not supported it, and it will not."

Yayman also noted that "Erdoğan is the first, Devlet Bahçeli is the second, and the TBMM is the third insurance of the process." Fortunately, he did not count the terrorist leader as "insurance" too!..

They Held a "Kurdish Unity" Meeting in Diyarbakır

While there is no laying down of arms, let us also listen to the DEM members who are "talking" about everything as if they have found an empty field.

Co-chair Tuncer Bakırhan and Imralı delegation member Mithat Sancar held a meeting 10 days ago in Diyarbakır with "Kurdish parties and institutions"—whatever that means—aimed at "further strengthening Kurdish unity." Reminding that they had previously organized a conference in Erbil where "organizations and parties from the three parts of Kurdistan came together," Bakırhan explained the following regarding the opening process:

"For the first time, the century-old Kurdish issue is being discussed on the floor of the Parliament, on a legal and political ground... We have passed the first stage. We have come to the end of it; that work is almost at the point of completion. Now is the time for negotiation in Parliament and for passing certain laws... If we are going to talk about our language and local democracy in the second stage in Parliament, and about changing these monist, racist, and exclusionary laws, we must all have a contribution to this matter."

This Is How They Celebrated Our Republic Day

AKP's Hüseyin Yayman had said that the insurance of this issue was Erdoğan's "understanding of one nation, one flag, one state, and one homeland," right?

Then let us look at the message published by DEM co-chairs Tuncer Bakırhan and Tülay Hatimoğulları on the 103rd anniversary of our Republic Day.

They claimed that "everyone's language, identity, culture, belief, and thought are not equally guaranteed"... They stated that "all peoples and beliefs are equal owners of this country"... And they declared that the Republic needs to be "updated."

What Status Was Given That He Moved to His New Residence?

Again, Hüseyin Yayman said, "If the name of this process is the process of Abdullah Öcalan's release, there is no support for the process. No one would support this. The TBMM has not supported it, and it will not." Let us come to the allocation of a residence to the terrorist leader, which has been discussed for about a year and was finally made official three days ago by Imralı delegation member Mithat Sancar, who said, "He accepted moving there."

Actually, MHP Leader Bahçeli had announced two months ago that this residence was ready, but that the terrorist leader refused to move into this house because he wanted "status."

It seems that the 40-year "terrorist leader, baby killer" status has been abandoned and a new "status" has been granted.

Members Who Will Work Under the Terrorist Leader Have Been Determined

DEM members explained what this is and what needs to be done from now on as follows:

Mithat Sancar: "After the steps taken by the Kurdish movement, the committee needs to go to Imralı. The committee that will work with Mr. Öcalan is the peace and politicization committee... Mr. Öcalan's goal is to unite the Kurds as a political subject... The solution process requires mutual steps and political will. The process cannot progress through unilateral expectations and demands."

Tülay Hatimoğulları: "The function of the residence here and the role it will play politically in this process are very important for us... Otherwise, Mr. Öcalan has no desire or curiosity to move from an old prison to a new prison... This residence does not yet mean that the whole status issue has been resolved... This must have a political name, a political title. One of the commissions to be established within the scope of the framework law was the peace and politicization commission. Mr. Öcalan will be the coordinator of this. In fact, the names that will actually take part in this commission have been largely determined. Now what needs to happen is for this commission to go and work actively under the coordination of Mr. Öcalan with the move to this new residence... In addition, while Mr. Öcalan is conducting this process, he is requesting meetings with all segments of society, especially journalists, intellectuals, writers, academics, and lawyers in Turkey. These meetings must begin in this new residence."

Meral Danış Beştaş: "(The change of location) Actually, it is not surprising for us. We want his freedom. Because when processes similar to ours are carried out in other states, the actors of these processes are always free. This is a very small step. However, we want bigger steps to be taken."

Nevroz Uysal Aslan (Şırnak MP): "This is a delayed step. It should have been taken at the beginning of the process... It is of course valuable and meaningful that the change of location was made after the discussions on establishing the coordination of the politicization and peace of the peoples under Öcalan's coordination. However, this step alone does not mean that a status has been granted at a legal level."

Erdoğan-Bahçeli-Terrorist Leader Are Not on "Equal Terms"

Pervin Buldan, who is both an Imralı delegation member and Deputy Speaker of the TBMM, also said quite remarkable things.

Using the phrase "new place" for the terrorist leader's residence and arguing that this does not mean a "change of status," Buldan explained the following:

"This place is part of the prison. It is not a place outside the prison; one passes there from inside the prison. I think it is more logical to describe it as a place that just regulates working conditions a little bit. When we go, we hold our meetings in that new place. For a long time, Mr. Öcalan was actually coming there to hold meetings with us and then going back to his place. Therefore, Mithat Sancar announced that he has now become permanent in this space. He will stay there from now on."

While stating that some calendars were determined in their meeting with the terrorist leader on September 13, but that these were not followed, Buldan also used the following expressions:

- "There is an actor who is in this period. There is Mr. Erdoğan, there is Mr. Bahçeli, and there is Mr. Öcalan. They are not conducting the process on equal terms. Because Mr. Öcalan is trying to conduct this process in a cell."

- "When Mr. Bahçeli started this process, he mentioned the right to hope. Currently, the right to hope is not being discussed. Again, when Mr. Bahçeli started this process, he said, 'Let Öcalan come and speak in Parliament, speak at the DEM Party podium.' This is not being discussed at all either."

- "Today, questions like 'Has Mr. Öcalan moved to his new place or not? Where is this place?' and questions like 'Is this a villa or something else?' are really things that create different perceptions and are definitions made over things that damage Mr. Öcalan's position and reputation here. We do not accept this."

- "Öcalan is currently waiting to work as the peace and politicization coordinator. This definition has not been realized yet... Different steps are needed. Because Mr. Öcalan has said from the beginning that he wants to meet with all segments of society. For example, he said he wanted to meet with women's organizations, journalists, academics, and different segments of society. None of these have happened for two years."

I will suffice with asking, "For God's sake, other than what he has been telling while scratching his belly in Bekaa, Damascus, and Imralı for 40 years, what will the terrorist leader tell women's organizations, journalists, and academics?" and finish with the interesting claims of Zafer Party Chairman Prof. Ümit Özdağ.

Stating that since a prisoner cannot be a commission member according to the laws, his appointment as a commission member means his conviction has ended, and therefore he will no longer stay in prison but in the villa built for him and continue his political activities there, Özdağ said, "Yes, Öcalan is currently free. They are thinking about how to explain this to the society and how to digest it over time. Of course, in the meantime, such demands are coming from Abdullah Öcalan that even when I hear them, I say, 'Come on, that's too much!' Let it mature a little more, and I will share these demands of Öcalan with the Turkish public."

Oh, professor; after it has become a matter of discussion that the terrorist leader has a "reputation" and works on "equal terms" with Erdoğan and Bahçeli, what else could not happen or be requested?!

Müyesser YILDIZ

November 3, 2026