Debate on the 'opening' continues on the left… Devrim Hareketi Spokesperson Bölükbaşı: 'It is saddening for us that parties claiming to be socialist are becoming partners in such a crime'

News: 12punto.com.tr

Discussions regarding the new 'opening' process on the left continue…

The debates, which began with a petition campaign launched by numerous intellectuals, journalists, academics, and artists titled 'We will not allow our country to fall off the cliff,' are ongoing. The campaign's call text stated, 'We do not want the questioning of the Republic of Turkey, the challenging of our current borders, neo-Ottoman dreams, illegitimate designations such as the Turkish Empire, ummahism, or political structures and institutions based on ethnic and sectarian identities. We will not allow our country to fall off the cliff.' This campaign was criticized particularly by Dem Party and EMEP circles.

Left-wing parties such as the TKP, TKH, Devrim Hareketi, HKP, and SCP have also made statements against the new opening. Ercan Bölükbaşı, spokesperson for the Devrim Hareketi, one of these parties, characterizes the established commission as a 'Commission for Preparation for Imperialist War'…

Explaining his views on the process to 12punto, Bölükbaşı said, 'We defend the interests of the working people. We oppose the process and the commission established to serve it without any ifs or buts. The solution is clear: the AKP must be ousted from power, and the USA must be expelled from our country.'

Here is that interview:

'IT IS A PROCESS OF TRANSFORMING OUR REGION IN FAVOR OF IMPERIALISM AND ITS LEADING COUNTRY, THE USA'

- The 'National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission,' established in Parliament as part of the new 'Turkey without terror' opening process, is holding its meetings. How do you evaluate this process in general?

Ercan Bölükbaşı: All parties in parliament except the IYI Party are taking part in the commission. In particular, the fact that members of EMEP and TİP, as well as the CHP, which has been focusing on the government's legal pressure following the March 19 operations, will be in this commission deserves further discussion.

We do not think that the beginning of the process and the recent developments in the Middle East are coincidental. Following Bahçeli's statement, the imperialist aggression that has been ongoing for years against the Baath administration in Syria gained momentum and eliminated the Syrian government. Syria was handed over to a jihadist gang with no legitimacy and its dark leader. Israel has both expanded its occupation areas in Syria and increased its aggression against Gaza to a level never seen before. Iran has become a target of bombs, and the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan has been evolved into a form that will serve the encirclement of Iran.

The previous solution process also coincided with the beginning of major attacks on Syria, and the process was terminated after Syria managed to remain standing, albeit temporarily, with unexpected resilience.

In other words, the process we are in is a process of transforming our region in favor of imperialism and its leading country, the USA. Contrary to what is claimed, this process is not a process of silencing weapons, but a process of preparing our region for much larger conflicts and wars. It is an attempt by the counter-revolutionary government and the Kurdish national movement to drag Turks and Kurds into a dark adventure. It is clear to us that everyone who wants our region to achieve peace and equality must take a position against this process.

'THE DECISIONS HAVE NO LEGAL ENFORCEMENT POWER'

- There have been debates regarding the composition of the commission, the requirement for decisions to be taken by a qualified majority, and the fact that meetings are held behind closed doors. How do you evaluate the commission in this sense?

How the commission's decisions will be taken is unimportant after a certain point. The commission's decisions have no legal enforcement power, and the commission's purpose for existence is already to create social support for the process. The bargaining carried out on this topic carries no meaning other than being able to say to those who are uncomfortable with the course of events, 'Look, we didn't join easily.'

The secrecy part is a situation that has been carried out from the very beginning of the process. From the very beginning, what was being discussed, which issues were agreed upon and which were not, and why such a process started now have been hidden from the public. Because it was not really possible for them to turn to the public and say, 'The troubles we have caused you so far are not enough, now we are preparing you for a major war!'

The decision to keep the second meeting of the commission secret is also a part of this situation. Ultimately, the process has had a political character from the beginning, and the intelligence apparatus acting on behalf of the government is one of the executors of this process. It is therefore meaningless to provide a justification for conducting the meeting in secret by citing the existence and presentation of an apparatus tasked with advancing political negotiations. The counter-revolutionary government is actually doing what it has known from the beginning; it uses all legal means to push the public out of politics, and when that is not enough, it de facto assigns tasks to institutions beyond their legal functions.

'ONE SHOULD NOT EXPECT ANYTHING ON BEHALF OF THE PEOPLE FROM THOSE WHO JOIN THE TABLE'

- Socialist parties such as TİP and EMEP are also taking part in the commission. Do you think it is right for these parties to provide members to the commission? Do they have a responsibility, in terms of the functioning of this commission, to ensure that the public also knows about the decisions taken in closed meetings?

If we are to credit their own statements and accept that they defend the interests of the people, what is being done is clearly wrong. Moreover, we know from their own statements and writings that these parties also see similar threats to a significant portion of our assessments regarding the process. It is normal for the CHP to think that its commitment to the order and staying outside of a ground established by imperialism would mean suicide, but it is saddening for us that parties claiming to be socialist are becoming partners in such a crime.

A much more important issue than the information being announced to the public in some way is the inability to even dare to say 'no' to the confidentiality decision. In this way, a danger arises such as gaining social legitimacy for the decision to hide the issue from the public. This reminds us that it is not very likely that elements who do not see a problem in being placed on a wrong ground will behave correctly in the sub-headings of the process. In this sense, one should not expect anything on behalf of the people from those who join the table. If the working people are to emerge from the dark future imposed upon them, they will do so with a will that rejects the process entirely.

'THE ONLY ROUTE TO TAKE IS CLEAR'

- What do you think this process will bring? What awaits Turkey?

Although the orientation of imperialism and the goals, interests, and expectations of the actors carrying out the process are clear, life does not always flow as the rulers want. There are many signs that will reduce the probability of imperialist plans being successful in our region. The possibility that the hell experienced by all peoples living in the Middle East will create a counter-reaction is by no means small. Furthermore, the internal tensions that the actors have postponed so far in the face of the excitement of the process and the promises of imperialist centers are not issues that can disappear all of a sudden. In this sense, the process has to proceed with the infighting among its executors. When considered together with the first point, this increases the possibility of other options asserting themselves.

The future of our country is not only written with reactionism, exploitation, and wars. Dark times are also periods when the true paths to liberation can emerge. We cannot predict what awaits Turkey, of course, but the possibility of a revolution that can erase the bad fate written on our foreheads by the rulers is, for us, the only route Turkey can and must take.

'WE ARE NOT DREAMING'

- What are your suggestions? What do you think is the solution?

Our country and the region have hundreds of major problems, and all of them are based on inequality. The Kurdish question is one of them. There is no other way to put our problems on the path to a solution; we must get rid of the imperialist-capitalist system, which is the source of inequality. Ousting AKP reactionism, US imperialism, and the bosses who get rich on our backs from our country is the only option. Those who expect a solution from the imperialist, the bigot, and the exploiter are either dreaming or selling dreams. We are not dreaming. If the problems are real, the solution is also realistic. Turkey's problems can only be solved through a revolution!

News Source: 12punto