BATMAN - Linguist Sami Tan, stating that the denial of the Kurds and Kurdish language is a state policy, said that making amends will only be possible with the end of rejection and denial.
While the pressures on the Kurdish language continues systematically, the AKP government is trying to make propaganda with Kurdish. While the concert that the Mesopotamia Cultural Center (MKM) planned to hold in Istanbul was banned, the contract for the hall where the artist Mem Ararat would give a concert in Ankara was canceled by the AKP's Keçiören Municipality. And a new regulation was made that if a person wants to make their defence in Kurdish, they have to pay for a translator in court.
When AKP President Tayyip Erdoğan came to the cities of the region, "Hûn bi xer hatin" posters were hung, and he removed the 'Batman Kurda ye' line from the song, sang at the meeting.
When it comes to Parliament, this situation changes. HDP Istanbul Deputy Ali Kenanoğlu, who said "Ez Kurdim" and said that there was discrimination against Kurds and Alevis in the parliament on November 17, his speach went into the records as 'unknown language'.
Speaking to MA, linguist Sami Tan said this was the concept of annihilation and denial against the Kurds.
Stating that the denial and annihilation process that permeates every aspect of life is a process that spans centuries, Tan said, "You are undermining our hundred-year plan," said Deniz Baykal for Kurdish institutions that were opened before. Their mentality is the same. There is a state policy based on the denial of the Kurds and the Kurdish language. Whichever party comes to power continues this policy."
KURDS BECOME 'X' IN THE PARLIAMENT
Emphasizing that this mentality undermines the demand for common life, Tan said, “If there is a goal of living together, this denial must end. How will we live together if they continue to deny our identity, language and culture? No matter how hard they tried, they will not be able to make it."
Criticizing that the Kurdish language is being recorded as 'X' or 'unknown language' at the parliament, Tan underlined that this is an indication of the denial of the Kurds. Tan said: "The fact that the oath taken when entering the parliament is only in Turkish is the beginning of denial. A person elected by millions of Kurdish votes cannot take an oath in Kurdish.” Noting that in many parts of the world, states have taken steps to bring the languages they previously denied to life, Tan noted that the AKP government insisted on imposing denial.
CALL TO MAKE AMENDS
Referring to the call to make amends by CHP Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, Tan said: "Making amends is only possible if the denial stops. Someone from the CHP said 'Now Kurds can too say, 'How happy is he who can say I am a Turk'. Why would we say that? Why are you imposing this on us? You have to abandon this mentality if you are meaning to make amends. It is a deception, they want to deceive someone but they are actually deceiving themselves. Nobody is fooled by these words, for example, they said there is Kurdistan many times, then they detained those who said Kurdistan. To put it simply, they usurped the will of the Kurds. Today, dozens of mayors, deputies, writers and thinkers are imprisoned. These examples reflect the actual reality. Erdoğan says Batmane Batmane, but does Erdogan admit that Batman belongs to Kurds? They say Iraq is called the Kurdish Region, but not Kurdistan. The last Minister of Defense said, "There is no Kurdistan here or anywhere else." There is a province of Kurdistan in Iran, there is a federal system called Kurdistan in Bashur, and official talks are held from time to time, but this denial actually shows their true colours."