ANKARA
By Muhammed Bilal Kenasari
Corruption rumors in Turkey could have a detrimental effect on the Kurdish peace process in Turkey, says Kemal Burkay, eminent Kurdish politician in an interview with AA on Thursday.
Burkay, also a Kurdish writer and intellectual, lived in exile in Sweden for 31 years. On his return to Turkey two years ago he was elected the president of the pro-Kurdish Rights and Freedoms Party (HAK-PAR).
The alleged power struggle between the government and a center of power that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan claims is nestled in the judiciary and police, a "parallel government" as he puts it, might indirectly damage Turkey’s solution process, even if it does not directly target the reforms, Burkay says.
Burkay stressed that, "the government should stay cool, face the rumors, and be cristal clear" on the corruption allegations, "this is how democratic countries face such problems, rather than making comments and judgements etc."
The Istanbul-based operation, launched on December 17, 2013 has led to the arrest of two dozens of high-profile bureaucrats, politicians and businessmen, including the sons of two former cabinet ministers and the head of state-owned lender Halkbank.
Prime Minister Erdogan defines the operation as a plot with international links aimed at weakening Turkey's economic development.
"Even if corruption rumors are true, the investigation has yet to conclude," Burkay says. “Erdogan's argument that the purpose of these slanders aims to weaken (the ruling) AK Party, as three different scandals (high-profile arrests) are combined as one, seems true."
Burkay criticizes parallel organizations in democratic countries and says they "cannot be accepted, and must be removed from power".
Kemal Burkay was born in Tunceli province in Turkey. He graduated from Ankara University, Law School in 1960. In 1965 he joined the Turkish workers party. He was imprisoned due to an article published in 1966. He was in exile in Sweden for 31 years, and he came back to Turkey in 2011. In 2012 he was elected the president of HAK-PAR, a party which makes efforts to grant rights of Kurdish people in Turkey.
Solution process, is the name of the ongoing peace efforts, one of whose objectives is to resolve the Kurdish issue. Also, the solution process includes other ethnic minority rights in Turkey.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
