Erdoğan's criticisms related with the resolution process and later on the polemics, which started with Bülent Arınç's rebuke, has shaken up the agenda. While anti-Erdoğan circles were baking a dough like “You see, Erdoğan is against the process", they left the kitchen following the polemic between Bülent Arınç and Melih Gökçek and swiftly surrendered themselves to the “Here is the expected ending. AK Party is shattering" thrill. If we are to return to the beginning of the matter; why did President Erdoğan, who is the architect of the resolution process, object to the Monitoring Committee and stated that he regarded it as the step to increase the legitimacy of Imralı (Öcalan)? Why did he say that he didn't approve the meeting held at Dolmabahçe on February 28th?
Everyone has an answer and comment related with the agendum. Since I don't think that Erdoğan's statements are based on momentary developments, I find it necessary to look back and remember the happenings in the past Holiday of Sacrifice.
As you know, despite opening it's doors to everyone running away from the region as ISIL surrounded Kobani, an attempt was made to stir up Turkey's streets under the “Support the Kobani resistance" flag. Without a doubt, the October 6-7 incidents were one of the most critical milestones of our recent political history. Forty Turkish citizens lost their lives. Their deaths were as savage as ISIL. The demonstrations on the streets were completely based on ravaging.
Yes, everything started with HDP's calling. However the day when the fire had been flared up, in other words on October 6th, Mehmet Öcalan, who is Abdullah Öcalan's brother, returned from Imralı island and shared his brother's comments related with Kobani; this was the essential designative factor. Yes, Demirtaş's and other HDP authorities' solidarity callings had already caused disturbance until that day; however, Abdullah Öcalan's comments, which came to mean that he had given the green light, had fired that terrible savageness, which opened an irrecoverable scar in everyone's hearts.
Especially what the youngsters, who had been cornered and slaughtered as they were distributing sacrificed meats, Yasin Börü and his friends experienced as they gave their last breath, has created an unforgettable memory in people's minds. The youngsters, who were distributing aid on a Sacrificial Feast day, were accused of being ISIL supporters and killed by the supporters of a Marxist-Leninist group. ISIL's savagery was known to everyone. However, the October 6-7 savagery was also known by all. It must be that Öcalan failed to foresee the peril of the outcome that in a short time a “Stop" message had arrived from Imralı island and the incidents stopped.
Despite Demirtaş being regarded as the main culprit of these incidents, according to the people, who watched the incident with their heart's in their mouths, Imralı and Qandil had the same responsibility as the political party. The process, which successfully survived the Gezi attempting, December 17-25 coup attempts and many sabotage attempts, had taken a big hit on October 6-7. Even the Turkish community, who had serious questions in their minds since the beginning of the resolution process like “Are we being divided?", started believing as the process passed all these tests and being convinced that getting rid of the old reflexes of the old Turkey and reaching peace would be a good thing. So much so that the extreme active position of the West during the Gezi incidents and December 17-25, made people say; “Seeing that Americans, Brits and Germans are so annoyed with peace, then it must be a good thing and it's beneficial for us." Even a substantial portion of the nationalists started saying, “If he keeps his promise I'll say bravo to him" towards Öcalan, the other person insisting on peace on the other edge.
That savagery display in Kobani had destroyed this positive perception. For the community, the summary of this display was this; PKK is barbarically killing religious people by labeling them as ISIL supporters. These displays, which remind us of the “Terrorist organization PKK" anti-propaganda we've seen on TV screens during the 90s, had been serviced by the organization sympathizers.
Under these circumstances, in other words, the frustration of the community that accepted the resolution process within last year, this caused the conservative Turkish segment to be unable to feel excited about and even shrug their shoulder to the developments related with the process. What's more, displays like the images at Dolmabahçe on February 28th are pleasing the ones who possess a more liberal view; however, it also causes the conservatives to grumble.
As things stand, it's understood that while one side comes up with never-ending requests and objected to the Domestic Security package, which would be preventing a savageness like in Kobani from happening, by means of making a sit-in protest in the parliament, the other side sees it necessary to have a different brake mechanism. As the government is trying to conduct the resolution process without allowing the other side to topple the table over, Erdoğan is also balancing the other end of the table. Maybe the press and intellectuals assume that the Turkish community is quite liberal and left-winger; however, they are forgetting that the community has a conservative, nationalist majority and miss out on seeing that Erdoğan is protecting the resolution process from reclining towards the left too much. Briefly, while the government's actions are satisfying a part of the community, Erdoğan's brake controls are meeting the expectations of the other part. Strictly, this is how it should be, because I don't think that anyone would be showing tolerance to another October 6-7 incident.
