Kurdish Library

Party for Democracy and Peace

Program of the Party For Democracy and Peace (1996)

Today our world is undergoing a process of tremendous change and renewal. In this process, some of the developed countries are making efforts to abolish national boundaries and enable people having different languages and cultures to live together in multicultural units, whereas in the underdeveloped countries all human values are being destroyed, starting with the fundamental rights and freedoms. In these countries many bloody ethnic and religious conflicts are being played out which condemn society to starvation and poverty. Most of these conflicts are taking place in those countries whose systems are generally not democratic.

Turkey is one of the countries where these blood conflicts are taking place. Because it has pursued the wrong policies in this respect since the foundation of the Republic, Turkey faces

tremendous problems today. The politics of violence, which has created violent types of activity and organizations, has made life as a whole unbearable. It is obvious that an undemocratic system does not recognize the basic rights and freedoms of human beings.

A solution of the urgent questions cannot be expected from those who have reduced the country to this plight. The democratic society and democratic state structure that people long for must be created. But this will be possible only if a broadly based democratic force comes to power which is sure of the support of the organizations of civil society. The parties and elites of today that are committed to the existing system cannot be persuaded to seek change. These parties' goal is to maintain the status quo and not give up their concept of politics as a consensus of the leadership. Change requires a party of the masses that is democratic, seeks change, is sure of the workers' support, and takes all universal rights seriously. It is in order to meet this need that the Party for Democracy and Peace was founded.

The Party for Democracy and Peace is the party of the workers, the unemployed, the peasants, the civil servants, the teachers, the intellectuals, the democrats and socialists, the businessmen, the artists – in short, of the masses who suffer from oppression and exploitation, and all those who are on the side of democracy and change. In the name of these groups, our party will be a candidate for the opportunity to form a government.

Assessment of the Domestic and International Situation

The dissolution of the USSR and the crises experienced by the states of Eastern Europe have changed the global balance of power, The countries of Eastern Europe and the former USSR that have become capitalist have not attained economic and social stability. Whereas in some of these countries the transition to democratic life has been easy, in others this transition has been bound up with problems and pain. These peoples are struggling with deep-seated economic problems. Production has sunk drastically; unemployment., rising prices, and violence are deepening the social misery. Moreover, ethnic groups that previously lived together in harmony are fighting one another. The masses have not gained what they hoped to gain from the changes. For this reason, the left-wing parties in these countries have grown stronger, and in some countries they have won elections and formed governments,

The problems arising in our world from the division of people into rich and poor, still exist. The deep problems due to "backwardness" in Africa and Central and Latin Americas continue. The difficult problems we are talking about – regional conflicts, repressive regimes, and civil war – are creating new waves of emigration.

The economically most highly developed countries – North America, Western Europe, and Japan – have problems such as unemployment, inflation, hostility to foreigners, racism, increasing drug addiction, violence etc., that arise from the nature of the system itself. Moreover, these countries are using their influence to put pressure on the economically less developed countries to solve problems such as overpopulation, starvation, and mass migration.

The arms race and regional wars are continuing across the globe. The most significant portion of the world's natural resources is consumed by these exploitation of nature has caused severe destruction of the environment and significantly disturbed the ecological balance. This is a problem that affects the present and the future of mankind.

Most of these problems – economic, technical, and scientific "backwardness", severe state debts, overpopulation, poverty, drought, starvation, epidemics, emigration, regional conflicts, hostility to foreigners, environmental pollution etc. – are global problems today, and they can be solved only at the international level.

Human rights became a global issue through the Human Rights Convention of the United Nations. Human rights have gained in significance and are no longer the internal affairs of individual states. At the same time, this puts the issue of democracy on the agenda of all the peoples of the world, for the recognition of human rights in individual states is not possible without a functioning and broadly based democracy.

The forces that resist human progress and a better world must be seen in this context. The world has shrunk, and people's individual problems are now, in contrast to the past, everyone's problems. These problems can be solved only from a global perspective.

The Near East is still a critical region of the world. The steps that have been taken by Israel and Palestine toward peace are important in that they have calmed down the political situation in this region, but a long road still lies ahead before peace is complete. Moreover, the problems between Israel, Syria, and Lebanon must be solved. In recent times there have been developments in this direction that must be taken seriously.

But the Near East problem is not limited to the Israel-Arab conflict. There are also the Cyprus problem, the Iran-Iraq conflict, and the water problems of the region's states, as well as the ethnic and national conflicts caused by the collapse of the USSR. The Kurdish question has long been one of the most significant problems of this region. For years it has occupied the states of this region and other states of the world. If there is no peaceful solution of the Kurdish question, it will continue to preoccupy international observers.

These problems can be solved – as is shown by the real examples of Palestine, South Africa, and Ireland – not through the use of violence but by means of negotiation and peaceful methods, with respect for the resolutions of the United Nations. Changing global circumstances are making it easier to solve such problems using these methods.

In this region, "Islamic radicalism" is the primary form of escape for the masses that are suffering from economic difficulties and political repression, But the masses are pursuing the wrong aims. The liberation of the Islamic peoples can be attained not through regression into the past but in democracy and socio-economic development.

Turkey must solve the regional problems that affect it by being aware of the great changes taking place in the world and by taking realistic political action not through violence but through policies based on international law. A Near East in which free peoples live peacefully and democratically would be advantageous to Turkey as well as the other states of the region.

Despite the attempts at renewal that began during the final phase of the Ottoman Empire and in the epoch of the Republic, Turkey is still far from being a modern and progressive country. It faces severe problems. Its most difficult problems are the Kurdish question, the lack of democracy, and the regressive economic situation. These three problems influence and reinforce one another; conversely, the solutions of these problems are also intertwined.

The military, the civilian bureaucracy, and the landowners, who have held power in the past and continue to do so in the present, mean heavy economic exploitation and oppression for the people.

This circle of governing forces has given the people no freedom and no rights, because they regard the peoples having no security. They have not granted the workers the right to organize.

In this country, there has never been freedom of expression. The country's prisons have always been filled with intellectuals and writers who have advocated democracy, work, and renewal. It is still so today. In this country, parties have always been banned, their leaders and members have been arrested and condemned to long prison terms and even to death. It is still so today.

The most important focus of this ruthless, oppressive regime is the Kurdish question. Its policy of oppression with regard to the Kurdish question is destructive to the society as a whole, for the rights and freedoms of the entire society are being limited and all paths are being cleared for military control.

The authoritarian and militaristic conception of the state that is an obstacle to development in Turkey is still paramount. The people who are committed to this conception of the state believe that a regime of prohibitions can overcome the various problems. But this conception has not brought any solutions to the problems. On the contrary, it has made the problems worse.

In no phase of its existence has Turkey known democracy in the true sense of the word. What was advertised democracy was a caricature of democracy. Today a multi-party system and a civilian government are being shown off, However, with regard to essential issues the country is being governed in accordance with the decisions of the government and the Nationals Security Commission (Milli Güvenlik Kurulu). The atmosphere of repression also prevents free discussion in the parliament.

Under these circumstances, it would be strange to speak of Turkey’s country governed by its people. Democratic government exists only in countries in which people are assured of their fundamental rights, every social class has the right to organize, and a parliament elected through a system of democratic elections gives these classes the opportunity to be fairly represented, to discuss freely, and to make free decisions.

On the contrary, the social group that has long governed the land has granted the people no freedom and no democracy.

For these reasons, both problems – the question of democracy and the Kurdish question – are on today's agenda as very important questions that are waiting for solutions. The country has been transformed into a battlefield. Fundamental rights and every kind of freedom are being eliminated, The state is a police state in the truest sense of the word. The political atmosphere in Turkey is appalling. Turkey needs peace and democracy. These can be ensured if the Kurdish question is solved by peaceful means.

In addition to these problems, Turkey is unable to progress beyond the limits set by its economic backwardness. The unemployment that has paralyzed the population for years, poverty, and the rising cost of living have increased in recent years. The gap between rich and poor has increased step by step. Debts to foreign creditors now exceed $70 billion. The country is in a deep economic crisis and is once again standing at the doors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

One of the causes of this situation is the policy implemented by the people who have governed this country for years. These people use the country's resources not to make the country progress, but to support their luxurious lifestyle. The country is being ruled by a government of reckless exploitation and destruction. Corruption is destroying social life. Those who govern have entangled themselves in violations of the law and have grown very rich doing so; but nobody can call them to account, for the people are not organized and their voice, which ought to condemn these facts, has been silenced. The tax burden rests on the shoulders of the poor. The rich pay so little in taxes that one could call the situation grotesque. For the rich, tax evasion has become a habit.

The regime, which models itself on the reactionary feudal governments of the past, does not react to the claims of the landless peasants and the poor.

The lack of democracy benefits the ruling circle, for it prevents people from calling to account those who steals and continually violate the laws. It prevents the masses from organizing and prolongs the ruling group's hold on power.

One of the main causes of the economic crisis is the false policy concerning the Kurds and the high economic price that is being paid for it. The amount spent, annually on the "war against terrorism" is $8 to 10 billion. This sum is fairly high by Turkish standards, and would be sufficient to solve the country's economic crisis. But the actual price is even higher.

Production in this region has come to a standstill because or the atmosphere of violence and conflict. Industry is not functioning, fields are not being cultivated, and herds are not being brought. to their pastures. Thousands of villages and many small towns have been destroyed and emptied of their inhabitants, and the people have been forced to emigrate. Starvation and joblessness have reached appalling levels in this region. The waves of migrations have worsened conditions in the large cities of this region and in western Turkey, which were bad to begin with. The number of shanties and slum settlements built overnight (gecekondu) in the large cities has risen, and the population of the cities has increased to abnormal levels, This too results in social problems.

The effort to suppress people by violence has promoted the expansion and increase of violence. This circumstance has had a negative influence on tourism in Turkey, and this means financial losses of billions of dollars.

As we see, through its wrongly conceived policy against the Kurds the governing circle has turned the country into a battlefield. It. is not only a rather of blood flowing unnecessarily and the Turkish people having to undergo tremendous sufferings. At the same time, the country's resources are being wasted unnecessarily. The people's work is being transformed into ammunition and bombs, the country is growing poorer, its economic situation is worsening.

Although in recent years significant changes have taken place in the world in the direction of democracy and human rights, the Turkish government's conception of power has not changed. The ruling circle refuses to make any changes leading toward democracy, human rights, and a solution of the Kurdish question. It is still using methods dating back to the Cold War in its attempt to promote militarism and chauvinism and attain success through violence.

The past and present experiences of the masses who are being oppressed by economic problems have taught the following lesson to the social groups that suffer from repression and injustice -workers, peasants, employees, intellectuals, youths: this unjust, system must be changed. Society needs peace, bread, and freedom. Only the people themselves can secure these things for themselves. They need an organization that represents the people and can lead them. This is a question of power. Power must be taken out of the hands of those who have governed the country for the past seventy years and who are responsible for the country's present miserable situation.

The creation of a democratic and peaceful atmosphere and economic development in Turkey depend on the solution of the Kurdish question. This solution is possible not through repressive means but through peaceful ones.

These conditions can be brought about if a truce is declared and a free atmosphere is created to discuss solutions of the problem. All of the parties will publicize their programs without setting any limitations on the ensuing discussion, and the people will decide in a free election which of the various views presented to them they prefer.

The State of Emergency and the provincial governors will be abolished, the special teams will be disbanded, and the village guards will also be dismissed.

A general amnesty will be declared, and all political prisoners will be released. The conditions will be created for the return of those who have been forced to leave the country, and for the restoration of their rights,

Those who have been forced to leave their villages and towns because of the atmosphere of violence and oppression will be helped to return to their homes. They will be compensated for the material and psychological damage they have suffered.

The funds being spent today on lethal and destructive weapons, barracks, gendarmes, and the construction of prisons will be spent on the reconstruction and repair of the country. Special plans will be made and sufficient resources will be reserved for the rebuilding of regional industry, which has been destroyed in past years, for trade, agriculture, and handicrafts.

The repression of languages and cultures and forced assimilation will be ended. International norms and regulations will be applied in this area.

For a Modern Democracy

Since the establishment of the Republic, the ruling group has denied people their basic rights and freedoms and democracy. This was done not because the people were not worthy of democracy or unprepared for it; it was done because the ruling group wanted to hold on to its privileges.

This group holds the country's fate in its hands and denies the people democracy. And what it is doing today in the name of democracy and freedom is mere farce. The ruling group lies to the domestic and foreign press in the most blatant way, and lies to the people when it. speaks of democratization.

Our country needs a modern democracy. For this reason, our party calls for the necessary changes to be made immediately, tries to promote these changes, and will implement them if it comes to power.

The constitution of 1982 is one of the greatest obstacles to democratization and is far from capable of fulfilling the people's wishes. It has built a wall blocking off fundamental rights and freedoms. With the cooperation of democratic organizations new constitution will be drawn up that takes the various social groups into account and guarantees fundamental rights and freedoms.

b) The Parliament

A system of democratic elections will be established that will ensure representation of the various social groups in the national parliament and regional parliaments.

The present symbolic function of the parliament will be abolished, and it will become a forum for free discussion and a body that makes laws and important decisions.

The present situation, in which the legislative branch of government lies in the hands of the government will be abolished. Decisions will be made within the framework of the appropriate laws.

It will be illegal for parliamentarians to be condemned on account of their opinions or for their parliamentary immunity to be annulled.

The National Security Commission, which today controls the parliament and the government and has the right to vote on all fundamental political decisions, will be abolished.

Courts based on the supremacy of the law will be established. The courts will be independent and juridical security will be guaranteed.

The State Security Courts (DGM) and other courts of the State of Emergency will be abolished.

Torture will be outlawed and torturers will be punished severely.

The death penalty will be abolished.

Freedom of expression, the right to legal defense, and the right to appeal will be granted to all on an equal basis.

Conditions in the prisons will be improved. Efforts will be made to integrate and educate prisoners.

The General Staff will be accountable to the Ministry of Defense.

The army will be deployed to do the work appropriate to it, namely defending the country. The period of military service will be shortened and the number of soldiers will be reduced.

All laws that limit the freedom of opinion and punish the holding of certain opinions will be abolished.

Freedom of the press and of assembly, and freedom to demonstrate will be granted to the people, and all anti-democratic forces and measures to abolish or set limits on these freedoms will be annulled,

The laws limiting the freedom to organize and the freedom to establish parties and associations will be annulled and a general right to organize will be guaranteed.

f) Regional Governments

The governors, the state assembly, and the security directors will be elected, just as mayors are. They can be removed from office through a decision of the people or the courts. The regional governments will function as regional parliaments.

The regional administrations will be strengthened. Health, education, and the consolidation of social services will be the responsibility of the regional administrations.

Secularism and freedom of religion are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary, they can only exist together. A country is democratic and secular if it has freedom of religion and nobody religion and nobody within it is oppressed or privileged on account of his or her religion.

Turkey does not live up to these standards. Turkey has interfered in the area of religion, privileging some and oppressing others.

Millions of Alevites and other religious minorities have always been the target of repressive measures.

To make Turkey a secular country, compulsory religious instruction in the schools will be abolished and the organization of religious activities will be handed over to the responsible groups. The sites of religious services and religious instruction, and religious officials will be financially supported not by the state budget but by the people they serve.

Our party wants a secular and democratic society in the truest sense of the world. We respect freedom of religion. Everyone will be able to freely practice his or her religion insofar as this does not endanger others. Our party makes no distinction between citizens in this respect. It does not practice oppression or discrimination.

In order to overcome the economic crisis, which has by now become a matter of routine and is deepening from year to year, we dust end the power of those who are wasting the country's resources on their own luxurious lifestyles and on the dirty war.

Our party will end the corruption and thievery of those who hold power at present and end the dirty war that has been stubbornly waged for years. Our party will use the resources that have so far been wasted on the dirty war, to the benefit of the broad masses of the population, production, and the solution of other serious problems, Thus the country will enjoy domestic peace and develop rapidly. And it will become possible to guide the economy, eliminate unemployment, and poverty, raise the workers' standard of living, and use resources to benefit the economically backward regions as well as the others.

Democracy will be the guarantee of these priorities, In a democratic society, the people's control over the government and the government's accountability for violations of the law will become possible.

The rights of those who practice freelance professions and those who work legally in agriculture, industry, and trade will be safeguarded. The cheap sale of public lands, the pretended export of goods, illegal credit, and other illegal business practices that senselessly waste public property and the people's funds will be stopped.

Small businesses and crafts will be promoted.

Our party advocates immediate entry into the European Union. We will take the necessary preparatory steps for this entry by making the necessary economic and democratic improvements,

a) State-Owned Economic Enterprises

Because of incompetent. and partisan leadership, most of the state-owned economic enterprises show constant losses and are a burden on the economy. They serve as treasuries for the members of the government and are used to channel resources into the private sector.

The ruling circle is now preparing to close down most of the state-owned economic enterprises and sell them to the private sector for merely nominal prices.

This would not be a desirable procedure, for it would result in great losses to agriculture and the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs.

Our party opposes giving away state-owned enterprises to the private sector or closing them down. If these enterprises were managed according to modern methods and not used by the members of government as treasuries for their personal gain, they could become productive again, What, has to be done is the following.

Our party will restructure the management and production methods of the state-owned sector of the economy in accordance with modern standards. The workers will be able to participate in management and supervision. Moreover, they will receive a percentage of the

profits.

b) Working Conditions and Social Security

The standards of the International Labor Organization (ILO) will be implemented in the regulation of working conditions.

The workers' rights that have been diminished by the repressive government will be returned to the workers, and to this end the necessary improvements in labor law will be made.

The organization of labor unions, wage negotiations, strikes, and the right to a general strike will be granted to all workers without limitations.

A system of social security which also includes unemployment insurance will be established.

The pension system for workers and employees will be improved, and security will be provided for persons in need of assistance, older people, and the handicapped.

Every worker will be provided with a paid vacation and recuperation periods.

The land will be taken away from the state and the large landowners and distributed among peasants who own little land. In order to increase agricultural production, the peasants will be taught how to use agricultural machinery and modern techniques of irrigation and fertilization. Organizations such as cooperatives for production, credit, and marketing will be promoted.

Efforts will be made to introduce modern methods of animal breeding. The producers will be given support.

For poor and middle-level villages, sufficient loans and aids to repayment will be provided.

In the rural areas, elements of the infrastructure such as roads, schools, water, electricity, health services and similar services will be expanded and improved.

Our party will carry out a well-structured program of tax reform. Persons with a very high income who pay ludicrously low taxes and persons who practice tax evasion on a large scale will be compelled to pay taxes proportionate to their income. Persons earning a minimum income will not have to pay any taxes. Moreover, income taxes will be lowered.

Our party will carry out reforms with regard to the shadow economy.

Education will be liberated from nationalist, chauvinist, and violence-oriented criteria, and it will be democratized. The goal of schooling will be the education of human beings who think freely and creatively and are of' good character.

The proportion of the state budget that is spent on education will be increased. Every person will enjoy equal access to schooling and the development of his or her abilities.

Sports activities will be promoted, and attempts will be made to interest not only young people but also many other social groups.

The universities will be freed of pressure from official, dogmatic ideologies. They will be brought up to the level of a democratic and independent constitution. Free examinations will be organized within the framework of academic regulations.

The main goal of science, art, and culture will be the progress of society. The organs that further this goal will not be regarded as commercial enterprises.

The obstacles to free development in science, art, and culture will be removed. Organizations and persons working in these areas will be promoted and supported, and changes will be made in the laws that, are necessary to achieve these goals.

A health system will be developed that. is available to all citizens.

Health services will be improved and provided free of charge to people who are poor or without means.

We will pursue a policy of providing housing for every family and every citizen according to his or her situation and in accordance with the health regulations.

In the earthquake areas of our country such housing will be built as can resist earthquakes and the local weather conditions.

Policies will be pursued that further comfortable travel, clean air, good infrastructure, sufficient green areas, parks, sport areas, cultural centers, and urban planning.

In our country, the inequality of men and women in the working world, in education, politics, and other areas of social life, and the pressure on women and use of violence against them are much greater than they are in the more developed countries.

Our party will try systematically to remove this inequality and oppression.

The education of women and women's participation in the world our work will be valued, and efforts will be made to ensure that they receive equal pay for equal work.

Our party will make efforts to include women more extensively in political life.

Women have the right to make the decisions that affect their own lives.

The primitive custom of preventing women from choosing their own mates will be opposed. The use of oppression and violence will be punished as crimes and preventive measures will be taken.

In order to give women the time and opportunity to be active in the areas of work, education, politics, art, culture, and other social activities, and to free them from bondage to the household, sufficient day-care centers, kindergartens, and comparable institutions will be provided.

Our party will make efforts to solve the problems of young people, who have an important function in the present and the future, so that they can play a significant. role in every area of society.

Young people from various regions and social classes will be given equal opportunities in the areas of education, vocational training, and the development of their abilities.

The laws concerning children will be revised in accordance with the international norms for laws concerning children.

Every kind of violence against children will be regarded as a crime and punished.

Associations will be founded for the care and education of orphans and unprotected children,

Environmental Protection

Today, the environment is being polluted through unplanned and diverse industrialization, the unregulated use of natural resources, and similar practices. This poses a threat to the future of our planet and all living things on it, including human beings. Before it is too late, basic measures must be taken to protect the environment.

Industrialization and urbanization must be carried out in a planned fashion, with attention being paid to the preservation of ancient buildings, the natural environment, and the health of human beings.

Our party will initiate the necessary measures in this area and see to it that people are educated concerning this issue.

Our party advocates international disarmament and supports the efforts being made to achieve peace. It opposes militarism, fascism, racism, and hostility to foreigners. It is against every kind of national oppression, and it is committed to the right of nations to freely determine their own future.

Our party seeks peaceful and just solutions to regional problems.

It advocates the strengthening and expansion of human rights and democracy, and the prevention of environmental pollution and thus the protection of the balance of nature. It supports mankind's efforts to stop the population explosion, end starvation, scarcity of resources, drought, and epidemic illnesses, and find solutions for these and similar problems. Another concern of our party is the effort to release the developing nations from their heavy burden of debt and aid these countries in achieving rapid economic, social, and cultural development.

Our party also supports joint political associations for the human race. The United Nations in particular should become even more active and have more authority to declare and enforce sanctions.

Our party will make efforts to find solutions to the problems we have with our neighbors, through negotiations on the basis of peaceful international principles.

Address:

Menekşe 1 Sokak 10-A/7 ANKARA
Tel : 0 (312) 417 35 24 - 417 35 87
Fax : 0 (312) 417 28 83

18-07-2000