Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Mêrdîn (Mardin) MP Beritan Güneş submitted a parliamentary question to the Parliamentary Presidency on May 31 on whether the Kurdish language is used in public spaces in Turkey.

 

The Presidency and four ministries responded to the one-question motion on different dates. Among the ministries that responded, the Ministry of Defense drew attention to the first four articles of the Constitution. The Ministry said, "The state of Turkey is indivisible with its country and nation. Its language is Turkish". In its one-sentence response, the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources admitted that the Ministry's Strategy Development Directorate had not conducted any studies on the use of the Kurdish language.

 

PRESENTED PROPAGANDA AS A SERVICE

 

In its response, the Ministry of Trade shared that its activities and studies are provided in Turkish and English. In the rest of its response, the Ministry claimed that these activities are offered equally. In its response, the Ministry of Education cited the "Living languages and dialects" elective course for primary and secondary school students, which is 1 and 2 hours long. The Presidency, on the other hand, claimed that TRT 6, which broadcasts AKP and state propaganda in Kurdish, provides public services for Kurds. The Presidency also drew attention to the works published by Diyanet in many languages and noted that these works are also published in Kurdish.

 

'THE RESPONSES ARE A MENTAL ECLIPSE'

 

Stating that the answers revealed the monist mentality once again, Güneş said: "With these answers, it was once again confirmed that no other language other than Turkish, and especially Kurdish, is allowed a living space in Turkey. Especially the Ministry of Defense claims that services in Kurdish will divide Turkey. It is a mental eclipse. We do not accept the single language emphasis given as a single line by all ministries."

 

Reacting to the omission of the Kurdish language spoken by millions of people, Güneş said: "We invite the government and the relevant ministries to take the necessary steps to ensure that the Kurdish language can be used equally and freely in the public sphere. The protection and development of linguistic and cultural rights will ensure equal and fair representation of all segments of society and contribute to social peace. In this direction, efforts for the use of Kurdish in the public sphere should be initiated as soon as possible." 

 

MA / Mehmet Aslan