Pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) in Turkey defied the recent debate surrounding its legitimacy in a meeting held by the women’s branch of the party.
Pervin Buldan, co-chair of the HDP said that the main issue for the party was to change the decadent regime that feeds the injustices and disparities in Turkey, rather than delving into futile discussions over which party will hold on to power in next year’s elections, adding that those who insist on defaming HDP should even not dare to pronounce the party’s name.
HDP is the center of a debate in a much polarized Turkey between the ruling and opposition over finding a joint candidate in the elections to be held next year in June.
President Erdogan, whose approval ratings have been in decline due to the economic woes in the country, has formally announced his presidential candidacy for re-election but an alliance of six opposition parties including the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) are working on putting forward a joint name to run against Erdogan. HDP is not among that opposition bloc.
Recently, when a CHP deputy said it would only be natural for the HDP to be given a minister when he was talking about a hypothetical cabinet , he was lambasted not only by the ruling block but also by nationalist Iyi Party (Good Party) from the opposition, whose chair said they could not “coexist with HDP.”
HDP is accused of having ties with the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) by nationalist parties but it denies allegaitons.
“Our struggle is to completely change the discriminatory and oppressive denial regime against women, Kurds, Alevis, Armenians, all faiths and identities, laborers and all oppressed people, and the construction of a democratic system. Our struggle is to develop a political attitude in favor of equality, peace, justice and a solution against all these historical mistakes and crimes, and to start a new era based on these values,” Buldan said.
She continued: “To put it bluntly, any mentality that does not have the courage to face the centuries-old denial, any mentality that does not have the courage and will to cooperate with the democratic opposition, cannot be part of a solution. (…) As HDP, we are the founding power of an egalitarian, libertarian and democratic future. We are the representation power of what exists.”
Source:gerceknews
